Errors When Calling Authorize with Cached Mode

Overview

When making a request to the Flinks API's Authorize endpoint with MostRecentCached: true, you may encounter the following error:

json
CopyEdit
"FlinksCode":"QUESTION_NOT_FOUND"
"HttpStatusCode":401
"msg":"Failed to fetch BankingServices/Authorize from Flinks API"

This article explains why this error occurs and how to handle it correctly in your integration flow.

Root Cause

This error typically happens when:

• A cached call to Authorize is made (i.e., MostRecentCached: true is set).

• The previous live connection attempt was unsuccessful due to an incomplete MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) process.

• The error returned reflects the last known state of the user's session (cached), which was a failure to complete the authentication flow.

Since the cached call simply repeats the result of the last refresh attempt, any error from that previous call—including incomplete MFA or session expiration—will also be returned in the cached response.

Behavior Explanation

Even though the response includes an error code (QUESTION_NOT_FOUND), you can still proceed in the data flow by:

• Using the RequestId provided in the error response to call subsequent endpoints.

• Verifying the LastRefresh timestamp to determine the freshness of the cached data.

This ensures continuity in the process, particularly in scenarios where retrying the entire login or MFA flow is not viable or desired.

Recommended Handling Strategy

1. Check for QUESTION_NOT_FOUND errors with MostRecentCached:true.

2. Extract and reuse the RequestId from the error response to proceed with endpoints such as:

   • GetAccountsSummary

   • GetAccountsDetail

3. Validate the LastRefresh field to ensure the cached data is acceptable for your use case.

4. Avoid reusing stale RequestIds for new sessions unless your application is explicitly designed to handle cached flows.

Additional Notes

• This behavior is expected and is not indicative of a system issue.

• If a fresh authorization is required, you must initiate a new login flow instead of using cached calls.