rest-graphql-debug

Debug REST API errors by walking layers in order: connectivity, TLS, auth, request format, response parsing, then semantics. Use curl -v to inspect the full exchange and match the status code against a playbook covering 401, 403, 404, 422, 429, and 5xx.

GraphQL servers often return HTTP 200 even when the query fails, placing error details in the response body's errors field. Always parse the JSON response and check for an errors array regardless of the HTTP status code.

Handle 429 responses with exponential backoff: read the Retry-After header when present, otherwise wait 2^attempt seconds between retries. Loop up to five attempts and return the first non-429 response.

This usually stems from Content-Type mismatches — using data= sends form-encoded bodies even when the header claims JSON. Use requests.post(url, json=payload) so the library serializes the body and sets the header correctly.

Decode the JWT's middle payload segment using base64url decoding with padding correction, then inspect the exp claim. The skill provides a Python snippet that splits the token, fixes padding, and prints the claims as JSON.

Skip this layered API flow for UI rendering bugs, database query tuning, or DNS and firewall infrastructure problems — those belong to other specialties. It targets application-layer HTTP and GraphQL diagnosis only.