Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm · error

- . params: )}

Error message

${res.status} - ${res.statusText}. params: ${JSON.stringify({ auth: this.middleTruncate(process.env.AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY, 5), q: query })}

What it means

Thrown inside the Serper.dev branch of the web-browsing plugin when the POST to google.serper.dev/search returns non-ok. The request sends X-API-KEY: AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY with a JSON body {q: query}; the error embeds status, statusText, query, and the key middle-truncated to 5 chars. The wrapping .catch logs 'Serper.dev Error' and returns the message to the agent as an error string rather than rethrowing.

Solutions

1. Confirm AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY is a valid serper.dev key and restart the server after .env changes.
2. Check remaining credits/rate limits on the Serper dashboard for 429s; upgrade or wait out the window.
3. For persistent 4xx, curl the endpoint directly with the X-API-KEY header to see Serper's own error body.

Example fix

# before
curl-equivalent fails: 403 - Forbidden (key from another provider)
AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY=serpapi-key-oops

# after
AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY=<real serper.dev key>
# restart server

const KEY = process.env.AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY;
if (!KEY || KEY.length < 20) {
  throw new Error("AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY missing or malformed — set a valid serper.dev key and restart");
}

const out = await webSearch(query);
if (typeof out === "string" && out.includes("Serper.dev Error")) {
  if (/40[13]/.test(out)) fixSerperKey();
  else if (out.includes("429")) backoffThenRetry(query); // credits/QPS
  else checkRequestBody(out);
}

When it happens

Trigger: AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY missing/invalid (401/403); free-tier 2500-credit quota exhausted or rate limited (429); malformed query payload (400); serper.dev outage (5xx).

Common situations: Key created but never funded after trial; server process predates the .env change adding the key; using a SerpApi key in AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY.

Related errors

• - . params: )}
• - . params: )}
• - . params: )}
• Access denied - path outside allowed directories.
• Community Hub connection key not found

AI-assisted analysis of Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm@a145d4d87d (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c36b5bf3af6a85d8. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at server/utils/agents/aibitat/plugins/web-browsing.js:533

              `${this.caller}: Using Serper.dev to search for "${
                query.length > 100 ? `${query.slice(0, 100)}...` : query
              }"`
            );
            const { response, error } = await fetch(
              "https://google.serper.dev/search",
              {
                method: "POST",
                headers: {
                  "X-API-KEY": process.env.AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY,
                  "Content-Type": "application/json",
                },
                body: JSON.stringify({ q: query }),
                redirect: "follow",
              }
            )
              .then((res) => {
                if (res.ok) return res.json();
                throw new Error(
                  `${res.status} - ${res.statusText}. params: ${JSON.stringify({ auth: this.middleTruncate(process.env.AGENT_SERPER_DEV_KEY, 5), q: query })}`
                );
              })
              .then((data) => {
                return { response: data, error: null };
              })
              .catch((e) => {
                this.super.handlerProps.log(`Serper.dev Error: ${e.message}`);
                return { response: null, error: e.message };
              });
            if (error)
              return `There was an error searching for content. ${error}`;

            const data = [];
            if (response.hasOwnProperty("knowledgeGraph"))
              data.push(response.knowledgeGraph);
            response.organic?.forEach((searchResult) => {
              const { title, link, snippet } = searchResult;

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