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feat: clarify API 404 behavior when querying alias CVE IDs#5208

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Vedthakar wants to merge 2 commits into
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Vedthakar:Issue-2235
Open

feat: clarify API 404 behavior when querying alias CVE IDs#5208
Vedthakar wants to merge 2 commits into
google:masterfrom
Vedthakar:Issue-2235

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@Vedthakar

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Overview

Improve the documentation for failed vulnerability retrievals when users query an alias CVE directly through the OSV API and receive a 404 Bug not found response.

Fixes #2235

What changed

  • Clarified that some CVE IDs shown in the OSV.dev web UI may be aliases rather than first-class OSV vulnerability records
  • Added guidance explaining why direct API lookups for those alias IDs can return 404
  • Pointed users to the appropriate documentation/FAQ so the failure is easier to understand and troubleshoot

Why

Today, users can see a CVE listed as an alias on the website, try to retrieve it through the API, and get a confusing not found response. This change improves the UX by documenting the difference between first-class vulnerability IDs and aliases, and by giving users clearer next steps when a lookup fails.

Example

Before:

{"code":5,"message":"Bug not found."}

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github-actions Bot commented Jun 7, 2026

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This pull request has not had any activity for 60 days and will be automatically closed in two weeks

@github-actions github-actions Bot added the stale The issue or PR is stale and pending automated closure label Jun 7, 2026
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Improve the UX of failed vulnerability retrieval by the API

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