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[Docs] Add guide on how to debug gateway error vs provider error (#17387 )

* add error diagnosis

* docs error diagnosis

2025-12-02 14:10:00 -08:00

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Diagnosing Errors - Provider vs Gateway

Having trouble diagnosing if an error is from the LLM Provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) or from the LiteLLM AI Gateway itself? Here's how to tell.

Quick Rule

If the error contains <Provider>Exception, it's from the provider.

Error Contains	Error Source
`AnthropicException`	Anthropic
`OpenAIException`	OpenAI
`AzureException`	Azure
`BedrockException`	AWS Bedrock
`VertexAIException`	Google Vertex AI
No provider name	LiteLLM AI Gateway

Examples

Provider Error (from AWS Bedrock)

{
  "error": {
    "message": "litellm.BadRequestError: BedrockException - {\"message\":\"The model returned the following errors: messages.1.content.0.type: Expected `thinking` or `redacted_thinking`, but found `text`.\"}",
    "type": "invalid_request_error",
    "param": null,
    "code": "400"
  }
}

This error is from AWS Bedrock (notice BedrockException). The Bedrock API is rejecting the request due to invalid message format - this is not a LiteLLM issue.

Provider Error (from OpenAI)

{
  "error": {
    "message": "litellm.AuthenticationError: OpenAIException - Incorrect API key provided: <my-key>. You can find your API key at https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys.",
    "type": "invalid_request_error",
    "param": null,
    "code": "invalid_api_key"
  }
}

This error is from OpenAI (notice OpenAIException). The OpenAI API key configured in LiteLLM is invalid.

Provider Error (from Anthropic)

{
  "error": {
    "message": "litellm.InternalServerError: AnthropicException - Overloaded. Handle with `litellm.InternalServerError`.",
    "type": "internal_server_error",
    "param": null,
    "code": "500"
  }
}

This error is from Anthropic (notice AnthropicException). The Anthropic API is overloaded - this is not a LiteLLM issue.

Gateway Error (from LiteLLM)

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Invalid API Key. Please check your LiteLLM API key.",
    "type": "auth_error",
    "param": null,
    "code": "401"
  }
}

This error is from the LiteLLM AI Gateway (no provider name). Your LiteLLM virtual key is invalid.

What to do?

Error Source	Action
Provider Error	Check the provider's status page, adjust rate limits, or retry later
Gateway Error	Check your LiteLLM configuration, API keys, or open an issue

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