Troubleshooting

Start from what the cell shows. Most problems are one of a dozen, and each has a fix that takes less than a minute. For the meaning of a specific #ERR message, errors has the full list.

The function is not recognised

Google Sheets shows #NAME? with Unknown function: 'VERVE'. Excel shows #NAME?.

The add-in is not active in this file yet:

In Google Sheets, open Extensions ▸ VerveSheets ▸ Open VerveSheets once in this file. In Excel, open the VerveSheets pane from the Home ribbon.
Re-enter the formula — click the cell, then press Enter in the formula bar.

Then check the name. Excel puts the functions in a namespace, so the name differs:

Google Sheets	Excel
`=VERVE(…)`	`=VERVE.CALL(…)`
`=VERVEFIELD(…)`	`=VERVE.FIELD(…)`
`=VERVEFX(…)`	`=VERVE.FX(…)`

A formula copied from a Sheets file into Excel needs VERVE( changed to VERVE.CALL(; the arguments stay exactly as they are.

The cell stays on Loading… or #BUSY!

Loading… in Google Sheets and #BUSY! in Excel mean the lookup is still running. Most finish in a second or two. Longer waits have three usual causes:

A big first fill. Hundreds of new rows take a few seconds in batches. Cells resolve in waves; leave it to finish.
A slow source. Sources that fetch a web page, render something or check a remote server take longer than ones that read a table. The source's page lists its typical latency.
A rate limit. When the account is going faster than its plan allows, Excel holds the remaining cells back for a few seconds before sending them. Any that still cannot go through show #ERR Rate limit reached….

Google Sheets gives a custom function 30 seconds in total. A lookup still running at that point is stopped by Sheets, and the cell shows an error saying the execution time was exceeded. For a large column, split the range, or use the sidebar's Values fill, which is not bound by that limit.

A table appears instead of one value

The formula has no "field", so the whole response spills out as two columns — every field beside its value. Add the field you want at the end:

=VERVE("iplookup", A2, "field", "countryName")

=VERVE.CALL("iplookup", A2, "field", "countryName")

The spilled table is the quickest way to find the right field name, so it is a useful first step — just not a formula to keep.

#REF! or #SPILL! instead of results

A range formula, or a formula with no "field", writes into the cells below and beside it. If any of those cells already holds something, the spreadsheet refuses to overwrite it: Google Sheets shows #REF! with Array result was not expanded, Excel shows #SPILL!.

Clear the cells in the way — usually old values, or the same formula copied further down the column — and the results appear. A range formula needs only the top cell; delete the copies below it.

Every cell in a column says the same thing

One message repeated down a column is one cause, not hundreds:

Message	Fix
`#ERR Connect first…` or `#ERR Not connected…`	Open the sidebar and connect.
`#ERR Sign-in expired…`	Reconnect in the sidebar.
`#ERR Out of credits…`	Top up or start a trial — the sidebar banner links to it.
`#ERR Unknown source…`	The first argument is not a source id. Copy it from the sidebar.
`#ERR <source> needs <input>`	The input column is the wrong column, or it is empty.

Fix the cause, wait a few seconds, then refill or re-run the column once. Failed lookups are not charged, so the column of errors cost nothing — but refilling before fixing the cause just gives you the same column again.

"Out of credits" or "Rate limit reached"?

They need opposite responses, so it matters which one it is:

Rate limit reached — the account sent more lookups per minute than its plan allows. Wait a minute and re-run; nothing else is needed.
Out of credits — the cycle's allowance is used up. Waiting changes nothing until the allowance renews or the plan changes.

Excel always tells them apart. Some versions of the Google Sheets add-on show Rate limit reached for both. The credit meter at the top of the sidebar settles it: above zero means you were going too fast, zero means the balance is gone. See rate limits.

A Sheets cell shows #ERROR!

Most failures arrive as readable #ERR text, but a few are real spreadsheet errors in Google Sheets. Hover the cell to read them. The common ones:

Hover text says	Fix
`No data point "tempc".`	The field is not in the response. Field names are case-sensitive — check the spelling against the source's page.
`Only the leading inputs can be a range…`	Only the source's own inputs may be ranges. The field and each option must be single values.
`Add "field"…` / `Add the field after the inputs…`	A range formula has to name the one field it fills, so each row gets one value.
`Too many unique lookups…`	More than 200 distinct rows in one live formula. Split it, or fill with Values.
`<source> needs <input>`	On a range formula, a required input is missing entirely.
`Unknown source…`	The first argument is not a source id.

A real error is the one case IFERROR() catches; #ERR text is not an error to the spreadsheet, so test it with LEFT(A2, 4) = "#ERR". Excel shows its failures as #ERR text.

The answer looks wrong or old

Before suspecting the data, check three things:

The field. Several sources have near-twins — country is a code where countryName is a name, tempC is not feelslikeC. Leave "field" out once in a spare cell to see every field with its value side by side.
The inputs. Look at what the cell you point at actually holds, not what it displays — see inputs that arrive in the wrong shape.
The age of the answer. An answer is reused for five minutes, and a formula does not re-run unless something makes it. A rate shown at 9:00 is still showing at 11:00 if nothing recalculated. Refresh and recalculation covers forcing a fresh one.

If the add-in itself was updated recently and something looks off, quit Excel or reload the Google Sheets tab. Excel can keep the previous version of the add-in for a few hours.

Inputs that arrive in the wrong shape

What a formula sends is the cell's underlying value, which is not always what the cell shows.

Dates. A date cell is a number underneath. A source that wants a date as text gets the wrong thing. Convert it in the formula:

=VERVE("agecalculator", TEXT(A2, "yyyy-mm-dd"), "field", "age_breakdown.years")

=VERVE.CALL("agecalculator", TEXT(A2, "yyyy-mm-dd"), "field", "age_breakdown.years")

Leading zeros. 02134 typed into a normal cell is stored as 2134. Format the column as plain text before entering codes, or pass TEXT(A2, "00000"). The same goes for phone numbers that start with zero, and for any ID that is digits but not a number.

Stray spaces. A trailing space in an email or a domain is sent along with it and can make a valid value fail. Pasted data is the usual source. TRIM(A2) in place of A2 removes them.

Formatted numbers. A cell showing $1,250.00 holds 1250, and 1250 is what is sent — which is usually what you want. A cell holding the text "$1,250.00" (pasted from a web page, aligned left) sends the text, and a source expecting a number rejects it. VALUE(A2) converts it.

Source names. The first argument is the source's id, not its title: "weatherforecast", not "Weather Forecast", and in lowercase. The sidebar's formula preview always has the right id.

A range works in Sheets but not in Excel

Excel runs one formula per cell. Write the formula against the first input cell and drag it down — Excel batches the column automatically:

=VERVE("timezonelookup", A2:A50, "field", "timezone")

=VERVE.CALL("timezonelookup", A2, "field", "timezone")

A range typed into an Excel formula is read as a list of separate arguments, not as rows, so it fails or answers for the first cell only.

The cell says `Replace <city>`

The formula was copied from the sidebar while the preview was still a template. The <city> part is a placeholder for your own cell or value — replace it, keeping the quotes only if you are typing a value:

=VERVE("weatherforecast", A2, "field", "tempC")
=VERVE("weatherforecast", "London", "field", "tempC")

=VERVE.CALL("weatherforecast", A2, "field", "tempC")
=VERVE.CALL("weatherforecast", "London", "field", "tempC")

Selecting your input cells before copying fills the template in for you.

Formulas keep working for a collaborator, and the lookups spend the owner's credits — the connection that runs them is the one the owner made. A collaborator who wants their own account and billing installs the add-in and connects on their own.

A cell reading #PREMIUM(field) means the connected account's plan does not include that field, whoever is looking at it. See plans.

Connecting does not work

You see	What to do
The sign-in window does not open	Allow pop-ups for the spreadsheet's site and try again.
`Sign-in timed out` / `Sign-in cancelled`	The window was closed or left too long. Start again from the sidebar.
The consent screen is blocked by your organisation	Connect with an API key instead — take it from API keys.
`That API key isn't valid`	Copy the key again from the dashboard — the whole key, nothing around it.
`Couldn't reach VerveSheets to check that key`	A network problem, or a firewall blocking the add-in. Try again, or try another network.

Signing in renews itself and keeps no key anywhere you can copy it, which makes it the better default.

You see	Meaning
`Select N input columns for this source`	The selection has fewer columns than the source has required inputs. Select one column per input, in the order the sidebar lists them.
Some rows were skipped	Their input cell was blank. Blank rows are never looked up.
A notice about `#PREMIUM`	Some answers include a field your plan does not. The rest of the fill is fine.
`Bulk fill isn't available for this source yet`	This source can't be filled in bulk. Insert it as a formula instead.
A confirmation with a credit estimate	Fills over 50 rows ask first. Nothing has been spent yet.

Still stuck

Errors lists every message. If a message is not there, or a source returns something clearly wrong, contact support with the formula and what the cell shows — never your key.