WhatsApp error 131009: invalid parameter value
Error 131009 means one or more parameter values are invalid: the field was present and understood, but what it contained is not something the endpoint accepts. Locale codes, phone number formatting and enum values account for most of them.
Meta's code for a parameter present with an unsupported value.
The code returned when a template name and language pair does not exist.
The broader code for a parameter that is unsupported or malformed.
The values that fail most often
Three shapes cause the majority, and all three look correct to a person reading them.
- Locale codes: en where the template was created as en_US, or pt where it is pt_BR.
- Phone numbers with punctuation, leading zeros or a plus sign, where digits only in international format is expected.
- Enum values in the wrong case, such as a template category in lower case.
- Dates or timestamps in a format other than the one the endpoint documents.
Why the locale case is worth singling out
Because it produces two different errors depending on the endpoint, and people chase the wrong one.\n\nSending a template with a language that does not exist for that name returns 132001, which reads as the template being missing. Supplying a malformed locale to an endpoint that validates it first returns this error instead. Both are the same underlying mistake, and the fix in both cases is to read the template listing and copy the exact language string rather than assuming its shape.
Common mistakes
- Assuming en and en_US are interchangeable. They identify different templates.
- Sending a phone number with a plus or punctuation. Digits only, in international format.
- Retrying. The value is wrong deterministically.
EasyCoexistence lists templates with their exact language codes, so the value sent is the one Meta stored rather than one that looks right.
Frequently asked questions
Which value is wrong?
The response usually names the parameter. Where it does not, locale and phone format are the places to look first.
How should a phone number be formatted?
International format, digits only, with no plus sign and no punctuation.
Why does the same mistake sometimes return 132001?
Because a template send resolves name and language together, so an unknown pair reads as a missing template.
Is this a problem with my number?
No. This error concerns the request only.
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