Zapier Troubleshooting & Error Reference

Every error message CoachIQ can return to a Zap, what it means, and how to fix it, plus the questions we get most about Zaps that don’t fire.

If a Zap is misbehaving, start here. The first half is the exact error text CoachIQ sends back and what to do about each one; the second half answers the common questions. Setup itself is covered in Zapier integration.

Zapier can show a step as successful when CoachIQ reported a problem. With one exception, CoachIQ’s Zapier endpoints reply “OK” at the network level and put the real outcome in an error field in the response body. When in doubt, open the step’s Data Out in Zap History and look for error. The exception is the initial connection test, which fails outright with Unauthorized if your credentials are wrong.

Error catalog

Error message	What it means	How to fix it
Unauthorized	Your API Key and Group ID could not be authorised. This is the one that fails the connection itself.	Re-copy both from Settings → Developer → API Keys. The usual cause is pasting the Org ID instead of the Group ID.
Unauthorized request...	The request was not authorised.	Same as above: verify both values and reconnect the account in Zapier.
Send the group_id with your request.	The Group ID was missing.	Reconnect your CoachIQ account in Zapier and make sure Group ID is filled in.
Event type not found	A trigger tried to subscribe to an event CoachIQ does not recognise.	Remove and re-add the CoachIQ trigger. If it persists, contact support.
Webhook trigger already exists	This Zap’s trigger was already subscribed.	Harmless. Common after editing and re-saving a Zap. The trigger still works.
A valid email must be passed with your request.	Create User got a missing or invalid email.	Check the field mapped into Email actually holds an address.
A user is already connected to your group with that email.	Create User: that email is already in your group.	Not a failure. CoachIQ returns the existing user instead of a duplicate.
Phone not added, invalid	Create User made the user but the phone was not a valid format.	The user exists without a phone. Fix the number and re-run if you need it saved.
Phone not added, user exists with phone number already.	Create User made the user but that phone belongs to someone else.	The user exists without a phone. Use a different number if needed.
A message must exist	A messaging action had no text.	Fill in Message. If you mapped a field that came through empty, add fallback text.
The message can have a max length of 600	An SMS was over 600 characters.	Shorten to 600 or fewer. Aim for 160.
The message can have a max length of 15000	An In-App or Announcement message was over 15,000 characters.	Shorten it.
The heading can have a max length of 5000	An Announcement heading was over 5,000 characters.	Shorten the heading.
No user exists with this email	No one in your group has that email.	Confirm the email, or add a Create User step first.
No user exists with this phone	No one in your group has that phone.	Confirm the phone. For Announcements, identifying by phone needs Use phone → yes.
This user is not connected to this group	The person exists in CoachIQ but is not in your group.	Add them (for example with Create User) before messaging.
An admin profile must exist in the group connected.	A messaging action needs an admin to send from and found none.	Make sure your group has at least one admin, then re-run.
Request was unsuccessful	A generic failure.	Re-run. If it keeps failing, check your inputs, then contact support with the step’s Data In and Data Out.
There was a problem with your submission...	A generic submission problem.	Re-check the mapped fields and re-run.

Hard failure or warning? If the response has an error and no result fields, the step failed. If it has an error plus a result (such as a created user record), the main thing worked and the error is a side note. The two Phone not added... messages and A user is already connected... are warnings; the rest are hard failures.

FAQ

My Zap didn’t fire

Check in this order:

1. Is the Zap turned on? CoachIQ triggers only receive events while the Zap is on. The Test button pulls a past sample even when it is off, but that is for building only.
2. Did the event happen after you turned it on? Triggers fire on new events, not history.
3. Did the right event happen? A New Form Zap only fires on form submissions, New Purchase only on purchases.
4. Check Zap History in Zapier for whether the event arrived and whether a later step errored.
5. Look for error in the step output. CoachIQ reports problems inside the response, not as a failed request.

Retries, delivery timing, and request signing are not documented. If a Zap depends on them, treat them as unverified and ask support rather than assuming.

”Create User” said the user already exists

Expected, and not a failure. CoachIQ returned the existing user so your later steps still have someone to work with. To branch on it, add a Zapier Filter on the presence of that error.

My SMS keeps getting rejected for length

The Zapier Send an SMS Message action is capped at 600 characters. Keep to 160 or fewer for a single segment; longer texts within the cap are sent as multiple segments and billed per segment from your SMS credits. For long text, use Send an In-App Message or Send an Announcement instead (up to 15,000 characters).

This cap is specific to the Zapier action. The Send an SMS Message action inside CoachIQ’s own automation builder has no 160-character cap; its counter only shows where the text splits into a second segment.

How do I send to everyone?

Use Send an Announcement with Send to everyone → yes. In-App and SMS always go to one person.

The yes/no fields are literal text. Send to everyone and Use phone expect yes or no, and anything other than no (or false) is treated as yes. Type no when you mean no.

I manage more than one CoachIQ group

Each Zapier connection is one Group ID plus one API Key. Add a separate CoachIQ connection per group, name them clearly, and pick the right one in each Zap.

What data comes through a trigger?

Trigger	You get	Watch out for
New User	id, email, phone, firstName, lastName	—
New Form	the form (label and each field’s question, type, required flag, and answer) and the user	the user can be empty for a guest submission
New Purchase	the product (label plus price, or an accessCode flag), the order (via Form / Booking / Product, and amount), and the user	the user can be empty for an anonymous purchase; amounts are text like "49.99"
New Booking	the booking (session title, day/month/year, start/end, tz, notes, recurring) and the user	—

Money comes through as text. Add a Zapier Formatter step before doing math.

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