Troubleshooting
Downloads, Python environments, Tectonic, engine errors, unsigned-app warnings, and capturing output.
In short
Most problems have an in-app fix: Retry, Resume, Repair environment, or Switch model. There is no log file yet, so if you need to report something, run the app from a terminal and copy its output.
A download is stuck or failed
Open the Downloads panel (the header icon). Retry resumes a dropped connection; Pause/Resume stops and continues; a size or hash mismatch is refused and explained rather than retried. Offline downloads offer Retry when online.
The notebook's Python is broken
Settings → Notebook & Python → Repair environment rebuilds the project's environment. Deleting the Python runtime in Settings → Storage warns you and names the projects that depend on it; it is re-downloaded on next use.
LaTeX will not compile
Tectonic fetches packages on first use and needs a connection then. If it fails offline and you have a system TeX install, the app offers Compile with system TeX (the app names the path) inline. A failed compile keeps the previous PDF.
An engine call failed
The error appears inline at the step with Retry and, when a tested model exists, Switch to <model> and retry. An empty reply retries once automatically; a cut-off reply retries twice. A model that is refused for your account is marked and not selected again.
The app says it is damaged or from an unidentified developer
That is the unsigned build. Follow Install — including the xattr command for macOS.
Capturing the app's output
The app writes no log file; its messages go to the console. Start it from a terminal and save the output:
| OS | Command |
|---|---|
| Ubuntu (.deb) | thesivor 2>&1 | tee ~/thesivor-log.txt |
| Ubuntu (AppImage) | ./Thesivor-0.1.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage 2>&1 | tee ~/thesivor-log.txt |
| Windows (PowerShell) | & "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Thesivor\Thesivor.exe" 2>&1 | Tee-Object $HOME\thesivor-log.txt |
| macOS | /Applications/Thesivor.app/Contents/MacOS/Thesivor 2>&1 | tee ~/thesivor-log.txt |
For technical users
A future version is expected to add a local log file and an "export diagnostics" action (redacting keys and document text); neither exists in 0.1.0. The commands above were recorded during manual testing; the macOS command follows the same pattern but has not been recorded. On Windows a GUI program may print nothing to PowerShell — if the file is empty, say so; a screenshot is then what matters.