API Errors

Overview

Forge exposes a REST API for the web UI and an MCP server for AI agent integration. This guide helps troubleshoot API connection and communication issues.

Connection Errors

Cannot Connect to Backend

Problem: Frontend shows “Failed to connect to API” or network errors Symptoms:

Tasks don’t load
Empty project list
Console errors: net::ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED

Solutions:

Check Backend is Running

# Verify backend port in logs
# Look for: "Backend server listening on: http://127.0.0.1:XXXX"

# Test connection
curl http://localhost:5000/api/projects

# Should return JSON, not connection error

Check Port Configuration

# Backend auto-assigns port if not specified
# Check what port it's using

# Set explicit port
export BACKEND_PORT=5000
automagik-forge --backend-port 5000

# Verify
curl http://localhost:5000/api/projects

Check Firewall

# macOS
sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --getglobalstate

# Linux (ufw)
sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow 5000/tcp

# Windows Firewall
# Allow automagik-forge in Windows Defender Firewall settings

Check for Port Conflicts

# See what's using the port
lsof -i :5000  # macOS/Linux
netstat -ano | findstr :5000  # Windows

# Kill conflicting process or use different port
automagik-forge --backend-port 5001

CORS Errors

Problem: Access to fetch has been blocked by CORS policy Cause: Backend and frontend on different origins Solution:

# Forge handles CORS automatically
# But if you're using custom setup:

# 1. Ensure backend allows frontend origin
# Backend should already allow http://localhost:3000

# 2. Don't use IP address for frontend
# Use localhost, not 127.0.0.1

# 3. Check browser console for exact CORS error
# F12 → Console → Look for CORS details

Timeout Errors

Problem: Requests timeout with no response Solutions:

# Increase timeout in frontend
# (Already set to reasonable defaults)

# Check if backend is overloaded
top  # Check CPU/memory

# Check backend logs for errors
# Forge outputs logs to console

# Test API directly
curl -v http://localhost:5000/api/projects
# Look for response time

Authentication Errors

Unauthorized (401)

Problem: API returns 401 Unauthorized Cause: Missing or invalid auth token (GitHub OAuth) Solution:

# Re-authenticate with GitHub
# Via UI: Settings → GitHub → Reconnect

# Or clear cached token
rm .forge/github-token.enc

# Restart Forge
automagik-forge

Forbidden (403)

Problem: API returns 403 Forbidden Cause: Insufficient permissions for requested resource Solution:

# Check GitHub OAuth scopes
# Ensure OAuth app has repo access

# Verify you have access to the repository
gh repo view owner/repo

# Re-authorize with correct scopes

Request Errors

Bad Request (400)

Problem: API returns 400 Bad Request Causes:

Invalid JSON
Missing Required Fields
Invalid Field Values

# Check request body is valid JSON
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/tasks \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Test"}' # Valid

# Not this:
-d '{title:"Test"}' # Invalid (missing quotes)

# Check API documentation for required fields
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/tasks \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Required",
    "description": "Also required",
    "project_id": "uuid-required"
  }'

# Check field validation
# Example: status must be valid enum
{
  "status": "in_progress" // Valid
  "status": "invalid_status" // Invalid
}

Not Found (404)

Problem: API returns 404 Not Found Solutions:

# Verify endpoint path
curl http://localhost:5000/api/tasks  # Correct
curl http://localhost:5000/api/task   # Wrong (singular)

# Verify resource exists
curl http://localhost:5000/api/tasks/{task-id}

# Check if ID is correct UUID format
# Valid: a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890
# Invalid: task-123

Internal Server Error (500)

Problem: API returns 500 Internal Server Error Solution:

# Check backend logs for stack trace
# Forge outputs detailed error logs

# Common causes:
# 1. Database corruption
sqlite3 .forge/db.sqlite "PRAGMA integrity_check;"

# 2. Disk space full
df -h

# 3. Permission errors
ls -la .forge/

# 4. Bug in Forge
# Report to: https://github.com/namastexlabs/automagik-forge/issues

MCP Server Errors

MCP Server Not Responding

Problem: AI agent can’t connect to Forge via MCP Symptoms:

MCP tools not available in AI agent
Connection timeoutErrors in AI agent logs

Solutions:

Verify MCP Mode

# Start Forge in MCP mode
automagik-forge --mcp

# Or advanced mode for more tools
automagik-forge --mcp-advanced

# Verify it's running in MCP mode
# Look for: "MCP server listening on stdio"

Check MCP Configuration

Claude Code (.claude/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "automagik-forge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["automagik-forge", "--mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PROJECT_ID": "your-project-uuid"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor (settings.json):

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "automagik-forge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["automagik-forge", "--mcp"],
      "projectId": "your-project-uuid"
    }
  }
}

Get Project ID

# Method 1: From UI
# Settings → Project Info → Project ID

# Method 2: From config file
cat .forge/config.json | grep project_id

# Method 3: From API
curl http://localhost:5000/api/projects | jq '.[0].id'

Check MCP Logs

# MCP server logs to stderr
# Check AI agent's MCP logs

# Claude Code logs
~/.claude/logs/

# Cursor logs
# Help → Show Logs → MCP

# Look for connection errors or tool loading issues

MCP Tools Not Available

Problem: list_tasks, create_task, etc. not showing up in AI agent Solution:

Verify MCP Server Started

# Check AI agent recognized the MCP server
# In AI agent, ask: "What MCP servers are available?"

# Should list: automagik-forge

Check Tool Mode

# Basic mode: 6 core tools
automagik-forge --mcp

# Advanced mode: 56+ tools
automagik-forge --mcp-advanced

# Use advanced if you need all tools

Restart AI Agent

# Reload MCP servers
# Claude Code: Cmd+Shift+P → "Reload MCP Servers"
# Cursor: Reload window

# Or restart the AI agent completely

MCP Tool Execution Failed

Problem: MCP tool returns error when executed Common Errors:

Project Not Found
Task Not Found
Invalid Arguments

// Error: "Project with ID xxx not found"

// Solution: Verify PROJECT_ID in MCP config
{
  "env": {
    "PROJECT_ID": "correct-uuid-here"
  }
}

// Get correct ID:
cat .forge/config.json | grep project_id

// Error: "Task xxx does not exist"

// Solution: List tasks first to get valid IDs
{
  "tool": "list_tasks",
  "arguments": {
    "project_id": "uuid"
  }
}

// Then use returned task IDs

// Error: "Missing required field: title"

// Solution: Include all required fields
{
  "tool": "create_task",
  "arguments": {
    "project_id": "uuid",
    "title": "Required field",
    "description": "Also required"
  }
}

SSE (Server-Sent Events) Issues

Real-time Logs Not Streaming

Problem: Task execution logs don’t appear in real-time Causes & Solutions:

Corporate Proxy Blocking SSE

# Some proxies block Server-Sent Events

# Test SSE connection
curl -N http://localhost:5000/api/events/processes/{id}/logs

# Should stream data, not close immediately

# If blocked, disable proxy temporarily
unset HTTP_PROXY
unset HTTPS_PROXY

Browser Limiting Connections

# Browsers limit concurrent SSE connections

# Close other Forge tabs
# Or use different browser

# Firefox: about:config
# network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server = 10

Backend Not Sending Events

# Check backend is configured to stream
# This should be automatic in Forge

# Verify in logs:
# "Streaming process logs for ID: xxx"

# If not streaming, restart Forge

Database Errors

SQLite Errors

Problem: API returns database-related errors

Database Locked
Database Corrupted
Migration Failed

# Error: "database is locked"

# Stop all Forge instances
pkill -f automagik-forge

# Remove lock files
rm .forge/db.sqlite-shm
rm .forge/db.sqlite-wal

# Restart single instance
automagik-forge

# Check integrity
sqlite3 .forge/db.sqlite "PRAGMA integrity_check;"

# If corrupted, restore from backup
cp .forge/db.backup.sqlite .forge/db.sqlite

# Or rebuild database (loses data)
mv .forge/db.sqlite .forge/db.sqlite.old
automagik-forge  # Creates new database

# Error: "database migration failed"

# Backup database
cp .forge/db.sqlite .forge/db.backup.sqlite

# Delete database (will rebuild)
rm .forge/db.sqlite

# Restart Forge
automagik-forge

Performance Issues

Slow API Responses

Problem: API requests take very long to respond Solutions:

# Check database size
du -h .forge/db.sqlite

# If very large (>100MB), clean up old data
sqlite3 .forge/db.sqlite "DELETE FROM tasks WHERE status='done' AND updated_at < datetime('now', '-30 days');"

# Vacuum database to reclaim space
sqlite3 .forge/db.sqlite "VACUUM;"

# Restart Forge
automagik-forge

Rate Limiting

Problem: AI executor APIs return rate limit errors Solution:

// Configure rate limits in .forge/config.json
{
  "executors": {
    "claude-code": {
      "rate_limit": {
        "requests_per_minute": 50,
        "tokens_per_minute": 100000
      },
      "retry": {
        "max_retries": 3,
        "backoff_ms": 1000
      }
    }
  }
}

Debugging API Issues

Enable Debug Logging

# Set debug log level
export RUST_LOG=debug

# Start Forge
automagik-forge

# Watch for API request/response logs
# Each API call will be logged with details

Test API Directly

# Test with curl
curl -v http://localhost:5000/api/projects

# -v shows full request/response
# Look for:
# - Status code
# - Response headers
# - Response body
# - Timing information

# Test specific endpoints
curl http://localhost:5000/api/tasks
curl http://localhost:5000/api/tasks/{task-id}
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/tasks \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Test","description":"Test task","project_id":"uuid"}'

Inspect Network Traffic

# Use browser DevTools
# F12 → Network tab

# Filter by "Fetch/XHR"
# Click on request to see:
# - Headers
# - Payload
# - Response
# - Timing

# Look for failed requests (red)
# Check status codes and error messages

Next Steps

Common Issues

General troubleshooting guide

Git Worktree Errors

Worktree-specific issues

API Reference

Complete API documentation

MCP Tools

MCP integration reference

Getting Started

Learn

Configuration

Reference

Troubleshooting

Overview

Connection Errors

Cannot Connect to Backend

CORS Errors

Timeout Errors

Authentication Errors

Unauthorized (401)

Forbidden (403)

Request Errors

Bad Request (400)

Not Found (404)

Internal Server Error (500)

MCP Server Errors

MCP Server Not Responding

MCP Tools Not Available

MCP Tool Execution Failed

SSE (Server-Sent Events) Issues

Real-time Logs Not Streaming

Database Errors

SQLite Errors

Performance Issues

Slow API Responses

Rate Limiting

Debugging API Issues

Enable Debug Logging

Test API Directly

Inspect Network Traffic

Next Steps

Common Issues

Git Worktree Errors

API Reference

MCP Tools

Getting Started

Learn

Configuration

Reference

Troubleshooting

Documentation Index

​Overview

​Connection Errors

​Cannot Connect to Backend

​CORS Errors

​Timeout Errors

​Authentication Errors

​Unauthorized (401)

​Forbidden (403)

​Request Errors

​Bad Request (400)

​Not Found (404)

​Internal Server Error (500)

​MCP Server Errors

​MCP Server Not Responding

​MCP Tools Not Available

​MCP Tool Execution Failed

​SSE (Server-Sent Events) Issues

​Real-time Logs Not Streaming

​Database Errors

​SQLite Errors

​Performance Issues

​Slow API Responses

​Rate Limiting

​Debugging API Issues

​Enable Debug Logging

​Test API Directly

​Inspect Network Traffic

​Next Steps

Common Issues

Git Worktree Errors

API Reference

MCP Tools

Overview

Connection Errors

Cannot Connect to Backend

CORS Errors

Timeout Errors

Authentication Errors

Unauthorized (401)

Forbidden (403)

Request Errors

Bad Request (400)

Not Found (404)

Internal Server Error (500)

MCP Server Errors

MCP Server Not Responding

MCP Tools Not Available

MCP Tool Execution Failed

SSE (Server-Sent Events) Issues

Real-time Logs Not Streaming

Database Errors

SQLite Errors

Performance Issues

Slow API Responses

Rate Limiting

Debugging API Issues

Enable Debug Logging

Test API Directly

Inspect Network Traffic

Next Steps