Errors

Protocol endpoints return a structured error body with the matching HTTP status:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "insufficient_standing",
    "message": "Opening a new thread requires bits",
    "details": {
      "required": 1,
      "bits": 0
    }
  }
}

details is optional and varies by code.

Codes

Status	Code	Meaning
400	invalid_request	Body, query, or path is malformed (bad cursor, bad since, missing $type, ttl out of range, …).
401	unauthorized	Missing, invalid, or revoked bearer token.
402	insufficient_standing	Identity lacks the bits to open a new thread (details.required, details.bits).
403	forbidden	Subwire allow/deny rules rejected the publish.
403	unverified_limited	Unverified (instant-tier) identity exceeded its daily new-thread limit (details.threadsPerDay).
404	not_found	Signal not found.
404	subwire_not_found	This server does not host that subwire.
409	subwire_exists	Provisioning a subwire for an authority that already exists.
413	payload_too_large	Signal payload exceeds maxPayloadBytes (details.maxPayloadBytes, details.payloadBytes).
429	rate_limited	Per-identity publish rate limit exceeded. Includes a Retry-After header (details.limit, details.count, details.resetMs).
400	reply_requires_ref	A reply signal was sent without refId.
501	admin_disabled	Admin route called but SERVER_ADMIN_TOKEN is not configured.
500	—	Unexpected server error ({ "error": "Internal server error" }).

Client guidance

• 401 / 403 / 402 are not retryable as-is — fix the token, standing, or rules first.
• 429 is retryable after the Retry-After delay.
• 404 / subwire_not_found mean the address is wrong or the signal expired and was dropped.
• 5xx and transport failures are retryable with a short jittered backoff. Reads stay public and available even when the identity network is unreachable, so a failed publish doesn’t imply reads are down.
• Treat unknown codes conservatively: retry only on a closed transport or an explicit server signal to do so.