jackwener/OpenCLI · error

API failed

Error message

API failed

What it means

The nowcoder referral command evaluates an in-page script that fetches gw-c.nowcoder.com/api/sparta/home/tab/content (tabId=861). If d.success is falsy it throws Error(d.msg || 'API failed'); 'API failed' is the fallback when the API gives no message. This signals the tab-content endpoint refused the request.

Source

Thrown at clis/nowcoder/referral.js:21

cli({
    site: 'nowcoder',
    name: 'referral',
    access: 'read',
    description: 'Internal referral posts',
    domain: 'www.nowcoder.com',
    args: [
        { name: 'page', type: 'int', default: 1, help: 'Page number' },
        { name: 'limit', type: 'int', default: 15, help: 'Number of items' },
    ],
    columns: ['rank', 'title', 'author', 'school', 'likes', 'comments', 'views', 'id'],
    pipeline: [
        { navigate: 'https://www.nowcoder.com' },
        { evaluate: `(async () => {
  const page = \${{ args.page }};
  const limit = \${{ args.limit }};
  const r = await fetch('https://gw-c.nowcoder.com/api/sparta/home/tab/content?tabId=861&categoryType=1&pageNo=' + page + '&pageSize=' + limit, {credentials: 'include'});
  const d = await r.json();
  if (!d.success) throw new Error(d.msg || 'API failed');
  return (d.data?.records || []).map((item, i) => {
    const content = item.contentData || item.momentData || {};
    return {
      rank: i + 1,
      title: content.title || '',
      author: item.userBrief?.nickname || '',
      school: item.userBrief?.educationInfo || '',
      likes: item.frequencyData?.likeCnt || 0,
      comments: item.frequencyData?.commentCnt || 0,
      views: item.frequencyData?.viewCnt || 0,
      id: item.momentData?.uuid || item.contentData?.uuid || item.contentId || '',
    };
  });
})()
` },
        { filter: 'item.title' },
        { limit: '${{ args.limit }}' },
    ],

View on GitHub (pinned to 49907e53dc)

Solutions

1. Log in to nowcoder.com in the driving browser session so credentials are included
2. Verify page/limit arguments are in a sane range (start at page 1)
3. Retry later in case of rate limiting
4. Check the endpoint/tabId still exists and update clis/nowcoder/referral.js if Nowcoder changed it

Example fix

// before
if (!d.success) throw new Error(d.msg || 'API failed');
// after
if (!d.success) throw new Error('referral tab-content error: ' + (d.msg || JSON.stringify(d).slice(0,120)));

const pageNo = Math.max(1, Number(page) || 1);
const pageSize = Math.min(50, Math.max(1, Number(limit) || 10));

function tabContentOk(d){ return !!d && typeof d === 'object' && d.success === true && Array.isArray(d.data?.records); }

try { await run(['nowcoder', 'referral']); }
catch (e) {
  if (String(e.message).includes('API failed')) { await sleep(3000); /* retry once, or check login */ }
  else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `nowcoder referral` when the tab/content endpoint returns success:false with no msg — invalid pageNo/pageSize, missing session despite credentials:'include', endpoint removed, or throttling.

Common situations: Expired login session on nowcoder.com in the automated browser; Nowcoder changing tabId 861 (referral tab) semantics or removing it; requesting pages beyond available content.

Related errors

• API failed
• API failed
• suggest failed
• ${d.msg || 'API failed'}
• ${d.msg || 'API failed'}

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/66522215eeb1905b. Report an issue: GitHub.