Add comprehensive error message parsing to prevent raw JSON display

- Created ErrorMessageParser utility for both iOS (Swift) and Android (Kotlin)
- Parser detects JSON-formatted error messages and extracts user-friendly text
- Identifies when data objects (not errors) are returned and provides generic messages
- Updated all API error handling to pass raw error bodies instead of concatenating
- Applied ErrorMessageParser across all ViewModels and screens on both platforms
- Fixed ContractorApi and DocumentApi to not concatenate error bodies with messages
- Updated ApiResultHandler to automatically parse all error messages
- Error messages now show "Request failed. Please check your input and try again." instead of raw JSON

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

iosApp/iosApp/Contractor/ContractorDetailView.swift

@@ -213,6 +213,10 @@ struct ContractorDetailView: View {
         .onAppear {
             viewModel.loadContractorDetail(id: contractorId)
         }
+        .handleErrors(
+            error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+            onRetry: { viewModel.loadContractorDetail(id: contractorId) }
+        )
     }
 
     private func deleteContractor() {

iosApp/iosApp/Contractor/ContractorFormSheet.swift

@@ -281,6 +281,10 @@ struct ContractorFormSheet: View {
                 loadContractorData()
                 loadContractorSpecialties()
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { saveContractor() }
+            )
         }
     }
 

iosApp/iosApp/Contractor/ContractorViewModel.swift

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class ContractorViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     break
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ class ContractorViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     break
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ class ContractorViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isCreating = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetCreateState()
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ class ContractorViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isUpdating = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetUpdateState()
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ class ContractorViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isDeleting = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetDeleteState()
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ class ContractorViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetToggleFavoriteState()
                     completion(false)

iosApp/iosApp/Contractor/ContractorsListView.swift

@@ -166,6 +166,10 @@ struct ContractorsListView: View {
             .onChange(of: searchText) { newValue in
                 loadContractors()
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { loadContractors() }
+            )
     }
 
     private func loadContractors(forceRefresh: Bool = false) {

iosApp/iosApp/Documents/DocumentViewModel.swift

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class DocumentViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     break
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ class DocumentViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetCreateState()
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ class DocumentViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetUpdateState()
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ class DocumentViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetDeleteState()

iosApp/iosApp/Helpers/ErrorMessageParser.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import Foundation
+
+/// Utility for parsing and cleaning error messages from API responses
+enum ErrorMessageParser {
+
+    /// Parses error messages to extract user-friendly text
+    /// If the error message is JSON, extract relevant error details
+    /// - Parameter rawMessage: The raw error message from the API
+    /// - Returns: A user-friendly error message
+    static func parse(_ rawMessage: String) -> String {
+        // Check if the message looks like JSON (starts with { or [)
+        let trimmed = rawMessage.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
+        guard trimmed.hasPrefix("{") || trimmed.hasPrefix("[") else {
+            // Not JSON, return as-is
+            return rawMessage
+        }
+
+        // If it's JSON, it's not meant for user display
+        // Try to parse and extract meaningful error info
+        guard let data = trimmed.data(using: .utf8) else {
+            return "An error occurred. Please try again."
+        }
+
+        do {
+            if let json = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data) as? [String: Any] {
+                // Try to find common error fields
+                if let errorMsg = json["error"] as? String {
+                    return errorMsg
+                }
+                if let message = json["message"] as? String {
+                    return message
+                }
+                if let detail = json["detail"] as? String {
+                    return detail
+                }
+
+                // Check if this looks like a data object (has id, title, etc)
+                // rather than an error response
+                if json["id"] != nil && (json["title"] != nil || json["name"] != nil) {
+                    return "Request failed. Please check your input and try again."
+                }
+            }
+        } catch {
+            // JSON parsing failed
+        }
+
+        // If we couldn't parse or extract a message, return a generic error
+        return "An error occurred. Please try again."
+    }
+}

iosApp/iosApp/Login/LoginView.swift

@@ -265,6 +265,10 @@ struct LoginView: View {
                     showPasswordReset = true
                 }
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { viewModel.login() }
+            )
         }
     }
 

iosApp/iosApp/Login/LoginViewModel.swift

@@ -108,10 +108,10 @@ class LoginViewModel: ObservableObject {
                             case 500...599:
                                 self.errorMessage = "Server error. Please try again later."
                             default:
-                                self.errorMessage = self.cleanErrorMessage(error.message)
+                                self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                             }
                         } else {
-                            self.errorMessage = self.cleanErrorMessage(error.message)
+                            self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         }
 
                         print("API Error: \(error.message)")

iosApp/iosApp/PasswordReset/ForgotPasswordView.swift

@@ -110,6 +110,10 @@ struct ForgotPasswordView: View {
             .onAppear {
                 isEmailFocused = true
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { viewModel.requestPasswordReset() }
+            )
         }
     }
 }

iosApp/iosApp/PasswordReset/PasswordResetViewModel.swift

@@ -290,10 +290,10 @@ class PasswordResetViewModel: ObservableObject {
             } else if message.contains("Invalid") && message.contains("token") {
                 self.errorMessage = "Invalid or expired reset token. Please start over."
             } else {
-                self.errorMessage = message
+                self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(message)
             }
         } else {
-            self.errorMessage = errorResult.message
+            self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(errorResult.message)
         }
 
         print("API Error: \(errorResult.message)")

iosApp/iosApp/PasswordReset/ResetPasswordView.swift

@@ -232,6 +232,10 @@ struct ResetPasswordView: View {
             .onAppear {
                 focusedField = .newPassword
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { viewModel.resetPassword() }
+            )
         }
     }
 

iosApp/iosApp/PasswordReset/VerifyResetCodeView.swift

@@ -158,6 +158,10 @@ struct VerifyResetCodeView: View {
             .onAppear {
                 isCodeFocused = true
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { viewModel.verifyResetCode() }
+            )
         }
     }
 }

iosApp/iosApp/Profile/ProfileView.swift

@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ struct ProfileView: View {
                 .onChange(of: viewModel.email) { _, _ in
                     viewModel.clearMessages()
                 }
+                .handleErrors(
+                    error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                    onRetry: { viewModel.updateProfile() }
+                )
             }
         }
     }

iosApp/iosApp/Profile/ProfileViewModel.swift

@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class ProfileViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoadingUser = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetCurrentUserState()
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ class ProfileViewModel: ObservableObject {
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
                         self.isLoading = false
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.successMessage = nil
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetUpdateProfileState()

iosApp/iosApp/Register/RegisterView.swift

@@ -127,6 +127,10 @@ struct RegisterView: View {
                     }
                 )
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { viewModel.register() }
+            )
         }
     }
 }

iosApp/iosApp/Register/RegisterViewModel.swift

@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ class RegisterViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetRegisterState()

iosApp/iosApp/Residence/JoinResidenceView.swift

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ struct JoinResidenceView: View {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        viewModel.errorMessage = error.message
+                        viewModel.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         viewModel.sharedViewModel.resetJoinResidenceState()
                     }
                     break

iosApp/iosApp/Residence/ManageUsersView.swift

@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ struct ManageUsersView: View {
                         self.ownerId = responseData.ownerId as? Int32
                         self.isLoading = false
                     } else if let errorResult = result as? ApiResultError {
-                        self.errorMessage = errorResult.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(errorResult.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     } else {
                         self.errorMessage = "Failed to load users"
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ struct ManageUsersView: View {
                         self.shareCode = successResult.data
                         self.isGeneratingCode = false
                     } else if let errorResult = result as? ApiResultError {
-                        self.errorMessage = errorResult.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(errorResult.message)
                         self.isGeneratingCode = false
                     } else {
                         self.errorMessage = "Failed to generate share code"
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ struct ManageUsersView: View {
                         // Remove user from local list
                         self.users.removeAll { $0.id == userId }
                     } else if let errorResult = result as? ApiResultError {
-                        self.errorMessage = errorResult.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(errorResult.message)
                     } else {
                         self.errorMessage = "Failed to remove user"
                     }

iosApp/iosApp/Residence/ResidenceDetailView.swift

@@ -148,6 +148,10 @@ struct ResidenceDetailView: View {
         .onAppear {
             loadResidenceData()
         }
+        .handleErrors(
+            error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+            onRetry: { loadResidenceData() }
+        )
     }
 }
 
@@ -158,10 +162,6 @@ private extension ResidenceDetailView {
     var mainContent: some View {
         if !hasAppeared || viewModel.isLoading {
             loadingView
-        } else if let error = viewModel.errorMessage {
-            ErrorView(message: error) {
-                loadResidenceData()
-            }
         } else if let residence = viewModel.selectedResidence {
             contentView(for: residence)
         }
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ private extension ResidenceDetailView {
                     if result is ApiResultSuccess<KotlinUnit> {
                         dismiss()
                     } else if let errorResult = result as? ApiResultError {
-                        self.viewModel.errorMessage = errorResult.message
+                        self.viewModel.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(errorResult.message)
                     } else {
                         self.viewModel.errorMessage = "Failed to delete residence"
                     }

iosApp/iosApp/Residence/ResidenceViewModel.swift

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ class ResidenceViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     break
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ class ResidenceViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     break
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ class ResidenceViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     self.selectedResidence = success.data
                     self.isLoading = false
                 } else if let error = result as? ApiResultError {
-                    self.errorMessage = error.message
+                    self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                     self.isLoading = false
                 }
             }
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ class ResidenceViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetCreateState()
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ class ResidenceViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetUpdateState()

iosApp/iosApp/Residence/ResidencesListView.swift

@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ struct ResidencesListView: View {
                         .font(.body)
                         .foregroundColor(Color(.secondaryLabel))
                 }
-            } else if let error = viewModel.errorMessage {
-                ErrorView(message: error) {
-                    viewModel.loadMyResidences()
-                }
             } else if let response = viewModel.myResidences {
                 if response.residences.isEmpty {
                     EmptyResidencesView()
@@ -100,6 +96,10 @@ struct ResidencesListView: View {
         .onAppear {
             viewModel.loadMyResidences()
         }
+        .handleErrors(
+            error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+            onRetry: { viewModel.loadMyResidences() }
+        )
     }
 }
 

iosApp/iosApp/ResidenceFormView.swift

@@ -177,6 +177,10 @@ struct ResidenceFormView: View {
                 loadResidenceTypes()
                 initializeForm()
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { submitForm() }
+            )
         }
     }
 

iosApp/iosApp/Task/CompleteTaskView.swift

@@ -278,6 +278,10 @@ struct CompleteTaskView: View {
             .onAppear {
                 contractorViewModel.loadContractors()
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { handleComplete() }
+            )
         }
     }
 

iosApp/iosApp/Task/EditTaskView.swift

@@ -128,6 +128,10 @@ struct EditTaskView: View {
             .onAppear {
                 loadLookups()
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { submitForm() }
+            )
         }
     }
 
@@ -181,3 +185,4 @@ struct EditTaskView: View {
         }
     }
 }
+

iosApp/iosApp/Task/TaskViewModel.swift

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class TaskViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     break
                 } else if let error = state as? ApiResultError {
                     await MainActor.run {
-                        self.errorMessage = error.message
+                        self.errorMessage = ErrorMessageParser.parse(error.message)
                         self.isLoading = false
                     }
                     sharedViewModel.resetAddTaskState()

iosApp/iosApp/VerifyEmail/VerifyEmailView.swift

@@ -146,6 +146,10 @@ struct VerifyEmailView: View {
                     onVerifySuccess()
                 }
             }
+            .handleErrors(
+                error: viewModel.errorMessage,
+                onRetry: { viewModel.verifyEmail() }
+            )
         }
     }
 }