Overview
If you are seeing a Request failed: 400 error while using the Atlas Agent on content tasks, or if your keyword data is not loading correctly, this article will walk you through the most common causes and how to resolve them quickly. These errors are typically caused by expired sessions, stale cache data, API timeouts, or a temporary backend issue — none of which reflect a problem with your account or subscription.
What Does a 400 Error Mean?
A 400 (Bad Request) error occurs when the platform cannot process the request sent by your browser or session. In the context of the Atlas Agent and content analysis tools, this usually means one of the following:
- Your session has expired or become invalid mid-task
- The browser has cached outdated authentication or request data
- A temporary backend service interruption is affecting API responses
- A request timed out before the server could respond correctly
- Your SSO (Single Sign-On) token has expired and needs to be refreshed
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Follow these steps in order. Most customers resolve the issue within the first two or three steps.
- Refresh the page. Reload the page in your browser and retry your Atlas Agent task or keyword data request. This resolves temporary communication errors caused by brief API timeouts.
- Clear your browser cache and cookies. Stale cached data is a leading cause of 400 errors. Access your browser's settings and clear cached files and cookies, then reload the platform and sign back in. The exact steps vary by browser — refer to your browser's help documentation if needed.
- Sign out and sign back in. Go to your account menu and select Sign Out. Wait 30 seconds, then sign back in. This refreshes your session token and resolves the majority of authentication-related 400 errors.
- Re-authenticate via SSO if applicable. If your organisation uses Single Sign-On, your SSO token may have expired without triggering a visible logout. Sign out completely, then log back in through your SSO provider to obtain a fresh token before returning to Search Atlas.
- Try a different browser or incognito window. Open an incognito or private window (or a different browser entirely) and sign in to Search Atlas. If the Atlas Agent and keyword data load correctly in this context, the issue is isolated to a browser extension, cached data, or a profile-specific setting in your main browser.
- Disable browser extensions. Ad blockers, privacy tools, and script blockers can interfere with API requests. Temporarily disable extensions, reload the platform, and retry your task.
If Keyword Data or SEO Rankings Are Still Not Showing
If the 400 error clears but your keyword data or SEO ranking informa
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