Claude

"Spanner temporarily unavailable"

"Spanner temporarily unavailable" is a transient backend error on Anthropic's side, not something in your config or code. It often coincides with a broader service incident. Check the Anthropic status page to rule one out, wait about a minute, and retry. If it keeps recurring, switch to a different model such as Sonnet or Opus.

Likely cause

A transient backend error on Anthropic's side. Nothing in your config or code caused it; it often coincides with broader service incidents.

The fix

  1. 1 Check the Anthropic status page to rule out an active incident.
  2. 2 Wait about a minute and retry.
  3. 3 If it persists, switch to a different model (e.g. Sonnet to Opus).

Hit a different error?

Paste any agent error and get the cause and fix in seconds.

Open the decoder

Frequently asked questions

Did I cause this with my config or prompt?

No. Spanner is part of Anthropic's backend, and this error is a transient server-side failure. Nothing in your configuration or code triggers it.

Should I keep retrying immediately?

Wait about a minute first. Hammering retries during an incident rarely helps and can compound rate-limit pressure. Check the Anthropic status page while you wait.

It keeps happening. What else can I do?

If a single model keeps failing, switch to a different one (for example Sonnet to Opus) so a localized backend issue doesn't block all your requests.

Stop firefighting agent errors

Decoding errors one at a time is the manual version of what BetterClaw automates. Run your OpenClaw agents hosted with managed models, retries and config validation built in.

Deploy Your Agent — $19/mo Book a Demo

$19/month per agent · BYOK · 7-day money-back guarantee