# \[API\] Inconsistent error message when deleting a tag
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729
**Category:** Bug
**Created:** [September 25, 2017, 12:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729 "2017-09-25T12:27:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jack2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jack2)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2017, 12:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729/1 "2017-09-25T12:27:28Z")
When trying to delete a **non-existent topic** with the API, I get this (somewhat) understandable error:
```plaintext
status=403
content={"errors":["You are not permitted to view the requested resource."],
"error_type":"invalid_access"}
```
When trying to delete a **non-existent tag** , I get this:
```plaintext
status=500
content=NoMethodError in TagsController#destroy -
undefined method `destroy' for nil:NilClass
```
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 7:47am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729/2 "2017-09-26T07:47:56Z")
API can be better here, #pr-welcome for that.
---
### Author:  [@ecdemis123](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ecdemis123)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729/3 "2017-09-29T18:56:30Z")
I’ll take a stab at fixing this.
---
### Author:  [@ecdemis123](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ecdemis123)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729/4 "2017-09-29T21:41:07Z")
Link to my fix: [FIX: response error when deleting non-existent tags by ecdemis123 · Pull Request #5213 · discourse/discourse · GitHub](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/5213)
---
### Author:  [@coderberry](https://meta.discourse.org/u/coderberry)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2017, 4:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729/5 "2017-11-29T04:04:43Z")
^ PR has been merged on Oct 2 :allthethings:
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2017, 5:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-inconsistent-error-message-when-deleting-a-tag/70729/6 "2017-11-29T05:52:06Z")