singularity-forge/gitbook/reference/troubleshooting.md

Troubleshooting

/sf doctor

The built-in diagnostic tool validates .sf/ integrity:

/sf doctor

It checks file structure, roadmap ↔ slice ↔ task consistency, completion state, git health, stale locks, and orphaned records.

Common Issues

Auto mode loops on the same unit

The same unit dispatches repeatedly.

Fix: Run /sf doctor to repair state, then /sf autonomous. If it persists, check that the expected artifact file exists on disk.

Auto mode stops with "Loop detected"

A unit failed to produce its expected artifact twice.

Fix: Check the task plan for clarity. Refine it manually, then /sf autonomous.

command not found: sf after install

npm's global bin directory isn't in $PATH.

Fix:

npm prefix -g
# Add the bin dir to PATH:
echo 'export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Common causes:

• Homebrew Node — /opt/homebrew/bin missing from PATH
• Version manager (nvm, fnm, mise) — global bin is version-specific
• oh-my-zsh — gitfast plugin aliases sf to git svn dcommit; check with alias sf

Provider errors during auto mode

Error Type	Auto-Resume?	Delay
Rate limit (429)	Yes	60s or retry-after header
Server error (500, 502, 503)	Yes	30s
Auth/billing ("unauthorized")	No	Manual resume required

For permanent errors, configure fallback models:

models:
  execution:
    model: claude-sonnet-4-6
    fallbacks:
      - openrouter/minimax/minimax-m2.5

Budget ceiling reached

Auto mode pauses with "Budget ceiling reached."

Fix: Increase budget_ceiling in preferences, or switch to budget token profile, then /sf autonomous.

Stale lock file

Auto mode won't start, says another session is running.

Fix: SF auto-detects stale locks (dead PID = auto cleanup). If automatic recovery fails:

rm -f .sf/auto.lock
rm -rf "$(dirname .sf)/.sf.lock"

Git merge conflicts

Worktree merge fails on .sf/ files.

Fix: .sf/ conflicts are auto-resolved. Code conflicts get an AI fix attempt; if that fails, resolve manually.

Notifications not appearing on macOS

Fix: Install terminal-notifier:

brew install terminal-notifier

See Notifications for details.

MCP Issues

No servers configured

Fix: Add server to .mcp.json or .sf/mcp.json, verify JSON is valid, run mcp_servers(refresh=true).

Server discovery times out

Fix: Run the configured command outside SF to confirm it starts. Check that backend services are reachable.

Server connection closed immediately

Fix: Verify command and args paths are correct and absolute. Run the command manually to catch errors.

Recovery Procedures

Reset auto mode state

rm .sf/auto.lock
rm .sf/completed-units.json

Then /sf autonomous to restart from current state.

Reset routing history

rm .sf/routing-history.json

Full state rebuild

/sf doctor

Rebuilds STATE.md from plan and roadmap files and fixes inconsistencies.

Getting Help

• GitHub Issues: github.com/sf-build/SF/issues
• Dashboard: Ctrl+Alt+G or /sf status
• Forensics: /sf forensics for post-mortem analysis
• Session logs: .sf/activity/ contains JSONL session dumps

Platform-Specific Issues

iTerm2

Ctrl+Alt shortcuts trigger wrong actions → Set Profiles → Keys → General → Left Option Key to Esc+.

Windows

• LSP ENOENT on MSYS2/Git Bash → Fixed in v2.29+, upgrade
• EBUSY errors during builds → Close browser extension, or change output directory
• Transient EBUSY/EPERM on .sf/ files → Retry; close file-locking tools if persistent