Website errors and troubleshooting
What each error means, what visitors see, and how to fix the common problems.
Errors when you publish
Studio and Desktop show the sentence; the CLI and agents also get the code. A refused deploy never changes what is live.
| Code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
SITE_NAME_UNAVAILABLE | The name breaks the rules, is reserved or is taken; the message says which | Choose another name |
SITE_PERMISSION_OR_LIFECYCLE | The website isn’t in this workspace, you or your key can’t do this, or the website is suspended. These look the same on purpose, so nobody can probe for websites | Check the workspace, your role and the key’s access |
SITE_CAP_REACHED | The workspace has as many websites or custom domains as its plan allows | Upgrade, or remove one |
SITE_LIMIT_FILES | More than 1,000 files | Remove files the site doesn’t use |
SITE_LIMIT_FILE_BYTES | A file is over 25 MB | Compress it, or host large video elsewhere |
SITE_LIMIT_TOTAL_BYTES | The deploy is over 100 MB | Resize images and remove unused files |
SITE_EXTENSION_REFUSED | A file type websites don’t serve | Remove or convert the named file |
SITE_PATH_INVALID | A path is too long or has a hidden or empty part | Rename the named file |
SITE_MANIFEST_INVALID | The list of files was malformed, for example one path twice | Deploy again; if it repeats, report the tool |
SITE_CONFIG_INVALID | benchy.site.json is invalid; the message names the setting, or the line for a JSON syntax error | Fix the file and deploy again |
SITE_FORM_FIELD_REFUSED | A form asks for a password, payment details or a government ID number | Remove the field |
SITE_RATE_LIMITED | Too many deploys, deploys already in progress, or too many checks today | Wait for the time the message gives |
SITE_UPLOAD_INCOMPLETE | Some files hadn’t arrived when the deploy was finished | Deploy again; only the missing files upload |
SITE_DEPLOYMENT_EXPIRED | The upload took more than an hour | Deploy again |
SITE_UNSAFE_CONTENT | The deploy links to a page flagged as unsafe | Remove the link. If the flag is wrong, write to abuse@benchy.studio |
SITE_REVIEW_REQUIRED | On Free, some pages couldn’t be checked completely | Split very large pages, or pages with a great many links |
SITE_CHECK_UNAVAILABLE | The safety check couldn’t run | Try again in a few minutes |
SITE_WORKSPACE_ON_HOLD | A website in the workspace is suspended | See the message sent to the Owner |
SITE_STORAGE_FULL | The workspace’s storage is full | Free up space or upgrade |
SITE_STORAGE_BUSY | Some of the files are being cleaned up | Deploy again in a few minutes |
SITE_NO_PREVIOUS_DEPLOYMENT | There is no earlier version to go back to | Deploy instead |
SITE_DOMAIN_INVALID | The domain breaks a rule; the message says which | Use a subdomain you control, such as www |
SITE_DOMAIN_UNAVAILABLE | The domain is connected to another website, or still being removed | Remove it there first, or wait a few minutes |
SITE_DOMAIN_PLAN_REQUIRED | Custom domains need a paid plan | Upgrade the workspace |
SITE_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE | Benchy couldn’t finish the request | Try again; nothing live changed |
A custom domain’s own states and messages are on Custom domains.
What visitors can see
Besides your own pages, visitors can meet these Benchy pages. None of them names your website or sets a cookie.
| Status | Title | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 404 | Nothing here | No website answers at this address, or its custom domain isn’t active |
| 404 | Page not found | The website has no file here and no 404.html of its own |
| 404 | Not published | The website was unpublished |
| 451 | This website is unavailable | Benchy suspended it |
| 503 | Back soon | Benchy paused every website for maintenance |
| 503 | Temporarily unavailable | The website couldn’t be loaded just then |
| 429 | Too many requests | One network asked for too much at once |
| 405 | Not allowed | A request other than GET or HEAD |
Common problems
My change isn’t showing
Check that you went live rather than published a preview: benchy site status or the website’s Versions shows which version is live. Pages update at once, but a stylesheet or script without a fingerprint in its name can be kept for up to 5 minutes. See Caching.
Reloading a page in my app shows Page not found
Your app routes in the browser. Add the fallback to benchy.site.json; see App routing.
A key can’t publish
The message “This key cannot publish this website” means the key has Read access only, or is limited to a different website. Make a Publish websites key for this website, or check the workspace the key belongs to.
My domain stays on Waiting for DNS
- Create the records where the domain’s DNS is actually run, which is not always where you bought it.
- Many providers add the domain to a record’s name for you. If yours does, enter
_benchy-challenge.www, not the full name. - Copy the TXT value with its button; one missing character is a mismatch.
My site isn’t on Google
New Free websites stay out of search for 14 days, and so does a website with a deploy under review. See Search engines.
A dev server in Desktop fails at start-up
Dev servers in Desktop can’t reach the internet, so one that downloads a font or calls an API while starting fails; its log in the page viewer says what it tried. Load those from the page instead, or run that server in Terminal. The published website isn’t affected.
The camera or location doesn’t work
Websites on Benchy can’t use the camera, microphone or location. See Headers.
Use ← and → to move between pages.