Common Google Ads script errors and how to fix them
The error messages Google Ads scripts produce most often, what each means and what to do about it.
Most script failures come from a small set of causes. Find the message in the script's logs in Google Ads, or on the History tab in chiliad.
Authorization is required
The script uses a service it was not authorized for, or the authorizing user lost access. Click Authorize in Google Ads. With a chiliad loader, copy the loader again first if the script started using a new Google service.
Cannot read properties of null / undefined
The script expected something that was not there: a campaign with a given name, a label, a spreadsheet tab, a row with data. Check the lookup just before the failing line, and handle the empty case explicitly.
Exceeded maximum execution time
The run took more than 30 minutes. See How to fix a Google Ads script that times out.
Query errors: unrecognized field, invalid query
A GAQL query names a field that does not exist for that resource, combines fields that cannot be selected together, or has a syntax error. Paste the query into GAQL Lab, which validates it and shows the exact problem.
You do not have permission to access the requested document
The authorizing user cannot open the spreadsheet or file. Share it with that login, or correct the URL set for that account.
Missing or empty settings
A variable has no value for one account, so the script runs with an empty budget, email or URL. In chiliad, the Configure table marks these cells as missing.
Service quota exceeded
Too many emails, URL fetches or spreadsheet calls in a day. Combine messages, batch requests and write to sheets in one call.
It succeeded but did nothing
Not an error message, but a common failure: a condition matches nothing, often after something was renamed. A run that finishes in a few seconds where it used to take minutes is the clue. chiliad flags this as a sharp drop in runtime.