How to Add an Error Handler and Retry to an AI Webhook in Make

AI APIs occasionally return rate-limit or timeout errors. Without handling, one failed call can stop a Make scenario and lose the incoming webhook data. Make's error directives let you retry the model call, or fall back to a safe default, so the run finishes cleanly.

What you need

• A Make scenario with a webhook and an HTTP call to an AI model
• An AI API key already working in the happy path
• A fallback destination such as a notification or a default value

Step 1: Attach an error handler

Right-click the HTTP module that calls the model and choose Add error handler. A new route appears for failures only. Anything you put on this route runs when the model call errors.

Step 2: Use the Break directive to retry

Place a Break directive on the error route and set the number of attempts and the interval. Make re-runs the failed module on a schedule, which clears most transient rate-limit errors on its own.

Step 3: Add a fallback for permanent failures

If retries are exhausted, you do not want to lose the request. Add a Resume or a simple action that writes a placeholder result and sends yourself an alert, so the data is preserved for manual handling.

Number of attempts: 3
Interval between attempts: 5 minutes
On final failure: continue to fallback route

Step 4: Force an error to test it

Temporarily change the model name to something invalid and run the scenario. Watch the error route fire, the retries queue, and the Slack alert arrive.

Result: a rate-limited call no longer kills the scenario; it retries quietly and only pings you if every attempt fails.