The chat replies 'Sorry, an error occurred. Please try again.'

When Olvio can't answer a message, the shopper gets the reply Sorry, an error occurred. Please try again. instead of an answer. The message appears in the widget's language, so it can be in French, German, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese instead. It can appear in the product page chat and in Olvio Advisor (Growth and Scale plans). The reply is the same whatever the cause, so work through the causes below.

What the shopper sees

The reply appears in the chat in place of an answer. The shopper can send a message again straight away. In the Advisor, the answer buttons that were showing come back, so the shopper can tap one again.

In most cases, a message that gets this reply isn't added to Conversations in the Olvio admin, so a failed test usually won't be listed there.

No API key is saved

Without an Anthropic API key, Olvio can't answer. The widget still shows on your product pages, but without suggested questions, and every message gets this reply, in the Advisor too.

Open API Key in the Olvio admin. If the Status badge reads Not configured, connect a key. See Connect your Anthropic (Claude) API key.

Your saved key no longer works

The Status badge only tells you whether a key is saved. Olvio checks the key with Anthropic when you save it, and the badge stays Connected even if Anthropic refuses the key later. Anthropic refuses requests when, for example:

The key has expired or has been revoked.
There's a problem with the billing or payment information on your Anthropic account.
Your Anthropic account reached a spend limit you set, its monthly spend cap, or one of Anthropic's rate limits.
The key doesn't have permission to use what Olvio requests, because of your organization's access or workspace settings.

To fix it:

In the Claude Console, check that your key is still active and that your billing and spend limits allow new requests.
In the Olvio admin, open API Key and paste your key into the API key field. If you don't have a copy of it, or it no longer works, create a new key in the Claude Console and paste that one: the Console shows a key only once.
Click Save in the save bar.

Olvio checks the key with Anthropic before saving it. If Anthropic refuses it, nothing is saved and Olvio shows an error message, such as Invalid Anthropic key. Please check it and try again. To understand each message, see 'Invalid Anthropic key' error when saving.

The product isn't imported into Olvio yet

Olvio answers on a product page only once that product is imported from Shopify. Until then, every message on that page gets this reply. Check the catalog status near the top of the Olvio Dashboard, below the setup guide if it's showing:

Setting up your product catalog or Catalog sync in progress: Olvio is importing your catalog. Wait until the import finishes: the page updates on its own. The Catalog sync in progress banner says this typically takes 2 to 10 minutes.
Catalog sync failed: click Retry sync. If your store had no products yet when Olvio imported your catalog, the import ends this way too: add your products in your Shopify admin, then click Retry sync.
Catalog synced: to check a specific product, open Questions in the Olvio admin and type the product's name in Search products. If it isn't listed, Olvio hasn't imported it: click Resync now on the Dashboard.

The Resync now button next to Catalog synced can be used once every 24 hours. If it's grayed out, hover over it to see when it's available again.

A product you've just created is imported automatically shortly after you save it in Shopify. On the Dashboard, Last change synced shows the last time Olvio updated a single product or collection, for example after you edited one in Shopify. Olvio also refreshes products on its own, so this time doesn't confirm that a specific product was imported: to check one, use Search products on the Questions page. If your plan ended, Olvio may have missed products you created or edited in the meantime. After you choose a plan again, click Resync now on the Dashboard. Nothing is needed when you choose your first plan: Olvio then imports your whole catalog automatically.

The Dashboard message Some products aren't fully indexed doesn't cause this reply: Olvio still answers on those product pages. To finish indexing them, see Resync your product catalog.

Your storefront uses another domain

Olvio answers messages sent from your store's .myshopify.com address, from your primary domain, and from subdomains of your primary domain, such as fr.example.com. Subfolders, such as example.com/fr, are part of your primary domain, so they work too.

If a Shopify Markets market uses its own top-level domain, such as example.fr while your primary domain is example.com, Olvio can't answer on that domain. The widget can still appear there, but suggested questions usually don't show and every message gets this reply. To confirm this is the cause, send the same message on your primary domain. For the domain options Shopify offers, see Shopify's help on international domains. If you need Olvio on a market's own domain, contact us.

A theme preview link that you share from your Shopify admin opens on a shopifypreview.com address, so Olvio can't answer there either: the widget can still appear, but suggested questions usually don't show and every message gets this reply. To test a theme you haven't published, preview it yourself from your Shopify admin: that preview opens on your primary domain.

Other causes

Too many messages in a short time. Olvio limits how many requests a single visitor, and your storefront as a whole, can send in a short period. Messages over the limit get this reply. Wait a moment, then send the message again. When you test, avoid sending many messages in quick succession.
A temporary problem. A reply that takes too long or a temporary technical problem can also produce this reply. Try again a few minutes later, and contact us if it keeps happening.
Your plan ended. When your subscription ends, the widget stops showing on your storefront. A page that a shopper opened before that can still show the chat, and its messages get this reply. To use Olvio again, reinstall it if you uninstalled it, then choose a plan on the Plans page. See Cancel your subscription by uninstalling Olvio.

Test the chat after a fix

Open your storefront in a private (incognito) browser window, so a chat your browser saved from an earlier visit doesn't get in the way.
Go to a product page on your primary domain or your .myshopify.com address, not a theme preview link. Pick a product that was already in your catalog, not one you've just created.
Type a question in the chat and send it.
If you use the Advisor, also open one of your Advisor links. The chip's label is sent on its own, so a reply, or this error, appears without you tapping anything. If the reply shows answer buttons, tap one. See Turn on the Olvio Advisor and add Advisor links to your store.

If the reply still appears, check the Status badge on the API Key page and the catalog status on the Dashboard again.

If the error continues

Your store's .myshopify.com address.
The URL of the page where the reply appeared.
The date and time of your test, with your time zone.
Whether it happened in the product page chat, the Advisor, or both.

See Contact us and support hours.