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Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions.

Authentication Issues

"Invalid API Key"

Symptoms: Error message about invalid or missing API key.

Solutions:

  1. Verify the key is correct:
echo $OPENAI_API_KEY
  1. Check for whitespace:
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..." # No spaces
  1. Verify at provider dashboard

"Authentication Failed" (Qwen OAuth)

Solutions:

  1. Clear credentials and retry:
rm -rf ~/.dial/credentials
dial

  1. Check browser isn't blocking popups

  2. Try a different browser

"Rate Limited"

Symptoms: Requests being rejected due to rate limits.

Solutions:

  1. Wait and retry
  2. Qwen free tier: 60 requests/minute
  3. Consider upgrading or using a different provider

Connection Issues

"Connection Refused"

Symptoms: Cannot connect to API endpoint.

Solutions:

  1. Check internet connection

  2. Verify base URL:

echo $OPENAI_BASE_URL
  1. For Ollama, ensure it's running: 
    ollama serve

"Timeout"

Solutions:

  1. Check network stability

  2. Increase timeout in settings: 

    {
  "generationConfig": {
    "timeout": 120000
  }
}

Model Issues

"Model Not Found"

Solutions:

  1. Check model name spelling

  2. Verify model is available:

# For Ollama
ollama list
  1. Some models require specific access

"Context Length Exceeded"

Symptoms: Error about too many tokens.

Solutions:

  1. Compress conversation:
/compress
  1. Reduce token limit:
{
  "sessionTokenLimit": 16000
}
  1. Clear and start fresh: 
    /clear

Tool Issues

"Permission Denied"

Symptoms: File operations failing.

Solutions:

  1. Check file permissions:
ls -la file.txt

  1. Check directory is writable

  2. Verify you're in the right directory

"Command Not Found"

Symptoms: Shell command fails.

Solutions:

  1. Verify command exists:
which command-name

  1. Check PATH includes the command

  2. Use full path to command

Tool Stuck

Solutions:

  1. Press Ctrl+C to cancel

  2. Some commands may need timeout: 

    {
  "shellTimeout": 30000
}

Display Issues

Garbled Output

Solutions:

  1. Check terminal supports UTF-8

  2. Try different theme:

/theme ansi
  1. Disable colors: 
    export NO_COLOR=1

Colors Not Showing

Solutions:

  1. Check terminal supports colors

  2. Force colors:

export FORCE_COLOR=1
  1. Check TERM variable: 
    echo $TERM

Installation Issues

"Node Version" Error

Solutions:

  1. Check version:
node --version
  1. Install Node.js 20+: 
    nvm install 20
nvm use 20

"npm install" Fails

Solutions:

  1. Clear npm cache:
npm cache clean --force
  1. Delete node_modules and retry:
rm -rf node_modules
npm install
  1. Check npm registry: 
    npm config get registry

Performance Issues

Slow Responses

Possible causes:

  1. Network latency
  2. Model complexity
  3. Large context

Solutions:

  1. Use a faster model

  2. Reduce context:

/compress
  1. Check network speed

High Memory Usage

Solutions:

  1. Reduce session limit:
{
  "sessionTokenLimit": 16000
}
  1. Clear conversation regularly: 
    /clear

Getting Help

Debug Mode

Enable debug output:

DEBUG=1 dial

Check Version

dial --version

Report Issues

Include:

  • Dial Code version
  • Node.js version
  • Operating system
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Error messages

Report at: GitHub Issues

Quick Fixes

Problem Quick Fix
Auth issues rm -rf ~/.dial/credentials && dial
Token exceeded /compress or /clear
Stuck Ctrl+C
Display issues NO_COLOR=1 dial
Model not found Check model name spelling

Next Steps