APIConnectionError
anthropic.errors.APIConnectionError
Stack trace
anthropic.errors.APIConnectionError: Request timed out while trying to connect to the Anthropic API endpoint
File "/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/anthropic/client.py", line 123, in _request
raise APIConnectionError("Request timed out")
File "/app/main.py", line 45, in call_anthropic_api
response = client.messages.create(model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022", messages=messages)
Why it happens
This error happens when the network request to Anthropic's API endpoint exceeds the configured timeout limit, often due to network latency, connectivity issues, or API endpoint unavailability. The client library raises APIConnectionError to signal the failure to establish a timely connection.
Detection
Monitor your API call latencies and catch APIConnectionError exceptions to log timeout occurrences and raw request details before retrying or failing gracefully.
Causes & fixes
Network connectivity issues or unstable internet connection causing delayed requests
Ensure stable internet connectivity and retry the request with exponential backoff to handle transient network failures.
Default timeout setting too low for current network conditions or API response times
Increase the timeout parameter in the Anthropic client configuration to allow more time for the API to respond.
API endpoint temporarily down or experiencing high load causing slow responses
Implement retry logic with delays and fallback mechanisms to handle temporary API unavailability.
Code: broken vs fixed
from anthropic import Anthropic
client = Anthropic(api_key="my_api_key") # Missing os.environ usage
response = client.messages.create(model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022", messages=messages) # This line can raise APIConnectionError timeoutimport os
from anthropic import Anthropic, APIConnectionError
client = Anthropic(api_key=os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"], timeout=30) # Increased timeout
try:
response = client.messages.create(model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022", messages=messages)
print(response)
except APIConnectionError as e:
print(f"Connection timeout error: {e}")
# Implement retry logic hereWorkaround
Wrap the API call in try/except APIConnectionError, and on timeout, retry the request after a short delay or fallback to a cached response if available.
Prevention
Use robust retry mechanisms with exponential backoff and configure appropriate timeout values based on network conditions to avoid connection timeouts.