WhatsApp Cloud API: which error codes are retryable and which are not

TL;DR

Never retry: 131026 undeliverable (recipient unreachable, use another channel), 131047 re-engagement (24h customer-service window expired, must send an approved template instead), 132000/132001 template problems (fix the template, not the send). Retryable: 131048 rate limit hit and HTTP 5xx (but a 5xx may have gone through, so reconcile before re-sending).

The error

which error codes are retryable and which are not

Fix

1. Never retry: 131026 undeliverable (recipient unreachable, use another channel), 131047 re-engagement (24h customer-service window expired, must send an approved template instead), 132000/132001 template problems (fix the template, not the send).

Expected: You get the expected result; the problem is gone.

1. Re-run the original operation and confirm the error is gone.

Expected: no error, normal output.

When to use

• You hit this exact error with WhatsApp Cloud API.
• The symptom matches: which error codes are retryable and which are not.

When NOT to use

• A different error message from WhatsApp Cloud API; the cause here is specific to this error.
• Unrelated WhatsApp Cloud API issues (different feature, different failure).
• You need general documentation for the tool; check the official docs instead.

Compatibility

Reported against WhatsApp Cloud API. Source: https://github.com/roy-wanyoike/fuatilia/blob/HEAD/src/adapters/comm-whatsapp/README.md.

Variant phrasings

which error codes are retryable and which are not

Why it happens

Meta's 13xxxx error codes look similar but retrying the wrong one burns quota or risks account enforcement. Each code carries its own retry rule.

Edge cases

• If your error message differs even slightly, this is probably a different issue; search the exact text.
• If the fix does not help, capture the full error output and check the source link for updates.

Source

https://github.com/roy-wanyoike/fuatilia/blob/HEAD/src/adapters/comm-whatsapp/README.md