gRPC 3 INVALID_ARGUMENT vs 7 PERMISSION_DENIED
Both gRPC 3 (INVALID_ARGUMENT) and 7 (PERMISSION_DENIED) belong to the gRPC Status Codes category. 3 indicates that the client specified an invalid argument. This indicates arguments that are problematic regardless of the state of the system. Meanwhile, 7 means that the caller does not have permission to execute the specified operation. This is not for unauthenticated callers — use UNAUTHENTICATED instead.
Description
The client specified an invalid argument. This indicates arguments that are problematic regardless of the state of the system.
When You See It
A request field failed validation — for example, a negative page size, a malformed email, or a required field left empty.
How to Fix
Inspect the request payload and fix the invalid field. Check the API documentation for expected formats and constraints.
Description
The caller does not have permission to execute the specified operation. This is not for unauthenticated callers — use UNAUTHENTICATED instead.
When You See It
The authenticated user lacks the required role, scope, or policy to perform this action. Different from UNAUTHENTICATED (code 16), which means no credentials at all.
How to Fix
Verify the caller has the correct IAM role, API scope, or access policy. Check RBAC configuration on the server side.
Key Differences
gRPC 3: The client specified an invalid argument. This indicates arguments that are problematic regardless of the state of the system.
gRPC 7: The caller does not have permission to execute the specified operation. This is not for unauthenticated callers — use UNAUTHENTICATED instead.
You encounter 3 when a request field failed validation — for example, a negative page size, a malformed email, or a required field left empty.
You encounter 7 when the authenticated user lacks the required role, scope, or policy to perform this action. Different from UNAUTHENTICATED (code 16), which means no credentials at all.
When to Use Which
For 3 (INVALID_ARGUMENT): Inspect the request payload and fix the invalid field. Check the API documentation for expected formats and constraints. For 7 (PERMISSION_DENIED): Verify the caller has the correct IAM role, API scope, or access policy. Check RBAC configuration on the server side.