Rule reference

openrtb.pair.request_unusable

errorRequest/response pair

What it means

You asked for request/response cross-validation, but the bid request supplied as context does not parse as JSON or is not a JSON object, so none of the pair checks (impid, mtype, seat, deal, currency) can run. The response was still validated on its own.

Why it matters

Cross-validation is only as good as the request it checks against. Rather than skip silently and let a green result imply the pair checks passed, the unusable request is reported explicitly.

How to fix it

Supply the originating bid request as a single valid JSON object (CLI: --request request.json). In batch mode the same request pairs against many response lines.

Check your payload

Paste a bid request or response into the tester to see whether this code fires against it, or gate on the id in CI with the CLI: the id is stable, wording is not.

Back to the full diagnostic code reference.