wavetermdev/waveterm · critical

cannot call ${methodName}: no web endpoint

Error message

cannot call ${methodName}: no web endpoint

What it means

callBackendService is the generic POST transport for WaveObj backend service calls, building a URL from getWebServerEndpoint(). This error is thrown when that endpoint is null — the frontend has no web server base URL configured/discovered, so no backend HTTP call can be made. It typically means the app is running without a connection to the waveserver (or before the endpoint constant is set).

Source

Thrown at frontend/app/store/wos.ts:119

function callBackendService(service: string, method: string, args: any[], noUIContext?: boolean): Promise<any> {
    const startTs = Date.now();
    let uiContext: UIContext = null;
    if (!noUIContext && globalThis.window != null) {
        uiContext = globalStore.get(((window as any).globalAtoms as GlobalAtomsType).uiContext);
    }
    const waveCall: WebCallType = {
        service: service,
        method: method,
        args: args,
        uicontext: uiContext,
    };
    // usp is just for debugging (easier to filter URLs)
    const methodName = `${service}.${method}`;
    const usp = new URLSearchParams();
    usp.set("service", service);
    usp.set("method", method);
    const webEndpoint = getWebServerEndpoint();
    if (webEndpoint == null) throw new Error(`cannot call ${methodName}: no web endpoint`);
    const url = webEndpoint + "/wave/service?" + usp.toString();
    const fetchPromise = fetch(url, {
        method: "POST",
        body: JSON.stringify(waveCall),
    });
    const prtn = fetchPromise
        .then((resp) => {
            if (!resp.ok) {
                throw new Error(`call ${methodName} failed: ${resp.status} ${resp.statusText}`);
            }
            return resp.json();
        })
        .then((respData: WebReturnType) => {
            if (respData == null) {
                return null;
            }
            if (respData.updates != null) {
                updateWaveObjects(respData.updates);

View on GitHub (pinned to a4447c1563)

Solutions

1. Launch the app through the wave server so the web endpoint is established (waveserve / correct launcher flags)
2. Verify getWebServerEndpoint()'s underlying constant is set before any backend call (await ensureInit / WS connect first)
3. Check dev proxy config so /wave/service requests reach the backend
4. Log the endpoint value at startup to catch initialization-order bugs

Example fix

// before
const webEndpoint = getWebServerEndpoint();
if (webEndpoint == null) throw new Error(`cannot call ${methodName}: no web endpoint`);
// after
await ensureInitialLoad();
const webEndpoint = getWebServerEndpoint();
if (webEndpoint == null) {
    await waitForWebEndpoint(5000);
}
if (webEndpoint == null) throw new Error(`cannot call ${methodName}: no web endpoint`);

if (getWebServerEndpoint() == null) {
    throw new Error("backend unavailable: launch via the wave server (waveserve) so the web endpoint is set");
}

function backendReachable(): boolean {
    return typeof getWebServerEndpoint() === "string" && getWebServerEndpoint().length > 0;
}

try {
    const obj = await rpcService.Call(ctx, "waveobj", "GetObject", otype, oid);
} catch (e) {
    if (String(e).includes("no web endpoint")) {
        showBackendDisconnectedBanner();
        return null;
    }
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any waveobj service call (e.g. GetObject) while getWebServerEndpoint() returns null: running in an environment where the endpoint was never initialized, or the build/runtime lost WS/web-server configuration.

Common situations: Opening the frontend without the waveserve wrapper (missing --web endpoint setup); misconfigured VITE dev proxy; calling backend services from a pure-web preview with no backend attached.

Related errors

• call ${methodName} failed: ${resp.status} ${resp.statusText}
• call ${methodName} error: ${respData.error}
• ai:endpoint is required
• wcloud endpoint not set
• wcloud ping endpoint not set

AI-assisted analysis of wavetermdev/waveterm@a4447c1563 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0429c52b3915ffe2. Report an issue: GitHub.