Zoho Bigin breaking changes, updated weekly

Every verified Zoho Bigin trap in Footgun: changes and behaviors that break code or give wrong results, newest first. Each one has the error you see, the fix, and the date it was last checked. The list updates when the weekly check adds or retires a trap. For the full cause and sources, open the trap, or see all Zoho Bigin traps.

1. fg-0120· added 2026-10-14· last checked 2026-10-14

   Bigin search misses a record created or edited a minute ago

   Symptom

   Search returns 204 or no match for a record visible in the app

   Fix

   Do not treat an immediate search miss as proof the record is absent. Read by id when you have it, or retry after a couple of minutes.

2. fg-0119· added 2026-10-13· last checked 2026-10-13

   Bigin search criteria with parentheses in the value returns nothing

   Symptom

   criteria=(Last_Name:equals:(Provider)) returns no records

   Fix

   Do not store parentheses in values you will search on; search a plain marker value or a tag instead.

3. fg-0123· added 2026-10-13· last checked 2026-10-13

   Bigin workflow and template names cannot contain parentheses

   Symptom

   Workflow save is rejected for a name with ( )

   Fix

   Use a hyphen or plain words instead.

4. fg-0114· added 2026-10-13· last checked 2026-10-13

   Bigin gives no API, webhook or email alert for incoming WhatsApp messages

   Symptom

   Replies show only under Messages

   Fix

   Keep each contact's owner an active user with the mobile app installed, and set the assignment rule for new numbers.

5. fg-0127· added 2026-09-23· last checked 2026-09-23

   Counting a deal's notes through its related list misses notes attached to the contact

   Symptom

   Note totals per deal are lower than the notes visible in the app

   Fix

   Read the Notes module itself and match Parent_Id against both deal ids and contact ids.

6. fg-0116· added 2026-09-23· last checked 2026-09-23

   Bigin related-list read returns empty instead of an error when the token lacks the scope

   Symptom

   /v2/Pipelines/{id}/Notes returns no records

   Fix

   Prove a read can return data before you report an absence: run it on a record you know has notes. Use a token that carries the scopes for every module you read.

7. fg-0126· added 2026-09-18· last checked 2026-09-18

   Bigin write through 'Make an API call' fails with expected_data_type jsonobject

   Symptom

   [400] "expected_data_type": jsonobject

   Fix

   Use the typed modules for writes: updateAPipeline, deleteAPipeline, deleteAContact.

8. fg-0108· added 2026-09-04· last checked 2026-09-04

   Adding a note to a Bigin deal does not change its Modified_Time

   Symptom

   Deals with fresh notes look untouched when sorted by Modified_Time

   Fix

   Judge activity by the newer of the last edit and the newest note.

9. fg-0117· added 2026-09-04· last checked 2026-09-04

   Bigin restricted picklist rejects values sent through the API

   Symptom

   Picklist field stays empty after an API create

   Fix

   Create a new single line text field under a new name and point the integration at it. Refresh the module's field list in any integration tool that caches it.

10. fg-0118· added 2026-08-10· last checked 2026-08-10

    Bigin search cannot find records where a field is empty

    Symptom

    [400] One of the expected parameter is missing: criteria,email,phone,word

    Fix

    Search a recent window, for example on Created_Time, and filter for the empty field in your own code.

11. fg-0112· added 2026-07-27· last checked 2026-07-27

    Bigin email templates have no public API, but the web app's internal endpoint works

    Symptom

    The public settings/email_templates path returns an error

    Fix

    From a logged-in browser tab, call the internal endpoint with credentials included and the CSRF header. Send id, name, subject, content, mail_content, editor_mode and folder, and leave module out. Treat it as unofficial: it can change without notice.

12. fg-0122· added 2026-07-27· last checked 2026-07-27· stale, may be out of date

    Bigin template editor strips HTML comments, so Outlook conditional blocks disappear

    Symptom

    Outlook conditional comment blocks ([if mso]) are gone after saving

    Fix

    Do not rely on conditional comments. Set background colors with bgcolor attributes on tables and cells as well as in CSS, so clients that ignore CSS backgrounds still show the right color.

13. fg-0109· added 2026-07-18· last checked 2026-07-18

    Bigin creates a new contact on every API create, even for a duplicate email

    Symptom

    Two or more contacts share one email

    Fix

    Search by email before creating, and update the existing contact when one is found.

14. fg-0113· added 2026-07-18· last checked 2026-07-18· stale, may be out of date

    Bigin 'Emails Sent' metric reads far too low because it skips organization address sends

    Symptom

    Emails Sent shows single digits while workflow emails are visibly going out

    Fix

    Keep Emails Sent off dashboards and confirm workflow sends on the records themselves.

15. fg-0115· added 2026-07-16· last checked 2026-07-16

    Bigin 'Make an API call' in Make returns the marketing homepage instead of JSON

    Symptom

    Status 200 with an HTML body

    Fix

    Start every path with /v2/. Pass the fields query parameter on list calls, and check info.more_records because pages cap at 200.

16. fg-0111· added 2026-07-11· last checked 2026-07-11

    Bigin deal search cannot filter on the Contact_Name lookup

    Symptom

    400 asking to verify the parameter when searching Pipelines by Contact_Name

    Fix

    Find the contact first, then read its related deals.

17. fg-0121· added 2026-07-11· last checked 2026-07-11

    Bigin search rejects the contains operator

    Symptom

    Search with contains returns an error

    Fix

    Use equals or starts_with.

18. fg-0125· added 2026-07-06· last checked 2026-07-06· stale, may be out of date

    Bigin workflow with scheduled actions runs only once per record

    Symptom

    A deal that re-enters the trigger stage does not get the email series again

    Fix

    Plan for one run per record. If a record must get the series again, use a separate workflow or trigger it from an integration.

19. fg-0129· added 2026-07-02· last checked 2026-07-02· stale, may be out of date

    Zoho says 'No SPF record belonging to transmail found' though the include is present

    Symptom

    No SPF record belonging to transmail found

    Fix

    Resolve every include in the record and remove dead ones. One include:one.zoho.com covers Bigin, ZeptoMail and Campaigns.