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# Troubleshooting: opening

Last updated 29 October 2026

Look up what you see when opening a database fails, or every request to it is refused: why, and what to do.

| What you see | Why | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `open` fails for a database you have not created | Opening never creates a database. A name with no database answers `404`, and an attempt to create one through its URL answers `403 DATABASE_LIFECYCLE`. | [Create the database](https://tonbo.dev/docs/databases/manage.md#create), wait until it is active, and open it again. |
| Every request answers `401`, or `404` for a database that exists | The access token is missing or expired, and `db.status().replication.condition` is `unauthorized`. | With a key, check that it is valid and not revoked. With a token file, check that the refresher runs and that the application started with `URSULA_VFS_TOKEN_FILE` set (see [The refresher](https://tonbo.dev/docs/platform/api-keys.md#refresher)). |
| `open` rejects with `TonboError` | The key or the lookup of the name failed. The error’s kind says which, and its message ends with the fix. | Follow the message (see [Opening by name](https://tonbo.dev/docs/platform/api-keys.md#open-by-name)). |
| An open by name rejects with `UrsulaUnavailableError` | The Management API did not answer before the signal fired: `rate_limited`, `unavailable` or `unreachable`. | Retry, or [open the database by its URL](https://tonbo.dev/docs/databases/connect.md#by-url), which skips the lookup. |