[GOWS] - failed to download media: download failed with status code 403

[GoCode-io]

Describe the bug

With some media inbound messages the download fails internally with HTTP 403.

Version

{
  "version": "2026.04.02",
  "engine": "GOWS",
  "tier": "PLUS"
}

Docker Logs

[12:11:18.602] INFO (MediaManager/7): session:a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce - The message 3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197 has media, downloading it... {"session":"a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce"}
[12:11:18.821] ERROR (7): [Session/a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce/Client] Failed to download media for '3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197' message: download failed with status code 403 {"engine":"gows"}
[12:11:19.849] ERROR (7): [Session/a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce/Client] Failed to download media for '3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197' message: download failed with status code 403 {"engine":"gows"}
[12:11:21.875] ERROR (7): [Session/a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce/Client] Failed to download media for '3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197' message: download failed with status code 403 {"engine":"gows"}
[12:11:24.900] ERROR (7): [Session/a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce/Client] Failed to download media for '3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197' message: download failed with status code 403 {"engine":"gows"}
[12:11:27.927] ERROR (7): [Session/a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce/Client] Failed to download media for '3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197' message: download failed with status code 403 {"engine":"gows"}
[12:11:30.954] ERROR (7): [Session/a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce/Client] Failed to download media for '3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197' message: download failed with status code 403 {"engine":"gows"}
[12:11:30.955] ERROR (MediaManager/7): session:a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce - Failed to execute 'Fetching media', tried '5' times {"session":"a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce"}
    err: {
      "type": "Error",
      "message": "13 INTERNAL: failed to download media: download failed with status code 403",
      "stack":
          Error: 13 INTERNAL: failed to download media: download failed with status code 403
              at callErrorFromStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/call.js:32:19)
              at Object.onReceiveStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client.js:193:76)
              at Object.onReceiveStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client-interceptors.js:367:141)
              at Object.onReceiveStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client-interceptors.js:327:181)
              at /app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/resolving-call.js:135:78
              at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:84:11)
          for call at
              at MessageServiceClient.makeUnaryRequest (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client.js:161:32)
              at MessageServiceClient.DownloadMedia (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/make-client.js:105:19)
              at MessageServiceClient.DownloadMedia (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/grpc/gows.js:10577:30)
              at node:internal/util:495:21
              at new Promise (<anonymous>)
              at bound  (node:internal/util:481:12)
              at /app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:2177:40
              at TmpDir.use (/app/dist/utils/tmpdir.js:22:26)
              at async GOWSEngineMediaProcessor.getMediaBuffer (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:2162:16)
              at async MediaManager.fetchMedia (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:95:24)
              at async MediaManager.withRetry (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:119:20)
              at async MediaManager.processMediaInternal (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:55:28)
              at async MediaManager.processMedia (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:82:26)
              at async WhatsappSessionGoWSPlus.downloadMedia (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:1551:23)
              at async WhatsappSessionGoWSPlus.downloadMediaSafe (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:1541:20)
              at async WhatsappSessionGoWSPlus.processIncomingMessage (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:1524:27)
      "code": 13,
      "details": "failed to download media: download failed with status code 403",
      "metadata": {
        "content-type": [
          "application/grpc"
        ]
      }
    }
[12:11:30.955] ERROR (MediaManager/7): session:a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce - Error processing media for message '3EB0B67A61662FC5BD5197' {"session":"a3239b5d-1464-461c-83c1-fe45e2d031ce"}
    err: {
      "type": "Error",
      "message": "13 INTERNAL: failed to download media: download failed with status code 403",
      "stack":
          Error: 13 INTERNAL: failed to download media: download failed with status code 403
              at callErrorFromStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/call.js:32:19)
              at Object.onReceiveStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client.js:193:76)
              at Object.onReceiveStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client-interceptors.js:367:141)
              at Object.onReceiveStatus (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client-interceptors.js:327:181)
              at /app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/resolving-call.js:135:78
              at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:84:11)
          for call at
              at MessageServiceClient.makeUnaryRequest (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/client.js:161:32)
              at MessageServiceClient.DownloadMedia (/app/node_modules/@grpc/grpc-js/build/src/make-client.js:105:19)
              at MessageServiceClient.DownloadMedia (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/grpc/gows.js:10577:30)
              at node:internal/util:495:21
              at new Promise (<anonymous>)
              at bound  (node:internal/util:481:12)
              at /app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:2177:40
              at TmpDir.use (/app/dist/utils/tmpdir.js:22:26)
              at async GOWSEngineMediaProcessor.getMediaBuffer (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:2162:16)
              at async MediaManager.fetchMedia (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:95:24)
              at async MediaManager.withRetry (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:119:20)
              at async MediaManager.processMediaInternal (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:55:28)
              at async MediaManager.processMedia (/app/dist/core/media/MediaManager.js:82:26)
              at async WhatsappSessionGoWSPlus.downloadMedia (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:1551:23)
              at async WhatsappSessionGoWSPlus.downloadMediaSafe (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:1541:20)
              at async WhatsappSessionGoWSPlus.processIncomingMessage (/app/dist/core/engines/gows/session.gows.core.js:1524:27)
      "code": 13,
      "details": "failed to download media: download failed with status code 403",
      "metadata": {
        "content-type": [
          "application/grpc"
        ]
      }
    }

[devlikepro]

✅ Let's try dev image

Make sure to select the engine via the environment variable - WHATSAPP_DEFAULT_ENGINE=WEBJS|GOWS|NOWEB:

• devlikeapro/waha-plus:dev
• devlikeapro/waha-plus:dev-chrome
• devlikeapro/waha-plus:dev-arm