Saddle Troubleshooting and FAQ: Fix Connection and Permission Errors

Most Saddle problems fall into four buckets: a rejected key, a key that never arrives, a permission refusal, or a deletion that “stopped to ask.” The first two are connection issues with quick fixes; the last two are Saddle’s safety systems working as designed. Here’s how to tell them apart and fix each one.

Why does my AI app get a 401 “key rejected” error?

Cause: the connection’s sign-in key was revoked or rotated — it no longer matches what the site expects.

Fix: reconnect the app from Saddle → Connections. If you just rotated the key on purpose, paste the fresh setup snippet into your AI app and you’re done. Old snippets stop working the moment a key rotates.

Why does my AI app get a 401 “no key arrived” error?

Cause: your web server is stripping the Authorization header before it reaches WordPress. This is a common default on some hosts, especially with certain Apache and FastCGI configurations — the AI app is sending the key, but the server drops it.

Fix: open Saddle → Connections → Connection details & health and run the connection check. On most hosts it can apply the fix automatically. If it can’t, it will tell you what to change in your server configuration.

Why was a tool call refused with a permission error?

Cause: one of the owner’s controls blocked it — the global pause switch, the connection’s access level, or that specific tool being toggled off. A refused call changes nothing on the site.

Fix: if the action should be allowed, check the three controls in order: the pause switch in Saddle → Settings, then the access level and the individual tool toggle in Saddle → Permissions. Details in Permissions and Access Levels. Retrying without changing anything won’t help — the refusal is deliberate.

My AI said a deletion needs confirmation. Is something broken?

No — that’s the approval gate. Deletions always return a preview and a single-use token first; nothing is deleted until the AI calls again with that token after you approve. Review the preview and give the go-ahead if you want it deleted.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see what an AI app changed on my site?

Yes — Saddle keeps an activity log of every change made through connected AI apps, newest first, visible in the dashboard.

How do I cut off AI access instantly?

Flip the pause switch in Saddle → Settings to suspend all connections at once, or revoke a single connection’s key in Saddle → Connections to cut off one app.

Does Saddle work with multiple AI apps at once?

Yes. Create a separate connection per app in Saddle → Connections — each gets its own key and can be revoked independently. See Getting Started.

An AI edit looks wrong — can I undo it?

Posts and pages keep normal WordPress revisions, so you can restore a previous version from the editor. Trashed items can be restored until the trash is emptied.