CATCH #1139
DETECTED SEP 2, 2026 18:27 UTC
THE CATCHscore 5/10
EXHIBIT 1139
Sep 2, 2026 18:27 UTC
docs
https://platform.openai.com/docs/changelog
OpenAI updated its API error codes to distinguish between rapid traffic increases and temporary model overload, introducing 'slow_down' and 'server_is_overloaded' codes.
READY TO POST:
openai just updated their api error codes. now you can tell if your traffic is growing too fast ('slow_down') or if their servers are just swamped ('server_is_overloaded'). useful for debugging!
big news for openai api users: new error codes dropped. you'll now get specific 429 and 503 errors to help manage rate limits and server overloads better. check for that retry-after header!
EVIDENCE — the receipts
OpenAI changelog changed: https://platform.openai.com/docs/changelog
19 added lines
---
+++
@@ -726,2 +726,21 @@
.
+September, 2026
+Sep 2
+Update
+Updated API errors so applications can distinguish traffic that increases too quickly from temporary model overload.
+Traffic that increases too quickly can return a
+429
+error with the
+slow_down
+code. Temporary model overload returns a
+503
+error with the
+server_is_overloaded
+code. Both responses may include
+Retry-After
+. When the header is present, wait at least as long as it specifies before retrying. If it's missing, use exponential backoff. See the
+error codes guide
+and
+rate limits guide
+.
August, 2026
caught by the 20-minute sweep ·
the live wire · all receipts