I am working on connecting a notification API to my app.
I intialized the call in the API connector, and got the correct response.
Response example:
{
“data”: {
“notifications”: [
{
“id”: “2e729889-fb2b-4395-bc85-728a39ef4b59”,
“event_id”: “upload.completed”,
“title”: “FluxRender”,
“body”: “Data upload completed successfully.”,
“params”: {},
“channels”: [
“push”,
“email”
],
“is_read”: false,
“created_at”: “2026-06-09T08:33:57.675084Z”
}
],
“total”: 14,
“unread_count”: 13
}
}
However, when I implement the same API call in my workflow or run it as a Data call, it’s throwing an error on frontend “Issue with the call All Noti notification. Please initialize it again”.
This is a very common issue with the Bubble API Connector. Since you got a successful response during initialization, it means your endpoint and credentials are perfectly fine.
The “Please initialize it again” error on the frontend usually happens because Bubble is receiving something at runtime that doesn’t match the data schema it saved during the initial setup.
Here are the most common reasons why this happens and how to fix them:
1. The Empty Object Trap (Most Likely) Looking at your JSON response, you have a field returning as an empty object: "params": {}. When Bubble initializes this, it doesn’t know what type of data to expect inside it. If your live data suddenly passes values inside "params" later on, Bubble’s schema breaks and throws this error.
The Fix: Re-initialize the call. When the data mapping popup appears, find the params field. If you don’t actually need to use the data inside it, change its type to Ignore. Make sure to hit Save.
2. Missing Dynamic Values If you have set up any dynamic variables in your API endpoint or body (like [id] or <value>), and your frontend or workflow passes an empty/null value when it runs, the call will fail.
The Fix: Double-check your workflow or element’s data source and use the debugger to ensure the values you are passing are not empty at runtime.
3. “Use as” Action vs. Data Bubble handles API calls differently depending on how they are categorized.
The Fix: If you are using this API as a data source for an element (like a Repeating Group), make sure the “Use as” dropdown in the API connector is set to Data. If you are using it as a step inside a workflow, it must be set to Action. If you change this, you have to re-initialize.
4. Browser CORS / Header Privacy Initialization happens from Bubble’s backend servers, but “Data” calls on the frontend often run directly from the user’s browser. If the notification API blocks browser calls, it will fail on the page.
The Fix: In your API Connector setup, tick the Private checkbox next to your headers (especially the Authorization header). This forces Bubble to route the call securely through its own backend servers.
Try re-initializing the call, ignoring the params object, and saving the mapping again. Hope this helps!
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