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This page describes best practices to write actionable error messages that tell
the user how to fix the issue so that they can complete their goal.
When a user is interacting with a Google Chat app, encountering
error messages can be a frustrating experience when the error isn't actionable.
For example, the error message, An error occurred, isn't useful because the
message doesn't explain what went wrong, how the user can fix the issue, or how
the user can get help. This page describes how to structure error messages so
that they're useful to users by showing actionable and inactionable examples.
Error message structure
An actionable error message has the following structure:
What went wrong. Saying why the Chat app can't
complete a request helps the user resolve the issue. Explaining why an error
occurred builds trust.
How the user can proceed toward their goal. It's never enough to just
say what went wrong. Tell users how they can move past the error and complete
their goal.
How to get help. If the user is still stuck, tell them how they can get
more help. This could be a /help command or a link to documentation for
your Chat app.
Example error message: incorrect date format
In this example, the user entered a date in a format that
the Chat app didn't expect. They wrote
November 19, 2021, but the Chat app expects
2021-11-19.
Here's an actionable and an inactionable version of the error message that the
Chat app responds with:
Actionable error
A user asks the Chat app to schedule a meeting with
another person. The Chat app responds with a good,
actionable error message:
I don't recognize the date format you entered. Write dates as `yyyy-mm-dd`; for example, `2000-01-31`. For help, type `/help`.
This error message is actionable for the following reasons:
Says what went wrong. The Chat app doesn't
recognize the date format.
Explains how to fix the error by telling the user the expected date format
and gives an example date that helps people understand what to write.
Offers more help with a /help slash command. If users are still stuck,
they know how to learn more.
Inactionable error
A user asks the Chat app to schedule a meeting with
another person. The Chat app responds with an
unhelpful, inactionable error message:
Enter the correct date format.
This error message is inactionable for the following reasons:
Doesn't say whether it scheduled the meeting. The user might be hesitant to
reschedule the meeting, or they might assume that the meeting was scheduled.
Doesn't tell the user how to format the date. Instead of assuming that
users know how to format the date, it should say that it's expecting the
date format yyyy-mm-dd.
Doesn't offer more help. When users are stuck and don't know how to proceed,
they might stop messaging the Chat app.
Try it out
Now that you know how to write actionable errors, can you identify in the
following scenario which of these errors is actionable:
A Chat app creates calendar events when users message
the Chat app with the keyword schedule. To
create a calendar event, the Chat app requires user
authentication. If a user hasn't been authenticated, then the
Chat app responds with an error message.
Which error message is actionable?
Before I can schedule the meeting, you must sign in by typing
/signin. To learn more, type /help.
This error message is actionable because it says the following:
What went wrong. The Chat app requires
authentication.
How to proceed. Type /signin to authenticate.
How to get help. If the user wants more information, they can type
/help.
You must authenticate.
This error message is inactionable because it doesn't say how to
authenticate.
Sign in.
This error message is inactionable because it doesn't say how to sign
in, and it implies that the user is signed out instead of clearly saying
so, which is confusing.
Can't schedule meeting.
This error message is inactionable because it doesn't tell the user
why the meeting can't be scheduled or how the user can proceed. No help
is provided.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-28 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Chat app error messages should be actionable, guiding users on how to resolve issues and proceed.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eActionable error messages clearly explain the problem, provide steps for fixing it, and offer additional help resources.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eInactionable error messages are vague, lack guidance, and can lead to user frustration and abandonment.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUse the actionable error message structure: state the problem, guide the user on fixing it, and offer further help (e.g., \u003ccode\u003e/help\u003c/code\u003e command).\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWhen writing error messages, assume users need clear instructions and avoid ambiguity.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Actionable error messages in Google Chat apps should specify what went wrong, how to fix it, and how to get further assistance. For example, an actionable message for an incorrect date format would state that the format is unrecognized, specify the required format (yyyy-mm-dd), and provide a /help command. In contrast, inactionable errors are vague, omit how to correct the issue, and offer no additional support. A sign-in error should also include clear instructions, and help commands.\n"],null,["# Write actionable error messages\n\nThis page describes best practices to write actionable error messages that tell\nthe user how to fix the issue so that they can complete their goal.\n\nWhen a user is interacting with a Google Chat app, encountering\nerror messages can be a frustrating experience when the error isn't actionable.\nFor example, the error message, `An error occurred`, isn't useful because the\nmessage doesn't explain what went wrong, how the user can fix the issue, or how\nthe user can get help. This page describes how to structure error messages so\nthat they're useful to users by showing actionable and inactionable examples.\n\nError message structure\n-----------------------\n\nAn actionable error message has the following structure:\n\n- **What went wrong.** Saying why the Chat app can't complete a request helps the user resolve the issue. Explaining why an error occurred builds trust.\n- **How the user can proceed toward their goal.** It's never enough to just say what went wrong. Tell users how they can move past the error and complete their goal.\n- **How to get help.** If the user is still stuck, tell them how they can get more help. This could be a `/help` command or a link to documentation for your Chat app.\n\nExample error message: incorrect date format\n--------------------------------------------\n\nIn this example, the user entered a date in a format that\nthe Chat app didn't expect. They wrote\n`November 19, 2021`, but the Chat app expects\n`2021-11-19`.\n\nHere's an actionable and an inactionable version of the error message that the\nChat app responds with:\n\n#### Actionable error\n\nA user asks the Chat app to schedule a meeting with\nanother person. The Chat app responds with a good,\nactionable error message:\n\n``I don't recognize the date format you entered. Write dates as `yyyy-mm-dd`; for example, `2000-01-31`. For help, type `/help`.``\n\nThis error message is actionable for the following reasons:\n\n- Says what went wrong. The Chat app doesn't recognize the date format.\n- Explains how to fix the error by telling the user the expected date format and gives an example date that helps people understand what to write.\n- Offers more help with a `/help` slash command. If users are still stuck, they know how to learn more.\n\n#### Inactionable error\n\nA user asks the Chat app to schedule a meeting with\nanother person. The Chat app responds with an\nunhelpful, inactionable error message:\n\n`Enter the correct date format.`\n\nThis error message is inactionable for the following reasons:\n\n- Doesn't say whether it scheduled the meeting. The user might be hesitant to reschedule the meeting, or they might assume that the meeting was scheduled.\n- Doesn't tell the user how to format the date. Instead of assuming that users know how to format the date, it should say that it's expecting the date format `yyyy-mm-dd`.\n- Doesn't offer more help. When users are stuck and don't know how to proceed, they might stop messaging the Chat app.\n\nTry it out\n----------\n\nNow that you know how to write actionable errors, can you identify in the\nfollowing scenario which of these errors is actionable:\n\nA Chat app creates calendar events when users message\nthe Chat app with the keyword `schedule`. To\ncreate a calendar event, the Chat app requires user\nauthentication. If a user hasn't been authenticated, then the\nChat app responds with an error message. \nWhich error message is actionable? \nBefore I can schedule the meeting, you must sign in by typing `/signin`. To learn more, type `/help`. \nThis error message is actionable because it says the following:\n\n- What went wrong. The Chat app requires authentication.\n- How to proceed. Type `/signin` to authenticate.\n- How to get help. If the user wants more information, they can type `/help`. \nYou must authenticate. \nThis error message is inactionable because it doesn't say how to authenticate. \nSign in. \nThis error message is inactionable because it doesn't say how to sign in, and it implies that the user is signed out instead of clearly saying so, which is confusing. \nCan't schedule meeting. \nThis error message is inactionable because it doesn't tell the user why the meeting can't be scheduled or how the user can proceed. No help is provided."]]
