Docs / Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Fixes for the problems people run into most. If none of these help, send us the details described at the end and we will look into it.
The desktop app shows a warning the first time it opens
Fydell's installers are not code-signed yet, so Windows and macOS ask you to confirm the first launch. Confirm only for installers downloaded from the Fydell download page.
Windows
When “Windows protected your PC” appears, select More info, check that the app is Fydell and the file name matches what you downloaded, then select Run anyway.
macOS
When macOS says it cannot verify the app, select Done. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and select Open Anyway next to the message about Fydell. Confirm with your password or Touch ID.
Leave SmartScreen and Gatekeeper switched on. You never need to change their settings to use Fydell. First-launch steps on the download page
Sign-in keeps returning to the login page
From the desktop app
Sign-in finishes in your browser, which then asks to open Fydell. If the app does not open, select The app did not open on that page, copy the return link, and paste it into the desktop app under The browser did not return to Fydell?. The link works once, for five minutes, and only for the sign-in you started.
Email not confirmed
New accounts must confirm their email address before signing in. Use the link in the confirmation email, or ask for a new one from the login page. Confirmation and reset links work once and expire after one hour.
Cookies blocked
Fydell keeps you signed in with a cookie on its own domain. If your browser or an extension blocks cookies for Fydell, you are sent back to log in after every step. Allow cookies for the site and try again.
A different account
Invitations and tasks belong to the address they were sent to. If a page says you are signed in as another address, sign out and sign in with the invited one.
An invitation asks you to confirm your email
Before you can accept an invitation, Fydell checks that you control the inbox it was sent to. Select Send code and enter the 6-digit code from the email. The code expires in 15 minutes, and you can ask for another after a minute. You only do this once per account.
- Sign in with the exact address the invitation was sent to. A different address, even at the same company, cannot accept it; ask the hiring team to invite the address you use.
- If the code does not arrive, check spam and any filters, then resend.
An upload was rejected
The message names the problem and, where it applies, the file. The code beside it is one of these:
| Code | What to do |
|---|---|
too_large | The ZIP is over 5 MB, or expands to more than 20 MB. Leave out dependency folders, build output and data files. |
file_too_large | One file is over 1 MB. Remove large data or generated files. |
too_many_entries | The ZIP has more than 2,000 entries, or more than 300 files once dependency folders are left out. |
missing_source | Nothing is left to read once dependency folders and credential files are left out. |
encrypted_entry | The ZIP is password-protected. Create it again without a password. |
symlink | The ZIP contains a symbolic link. Replace it with the real file or remove it. |
unsafe_path | A path points outside the project folder. Create the ZIP from the project folder itself. |
duplicate_name | Two files have the same name apart from letter case. Rename one. |
not_a_zip | The file is not a ZIP, or it is incomplete or damaged. Create it again with your system's ZIP tool. |
manifest_mismatch | From the desktop app or CLI: the files received do not match the list the app recorded when it collected the folder. A file probably changed after collection. Collect the folder again, then upload without editing it in between. |
preview_mismatch | The file changed after you reviewed the preview. Review the new contents, then save. |
Credential files are left out, not rejected. Files such as .env, private keys and credential files are never read and appear in the preview as possible secrets, so you can see what was kept back. Text inside other files that looks like a secret is redacted before anything is stored. A work sample submission is stricter: a credential file in the ZIP rejects it, so remove the file and keep .env.example if you need one.
An import failed
Each import is listed on Projects with its progress.
- Temporary problems are retried automatically. The import shows when the next attempt runs and how many attempts remain.
- If an import fails and can be retried, select Try again. Nothing already saved is lost, and importing the same commit again does not create a duplicate.
- If a repository shows Cannot import before the import starts, read the message under it. When the problem is temporary, select Check again. Private repositories can be analyzed once you share them through the Fydell GitHub app.
- Report unchanged means that commit was already analyzed, or the existing report has your notes or a pinned share, so it was kept.
CLI exit codes
Run fydell doctor first: it checks Node, the session store, the server and your sign-in. Add --json to any command to get the error's code and message as one JSON object.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
0 | Success. |
1 | General error, including a failed fydell doctor check. |
2 | Usage: an unknown command or option, a missing value, a confirmation that needs --yes when there is no terminal to ask in, or fydell evidence submit with nothing reviewed or with a folder that changed since fydell evidence review (review again). |
3 | Not signed in, or the server refused the sign-in. Run fydell login. |
4 | The folder was refused before anything was sent: missing, a link, a home folder or the top of a drive, too many files, no source files, or over 5 MB packed. |
5 | The server rejected the request. The message and its code say why. |
6 | Network error, the server is unavailable, or the server asked you to try again later. |
7 | Unsupported platform: no secure place to store the session. |
8 | fydell task test: the public tests ran and not all passed, or they did not finish in time. |
9 | fydell task sync: the copy saved on Fydell changed separately from your folder. Nothing was overwritten. |
130 | Cancelled with Ctrl+C, or a confirmation prompt was declined. |
Sending diagnostics
Details help us find the problem quickly. Send only what is listed here, and never a password, a session token, a sign-in return link or a credentials file.
Desktop app
In a simulation, open the Timeline tab and select Copy diagnostics. It copies the app version, operating system, sync state, file and event counts, and recent error references. It never includes your code, tokens or message bodies.
Command line
The output of fydell doctor, and the failing command run again with --json. Both show your account email and local folder paths; remove anything you would rather not send.
Website
The page address, the exact error message, and roughly when it happened. If the address contains a share link, remove the part after /p/, because anyone with that link can open it.
Contact support
Email admin@fydell.com from the address on your account, with what you were doing, what you expected and the diagnostics above. To report a security vulnerability, write to security@fydell.com instead.
You can also use the contact page.