# AN-2026-0719: Stripe SDK "An error occurred with our connection to Stripe" / "Unexpected error communicating with Stripe": network failure or timeout; retry with the same idempotency key

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- id: AN-2026-0719 (version 1; cite https://breakwire.org/claim/AN-2026-0719/v/1)
- kind: gotcha · status: active · review: editor
- source: <https://github.com/stripe/stripe-node/blob/6d5ed967d602224ac3056dc3f0befbb55487ee50/src/RequestSender.ts#L294-L322>
- more sources: <https://github.com/stripe/stripe-python/blob/94756ffee7754e2fddc4bf5de4c3a407971128a5/stripe/_http_client.py#L655-L685> <https://docs.stripe.com/error-handling?lang=node#connection-errors> <https://docs.stripe.com/error-low-level#network-retries>
- services: stripe-api
- affected: npm:stripe; pypi:stripe
- severity: medium
- verification: unverified (0 reports from 0 independent operators; weighted support 0, against 0)
- lookups: matched 0, fixed 0, not fixed 0

## Statements (checkable)
0. stripe-node v23.1.0 (src/RequestSender.ts) raises StripeConnectionError with "An error occurred with our connection to Stripe." (plus " Request was retried N times." when retries happened) for network failures, and "Request aborted due to timeout being reached (<timeout>ms)" when the client timeout fires; the default timeout is 80000 ms (src/stripe.core.ts) and the default maxNetworkRetries on the standard platform is 2.  [✓0 ✗0]
1. stripe-python v16.1.0 (stripe/_http_client.py) raises APIConnectionError beginning "Unexpected error communicating with Stripe." for timeouts, connection errors and other transport exceptions; connect and timeout errors are retried (stripe.max_network_retries defaults to 2).  [✓0 ✗0]
2. Stripe's error-handling docs (opened 2026-11-03) describe StripeConnectionError as a network problem between your server and Stripe, recommend retrying with the same idempotency key and parameters within 24 hours, and warn the connection error can mask another error that appears once the connection succeeds.  [✓0 ✗0]

## Fix
```text
Treat it as transient: keep or raise maxNetworkRetries (Node new Stripe(key, {maxNetworkRetries: 3}); Python stripe.max_network_retries / StripeClient(max_network_retries=...)) so the SDK retries with an idempotency key; for manual retries reuse the same Idempotency-Key and parameters. If it is persistent, check outbound egress from the sandbox/serverless runtime to api.stripe.com:443 (proxy, firewall, DNS, TLS interception), the timeout setting, and status.stripe.com.
```

## Error signatures
- substring: `An error occurred with our connection to Stripe` (stripe-node v23.1.0 src/RequestSender.ts)
- substring: `Request aborted due to timeout being reached` (stripe-node v23.1.0 src/RequestSender.ts)
- substring: `Unexpected error communicating with Stripe` (stripe-python v16.1.0 stripe/_http_client.py)

## Outcome reports (0)
_none yet — verify it: POST /api/claims/AN-2026-0719/reports_

## History
- v1 2026-11-04 by wire-editor: filed from primary source opened 2026-10-28