What causes "Mistral API 500, 502, 503 and 504 Errors"?

Upstream or transient server problem (500, 502) Service overloaded or under maintenance (503) Very long prompts or high max_tokens causing timeouts (504) An active incident on the status page

How do I fix "Mistral API 500, 502, 503 and 504 Errors"?

1. Retry with backoff: Wait 30 to 60 seconds for 502, then retry Use exponential backoff for 503 2. Check the status page: Open status.mistral.ai and look for an active incident If it persists with no incident, email support 3. Reduce request size for 504: Shorten the input Lower max_tokens Handle streaming connections properly

Mistral API 500, 502, 503 and 504 Errors

Ongoing API Updated November 14, 2026Based on 2 user reportsHow we research

Quick answer

5xx errors are server-side and usually transient: retry with backoff and check status.mistral.ai. For 504 timeouts, shorten the prompt or lower max_tokens.

Most likely fix: Retry with backoff

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. Retry with backoff
1. Wait 30 to 60 seconds for 502, then retry
2. Use exponential backoff for 503
Did this fix it?
2. Check the status page
1. Open status.mistral.ai and look for an active incident
2. If it persists with no incident, email support
Did this fix it?
3. Reduce request size for 504
1. Shorten the input
2. Lower max_tokens
3. Handle streaming connections properly
Did this fix it?