Troubleshooting JSON API Errors in Clay with N8N Integration

Matthew Allen · 2025-05-26 18:44:57.177768+00

I"m creating a JSON HTTP API in Clay to post to N8N. I have "Remove empty values" checked and I still get an error citing that I have a blank field.

Troubleshooting JSON API Errors in Clay with N8N Integration | Clay

15 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Channeled
APP
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Even with "Remove empty values" checked, you might still encounter JSON parsing errors due to formatting issues rather than empty fields. Common causes include: 1. Missing quotes around keys or string values 2. Incorrect syntax (extra commas, mismatched brackets) 3. Wrong data types (numbers in quotes when they should be numeric) 4. Unescaped special characters Could you please copy and paste your JSON body into the chat so I can help troubleshoot the specific formatting issue? The "Remove empty values" option only removes null/undefined values but doesn't fix JSON syntax problems.
Sources: HTTP API with JWT authentication | Documentation | Clay University HTTP API integration overview | Documentation | Clay University FAQ: Why am I seeing the "failed to parse body" error when using the HTTP API enrichment?
Matthew Allen
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Talk to a person
Matthew Allen
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https://app.clay.com/workspaces/428660/tables/t_0swf2fdSpcvRY7qAq8p/views/gv_w9Z4Ks58pKKC
Bruno (Clay)
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Hi Matthew, thanks for your message - taking a closer look at this now!
Bruno (Clay)
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It looks like you were able to make the SFDC call here, I'll go ahead and mark this as tentatively closed for now. But feel free to reach back out if any other issues pop up with this SFDC HTTP API connection you've set up here.
Zacharia Kimotho
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Have you tried checking for missing fields. Alternatively set the field to allow nulls or empty values
Bruno (Clay)
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Hi Matthew, sorry about the delay here - I'm not seeing any records available in this table, is the issue persisting here? If yes, can you add some data to this table so we can take a closer look at what may be causing the issue here?
Matthew Allen
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There are many times when I might have a BLANK column of data on a specific row, and I still want the API to write the rest of the existing data. Right now I have the following: 'no@searchresults.com') + "\",\n \"Alternate_Email_1\": \"" + Clay.formatForJSON({{Alternate Email 1}} || If an email doesn't exist, I don't want to be forced to write no@searchresults.com just to get the API to write. Does that make sense?
Bruno (Clay)
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I'm seeing you build out the custom .js logic here - also seeing 200s across the board, are you able to push the data to zapier at the moment or still facing issues with this?
Matthew Allen
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It works.. However, if there's a blank COLUMN in a particular row, I want the rest of the data to still be sent. The "Remove empty values" doesn't work as it's supposed to. I should be able to do normal JSON and if a work phone is missing, but I found a mobile phone, the API should still push to Zapier even with the work phone missing.
Matthew Allen
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I have to force a value such as N/A or no@searchresults.com as an empty email address. I shouldn't have to do this with "Remove empty values" checked.
Bruno (Clay)
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Makes sense Matthew, I just recorded this quick video to explain: https://www.loom.com/share/d89eeef1f3c94f3e9ecce90cfb58107a?sid=e3b5b886-c7ff-4a5c-840b-e8a19a78dfa9 Let me know if this makes sense!
1
Matthew Allen
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WOW... I'll try this right now.
Matthew Allen
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What do I select with the yellow caution triangles?
Bruno (Clay)
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Nothing to worry about there - they're just warning you that you're now running the calls without given inputs if those inputs are missing.
1

Channeled
APP
·
·
Even with "Remove empty values" checked, you might still encounter JSON parsing errors due to formatting issues rather than empty fields. Common causes include: 1. Missing quotes around keys or string values 2. Incorrect syntax (extra commas, mismatched brackets) 3. Wrong data types (numbers in quotes when they should be numeric) 4. Unescaped special characters Could you please copy and paste your JSON body into the chat so I can help troubleshoot the specific formatting issue? The "Remove empty values" option only removes null/undefined values but doesn't fix JSON syntax problems.
Sources: HTTP API with JWT authentication | Documentation | Clay University HTTP API integration overview | Documentation | Clay University FAQ: Why am I seeing the "failed to parse body" error when using the HTTP API enrichment?
Matthew Allen
·
·
Talk to a person
Matthew Allen
·
·
https://app.clay.com/workspaces/428660/tables/t_0swf2fdSpcvRY7qAq8p/views/gv_w9Z4Ks58pKKC
Bruno (Clay)
·
·
Hi Matthew, thanks for your message - taking a closer look at this now!
Bruno (Clay)
·
·
It looks like you were able to make the SFDC call here, I'll go ahead and mark this as tentatively closed for now. But feel free to reach back out if any other issues pop up with this SFDC HTTP API connection you've set up here.
Zacharia Kimotho
·
·
Have you tried checking for missing fields. Alternatively set the field to allow nulls or empty values
Bruno (Clay)
·
·
Hi Matthew, sorry about the delay here - I'm not seeing any records available in this table, is the issue persisting here? If yes, can you add some data to this table so we can take a closer look at what may be causing the issue here?
Matthew Allen
·
·
There are many times when I might have a BLANK column of data on a specific row, and I still want the API to write the rest of the existing data. Right now I have the following: 'no@searchresults.com') + "\",\n \"Alternate_Email_1\": \"" + Clay.formatForJSON({{Alternate Email 1}} || If an email doesn't exist, I don't want to be forced to write no@searchresults.com just to get the API to write. Does that make sense?
Bruno (Clay)
·
·
I'm seeing you build out the custom .js logic here - also seeing 200s across the board, are you able to push the data to zapier at the moment or still facing issues with this?
Matthew Allen
·
·
It works.. However, if there's a blank COLUMN in a particular row, I want the rest of the data to still be sent. The "Remove empty values" doesn't work as it's supposed to. I should be able to do normal JSON and if a work phone is missing, but I found a mobile phone, the API should still push to Zapier even with the work phone missing.
Matthew Allen
·
·
I have to force a value such as N/A or no@searchresults.com as an empty email address. I shouldn't have to do this with "Remove empty values" checked.
Bruno (Clay)
·
·
Makes sense Matthew, I just recorded this quick video to explain: https://www.loom.com/share/d89eeef1f3c94f3e9ecce90cfb58107a?sid=e3b5b886-c7ff-4a5c-840b-e8a19a78dfa9 Let me know if this makes sense!
1
Matthew Allen
·
·
WOW... I'll try this right now.
Matthew Allen
·
·
What do I select with the yellow caution triangles?
Bruno (Clay)
·
·
Nothing to worry about there - they're just warning you that you're now running the calls without given inputs if those inputs are missing.
1