Error Handling

The Home Plate API uses standard HTTP status codes and returns consistent error responses.

Error response format

All errors return a JSON response with a statusMessage field:

{
  "statusCode": 401,
  "statusMessage": "Unauthorized - Invalid or revoked API key"
}

HTTP status codes

Common error scenarios

No API key provided

curl https://www.homeplatemeal.com/api/meal-plans/v1/current

{
  "statusCode": 401,
  "statusMessage": "Unauthorized - No API key provided. Include an X-API-Key header."
}

Invalid or revoked key

{
  "statusCode": 401,
  "statusMessage": "Unauthorized - Invalid or revoked API key"
}

Fix: Check your key is correct, or generate a new one from the your profile page page.

Subscription expired

{
  "statusCode": 402,
  "statusMessage": "API access requires a Premium subscription"
}

Fix: Renew your subscription at homeplatemeal.com.

Best practices

• Always check the HTTP status code before parsing the response body
• Handle 401 errors by prompting the user to check their API key
• Handle 402 errors by linking to the subscription page
• For 500 errors, implement retry logic with exponential backoff