Ideogram Common Errors

Overview

Quick reference for the most common Ideogram API errors, their root causes, and proven fixes. All Ideogram endpoints return standard HTTP status codes with JSON error bodies.

Prerequisites

• Ideogram API key configured
• Access to request/response logs
• curl available for manual testing

Error Reference

401 — Authentication Failed

HTTP 401 Unauthorized

Cause: Missing, invalid, or revoked API key.

Fix:

set -euo pipefail
# Verify the key is set and not empty
echo "Key length: ${#IDEOGRAM_API_KEY}"

# Test auth directly
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  -X POST https://api.ideogram.ai/generate \
  -H "Api-Key: $IDEOGRAM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"image_request":{"prompt":"test","model":"V_2_TURBO"}}'

Common mistakes:

• Using Authorization: Bearer instead of Api-Key header
• Whitespace or newlines in the key string
• Key was regenerated in dashboard but not updated in .env

---

422 — Safety Check Failed

{"error": "Prompt or provided image failed the safety checks"}

Cause: Prompt text or uploaded image triggered Ideogram’s content filter.

Fix:

• Remove brand names, celebrity names, or trademarked terms
• Avoid violent, sexual, or politically sensitive content
• Remove explicit references to real people
• Rephrase with neutral descriptors

// Pre-screen prompts before sending to API
const FLAGGED_PATTERNS = [
  /\b(coca.?cola|nike|apple|disney)\b/i,
  /\b(celebrity|politician|president)\b/i,
];

function isPromptSafe(prompt: string): boolean {
  return !FLAGGED_PATTERNS.some(p => p.test(prompt));
}

---

429 — Rate Limited

HTTP 429 Too Many Requests

Cause: More than 10 in-flight requests (default limit).

Fix:

async function rateLimitedGenerate(prompt: string) {
  const maxRetries = 5;
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt < maxRetries; attempt++) {
    try {
      return await generateImage(prompt);
    } catch (err: any) {
      if (err.status !== 429) throw err;
      const delay = 1000 * Math.pow(2, attempt) + Math.random() * 500;
      console.warn(`Rate limited. Retry in ${delay.toFixed(0)}ms`);
      await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, delay));
    }
  }
  throw new Error("Rate limit retries exhausted");
}

---

400 — Bad Request

{"error": "Invalid input"}

Cause: Invalid parameter values in request body.

Common issues:

Parameter	Wrong	Correct
aspect_ratio	"16:9"	"ASPECT_16_9" (legacy) or "16x9" (V3)
style_type	"realistic"	"REALISTIC" (uppercase enum)
model	"v2"	"V_2" (underscore + uppercase)
num_images	10	1-4 (max 4 per request)
resolution	Used with aspect_ratio	Use one or the other, not both

---

402 — Insufficient Credits

HTTP 402 Payment Required

Cause: API credit balance is depleted.

Fix:

1. Log into ideogram.ai > Settings > API Beta
2. Check current balance and top-up settings
3. Increase auto top-up amount or manually add credits
4. Default: auto top-up $20 when balance drops below $10

---

Expired Image URL

HTTP 403 or 404 when downloading generated image

Cause: Ideogram image URLs are temporary (expire after ~1 hour).

Fix:

// ALWAYS download immediately after generation
async function generateAndSave(prompt: string): Promise<string> {
  const result = await generateImage(prompt);
  const imageUrl = result.data[0].url;

  // Download within seconds, not later
  const response = await fetch(imageUrl);
  if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Image download failed: ${response.status}`);

  const buffer = Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer());
  const path = `./images/gen-${result.data[0].seed}.png`;
  writeFileSync(path, buffer);
  return path;
}

---

Mask Size Mismatch (Edit Endpoint)

{"error": "Invalid input"}

Cause: Mask image dimensions do not match source image dimensions.

Fix:

set -euo pipefail
# Check dimensions match
identify source.png  # e.g., 1024x1024
identify mask.png    # Must also be 1024x1024

# Resize mask to match source
convert mask.png -resize 1024x1024! mask-resized.png

---

Multipart Form Errors (V3 Endpoints)

Cause: V3 endpoints (/v1/ideogram-v3/*) require multipart form data, not JSON.

Fix:

// WRONG for V3 endpoints:
fetch(url, { body: JSON.stringify({...}), headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } });

// CORRECT for V3 endpoints:
const form = new FormData();
form.append("prompt", "...");
form.append("aspect_ratio", "1x1");
fetch(url, { body: form, headers: { "Api-Key": key } });
// Do NOT set Content-Type -- FormData handles the boundary

Quick Diagnostic Script

set -euo pipefail
echo "=== Ideogram Diagnostics ==="
echo "API Key set: ${IDEOGRAM_API_KEY:+YES}"
echo "Key length: ${#IDEOGRAM_API_KEY}"

# Test connectivity
STATUS=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  -X POST https://api.ideogram.ai/generate \
  -H "Api-Key: $IDEOGRAM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"image_request":{"prompt":"test circle","model":"V_2_TURBO","magic_prompt_option":"OFF"}}')

echo "API Response: $STATUS"
case $STATUS in
  200) echo "OK: Auth and generation working" ;;
  401) echo "ERROR: Invalid API key" ;;
  402) echo "ERROR: Insufficient credits" ;;
  422) echo "ERROR: Safety filter (try different prompt)" ;;
  429) echo "ERROR: Rate limited (wait and retry)" ;;
  *)   echo "ERROR: Unexpected status $STATUS" ;;
esac

Error Handling

Error	HTTP	Root Cause	Fix
Auth failed	401	Bad Api-Key header	Verify key, check header name
Safety filter	422	Flagged prompt/image	Rephrase prompt
Rate limited	429	>10 in-flight requests	Exponential backoff
Bad params	400	Wrong enum values	Use exact enum strings
No credits	402	Balance depleted	Top up in dashboard
URL expired	403/404	Late download	Download immediately

Output

• Identified error root cause
• Applied fix with verification
• Diagnostic output confirming resolution

Resources

• Ideogram API Reference
• API Overview

Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see ideogram-debug-bundle.