> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Errors worth branching on

> Per-endpoint failure templates matching the { error, meta } envelope — what actually fires, what to retry, what to surface to the operator.

## Errors worth branching on

These five failures cover the session attach (POST /api/v1/cobrowse/sessions/{id}/host), on every operator join. Each block below is a full `{ error, meta }` envelope as the API returns it, and the matrix at the bottom answers retry vs surface for the same five classes. For the platform-wide decision table these branches plug into, see the [error handling guide](/guides/error-handling-examples).

### 401 — Unauthorized

```json theme={null}
  {
    "error": {
      "code": "UNAUTHORIZED",
      "message": "The API key is invalid, expired, or lacks the required scope.",
      "status": 401
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_cobrowsea1",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }
```

A `401` on this page is the bearer key failing before the route ran — it never means the resource is wrong. Rotate the key or re-mint the scoped token; retrying the same request changes nothing.

### 403 — Forbidden

```json theme={null}
  {
    "error": {
      "code": "FORBIDDEN",
      "message": "The key is valid but does not have the scope this operation requires.",
      "status": 403
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_cobrowsea1f",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }
```

A `403` means the key authenticated but the operation is gated by scope — check the key's scopes on the developer page; a `403` is never a data-not-found shape.

### 422 — Schema

```json theme={null}
  {
    "error": {
      "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
      "message": "The request failed input validation.",
      "status": 422,
      "details": { "field": "visitor_context", "value": "foo", "expected": "a JSON object (for example, { page: url })" }
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_cobrowseb2",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }
```

A `422` means the payload did not match the request schema — branch on `error.details.field` and resend with a JSON object for visitor\_context instead of blind-retrying the same body.

### 429 — Rate

```json theme={null}
  {
    "error": {
      "code": "RATE_LIMITED",
      "message": "Too many requests in the current window.",
      "status": 429,
      "details": { "retry_after": 12 }
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_cobrowsec3",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z",
      "docs_url": "https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/errors/RATE_LIMITED"
    }
  }
```

The `Retry-After` header and `error.details.retry_after` are both set on every `429` — resend the SAME request after the lower of the two.

### 409 — Conflict

```json theme={null}
  {
    "error": {
      "code": "COBROWSE_SESSION_ALREADY_HOSTED",
      "message": "A host is already attached to this cobrowse session.",
      "status": 409,
      "details": { "host_agent_id": "agent_0192" }
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_cobrowsed4",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }
```

Reconnect the WebSocket instead of re-creating — the session is still live.

### 60-second retry matrix

| Class                                                | Meaning                                        | Branch response                                                                                          |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **401 `UNAUTHORIZED`**                               | the bearer key itself fails                    | **Surface.** Rotate the key or re-mint the scoped token; do not retry the same request.                  |
| **403 `FORBIDDEN`**                                  | the key lacks this operation's scope           | **Surface.** Fix the key's scope set; a retry with the same key never heals it.                          |
| **422 `VALIDATION_ERROR`**                           | the payload does not match the schema          | **Fix, then resend intentionally.** Branch on `error.details.field`; a blind retry repeats the same 422. |
| **429 `RATE_LIMITED`**                               | the window quota is exhausted                  | **Retry after `error.details.retry_after`** (or the `Retry-After` header) with the same request body.    |
| **`COBROWSE_SESSION_ALREADY_HOSTED`** (409 conflict) | Reconnect the WebSocket instead of re-creating | **Branch on `error.code`.** The session is still live.                                                   |