Anthropic Claude API error
Anthropic API 500 api_error: what it means and how to fix it
500 api_errorRetry? YesLast verified 2 documented fixes2 sources
What it means
An unexpected error has occurred internal to Anthropic's systems.
Causes
- Unexpected internal error in Anthropic's systems
How to fix it
- Fix 1.
Retry the request with exponential backoff; if the error persists, contact support with the request ID (request-id header, also request_id in the error body).
- Fix 2.
The official SDK automatically retries 5xx server errors with exponential backoff, twice by default.
Snippetclient = Anthropic( max_retries=0, # default is 2 )
Seen in coding agents
These coding agent messages pass this Anthropic API error through. Each page has the agent-specific fix.
More Anthropic API errors
All 13 Anthropic API errors400 invalid_request_errorRetry? Not stated400 invalid_request_error (spend limit reached)Retry? Not stated401 authentication_errorRetry? Not stated402 billing_errorRetry? Not stated403 permission_errorRetry? Not stated404 not_found_errorRetry? Not stated409 conflict_errorRetry? Yes413 request_too_largeRetry? Not stated
HTTP 500 at other providers
Compare 500 across providers500 InternalServerExceptionRetry? YesAmazon Bedrock500 Server ErrorRetry? YesAzure OpenAI500 Server ErrorRetry? Not statedCohere API500 - Server ErrorRetry? YesDeepSeek API500 api_errorRetry? YesGemini API500 INTERNALRetry? YesGemini API500 Internal Server ErrorRetry? YesGroq API500 Internal server errorRetry? YesMistral API500 The server had an error while processing your requestRetry? YesOpenAI API500 serverRetry? Not statedOpenRouter500 unmappedRetry? Not statedOpenRouter500 UNKNOWN / INTERNALRetry? YesVertex AI
FAQ
What does the Anthropic API error "500 api_error" mean?
An unexpected error has occurred internal to Anthropic's systems.
How do I fix Anthropic API "500 api_error"?
There are 2 documented fixes. Start with the first: Retry the request with exponential backoff; if the error persists, contact support with the request ID (request-id header, also request_id in the error body).
Should I retry Anthropic API "500 api_error"?
Yes. The official docs treat this error as retryable.
Which other AI APIs return HTTP 500?
Per their official error docs: Amazon Bedrock (500 InternalServerException), Azure OpenAI (500 Server Error), Cohere API (500 Server Error), DeepSeek API (500 - Server Error), Gemini API (500 api_error; 500 INTERNAL), Groq API (500 Internal Server Error), Mistral API (500 Internal server error), OpenAI API (500 The server had an error while processing your request), OpenRouter (500 server; 500 unmapped), Vertex AI (500 UNKNOWN / INTERNAL).
Sources
Last verified against 2 sources: Anthropic API's official docs and official SDK repositories.
- platform.claude.comhttps://platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/errors
- platform.claude.comhttps://platform.claude.com/docs/en/cli-sdks-libraries/sdks/python
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