---
title: Storefront API now returns errors when adding a gift card to a cart with missing or invalid recipient details - Shopify developer changelog
description: Shopify’s developer changelog documents all changes to Shopify’s platform. Find the latest news and learn about new platform opportunities.
source_url:
  html: https://shopify.dev/changelog/storefront-api-now-returns-errors-when-adding-a-gift-card-to-a-cart-with-missing-or-invalid-recipient-details
  md: https://shopify.dev/changelog/storefront-api-now-returns-errors-when-adding-a-gift-card-to-a-cart-with-missing-or-invalid-recipient-details.md
---

[Back to Developer changelog](https://shopify.dev/changelog)

December 19, 2025

Tags:

* Storefront GraphQL API
* 2026-01

# Storefront API now returns errors when adding a gift card to a cart with missing or invalid recipient details

As of API version `2026-01`, the Storefront API returns a `GIFT_CARD_RECIPIENT_INVALID` error when adding a gift card to a cart with missing or invalid recipient details, such as in [this example](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/product-merchandising/gift-cards#create-a-form-to-collect-recipient-information).

Previously, when adding a gift card to a cart using either the `cartCreate` or `cartLinesAdd` mutations, an empty cart and empty `userErrors` would be returned if any of the recipient details were invalid, such as a missing email address. With this change a `GIFT_CARD_RECIPIENT_INVALID` error is returned for both [`cartCreate`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/storefront/2026-01/mutations/cartcreate#returns-userErrors.fields.code.GIFT_CARD_RECIPIENT_INVALID) or [`cartLinesAdd`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/storefront/2026-01/mutations/cartlinesadd#returns-userErrors.fields.code.GIFT_CARD_RECIPIENT_INVALID) mutations, so that you can use the information to surface gift card recipient errors back to the client.