anuraghazra/github-readme-stats · error · CustomError

GRAPHQL_ERROR

GRAPHQL_ERROR

Error message

Something went wrong while trying to retrieve the language data using the GraphQL API.

What it means

The catch-all GraphQL failure: thrown when res.data.errors is present but the first error is neither type "NOT_FOUND" nor carries any message. It is the last-resort branch after the NOT_FOUND and message-bearing branches, indicating an unexpected/empty GraphQL error shape. The secondary message (src/common/error.js:17) is "Please try again later", signaling the library treats this as a transient upstream anomaly it cannot classify.

Source

Thrown at src/fetchers/top-languages.js:88

  }

  const res = await retryer(fetcher, { login: username });

  if (res.data.errors) {
    logger.error(res.data.errors);
    if (res.data.errors[0].type === "NOT_FOUND") {
      throw new CustomError(
        res.data.errors[0].message || "Could not fetch user.",
        CustomError.USER_NOT_FOUND,
      );
    }
    if (res.data.errors[0].message) {
      throw new CustomError(
        wrapTextMultiline(res.data.errors[0].message, 90, 1)[0],
        res.statusText,
      );
    }
    throw new CustomError(
      "Something went wrong while trying to retrieve the language data using the GraphQL API.",
      CustomError.GRAPHQL_ERROR,
    );
  }

  let repoNodes = res.data.data.user.repositories.nodes;
  /** @type {Record<string, boolean>} */
  let repoToHide = {};
  const allExcludedRepos = [...exclude_repo, ...excludeRepositories];

  // populate repoToHide map for quick lookup
  // while filtering out
  if (allExcludedRepos) {
    allExcludedRepos.forEach((repoName) => {
      repoToHide[repoName] = true;
    });
  }

View on GitHub (pinned to 54a7985aee)

Solutions

1. Treat as transient: retry the request a few times with backoff before surfacing the error.
2. Inspect logger.error(res.data.errors) output to see the unclassified error shape and report it if it persists.
3. Check https://www.githubstatus.com for ongoing incidents.
4. If persistent, capture the full raw GraphQL response and file an issue, since this branch exists precisely because the error could not be categorized.

// No pre-call validation can prevent an unclassified upstream error.
// At most, assert the environment is healthy before issuing the request.
function assertEnv() {
  if (!process.env.PAT_1) throw new Error("PAT_1 missing");
}
assertEnv();

function isGraphqlCatchAll(err) {
  return err instanceof CustomError && err.type === CustomError.GRAPHQL_ERROR;
}

async function fetchTopLangsResilient(username, attempts = 3) {
  for (let i = 0; i < attempts; i++) {
    try {
      return await fetchTopLanguages(username);
    } catch (err) {
      if (err instanceof CustomError && err.type === CustomError.GRAPHQL_ERROR && i < attempts - 1) {
        await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 2 ** i * 500));
        continue;
      }
      throw err;
    }
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: res.data.errors exists and is an array, but errors[0].type !== "NOT_FOUND" AND errors[0].message is falsy/absent. This is an atypical GitHub response: e.g., an error object with only a path or locations field and no message, or an empty-message error returned during an upstream anomaly. The retryer has already consumed RATE_LIMITED cases, so this is not a rate-limit path.

Common situations: Rare GitHub API glitches that return malformed or message-less error objects; a future API contract change where errors carry a different shape; edge cases during GitHub deployments.

Related errors

• res.statusText
• MAX_RETRY
• ${res.data.errors[0].message}
• Gist not found
• Not found

AI-assisted analysis of anuraghazra/github-readme-stats@54a7985aee (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9bd7f8b5d478f8bd. Report an issue: GitHub.