Troubleshooting
When vibes go bad. Common issues and how to recover gracefully.
Quick Diagnostics
Start with the doctor command to identify issues:
# Run full diagnostics
lv doctor --verbose
# Attempt automatic fixes
lv doctor --fix
# Check specific component
lv doctor --check mcp
lv doctor --check git
lv doctor --check configCommon Issues
CLI Not Found
Symptom: lv: command not found
# Check if npm global bin is in PATH
npm config get prefix
# Add to PATH (bash/zsh)
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"
# Or reinstall globally
npm install -g @loaded-vibes/cli
# Verify installation
lv --versionMCP Server Connection Failed
Symptom: Error: MCP server 'filesystem' not responding
# Check MCP status
lv tools status
# Restart MCP servers
lv tools restart
# Reinstall specific server
lv tools uninstall filesystem
lv tools install filesystem
# Check configuration
cat .vscode/mcp.json✨
MCP debugging
Set
LV_DEBUG=mcp environment variable for detailed MCP connection logs.DevCycle Stuck in Phase
Symptom: DevCycle doesn't progress past a phase
# Check current state
lv devcycle status --verbose
# View logs for the stuck phase
lv logs --cycle scaffold --phase implement --since 1h
# Force advance to next phase (use with caution)
lv devcycle advance --force
# Or reset and restart
lv devcycle reset scaffold
lv devcycle run scaffoldCheckpoint Restore Failed
Symptom: Error: Cannot restore checkpoint - file conflicts detected
# View checkpoint details
lv devcycle checkpoints show <checkpoint-id>
# Stash local changes first
git stash
# Restore checkpoint
lv devcycle checkpoints restore <checkpoint-id>
# Apply stashed changes if needed
git stash popArtifact Validation Failed
Symptom: Invalid artifact: .github/prompts/my-prompt.prompt.md
# Validate with detailed output
lv artifact validate --verbose
# Common issues:
# - Missing required frontmatter fields
# - Invalid YAML syntax
# - Incorrect tool references
# Regenerate from template
lv artifact create prompt my-prompt --forceGit State Conflicts
Symptom: Error: Uncommitted changes block operation
# Check git state
git status
# Stash changes
git stash
# Run operation
lv devcycle run scaffold
# Restore changes
git stash pop
# Or commit first
git add -A
git commit -m "wip: save before devcycle"Configuration Parse Error
Symptom: Error: Invalid configuration in loaded-vibes.config.json
# Validate configuration
lv config validate
# Reset to defaults
lv config reset
# View effective configuration
lv config list --resolved
# Edit in VS Code for syntax highlighting
code loaded-vibes.config.jsonRecovery Procedures
Reset Framework State
When things are completely broken, reset to a clean state:
# Soft reset - clear state, keep artifacts
lv reset --soft
# Hard reset - restore to post-install state
lv reset --hard
# Nuclear option - complete reinstall
rm -rf .loaded-vibes node_modules/.cache/@loaded-vibes
lv init --forceRestore from Backup
# List available backups
lv restore --list
# Restore most recent backup
lv restore backup
# Restore specific backup
lv restore backup 2024-01-15-pre-upgrade
# Restore only specific files
lv restore backup --files ".github/**"Fix Corrupted State File
# Validate state file
lv state validate
# Repair if possible
lv state repair
# Reset state (loses in-progress work)
lv state reset
# Manually inspect
cat .loaded-vibes/state.json | jqDebug Mode
Enable debug mode for detailed output:
# Enable debug logging
export LV_DEBUG=true
# Enable trace logging (very verbose)
export LV_TRACE=true
# Debug specific components
export LV_DEBUG=mcp,devcycle,git
# Run with debug output
LV_DEBUG=true lv devcycle run scaffoldLog Analysis
Analyze execution logs for issues:
# View recent errors
lv logs --level error --since 1h
# Search logs for specific text
lv logs --grep "connection failed"
# Export logs for support
lv logs --format json --since 24h > debug-logs.json
# Tail logs in real-time
lv logs --followGetting Help
Contextual Help
# Get help based on current state
lv hint
# Get help for last error
lv hint error --detailed
# Get suggestions for what to do next
lv hint nextDocumentation
# Search documentation
lv docs --search "checkpoint restore"
# Open docs in browser
lv docs --open
# Open specific topic
lv docs devcycles --openCommunity Support
If you're still stuck:
- GitHub Issues: Search existing issues or create a new one
- Discord: Real-time help from the community
- Stack Overflow: Tag with
loaded-vibes
Bug Reports
When reporting bugs, include:
# Generate diagnostic report
lv doctor --report > diagnostic-report.txt
# Include version info
lv --version >> diagnostic-report.txt
# Include relevant logs
lv logs --since 1h --format json >> diagnostic-report.txtPrevention
Best Practices
- Run
lv doctorbefore major operations - Use
--dry-runto preview changes - Commit frequently during long DevCycles
- Keep backups of custom artifacts
- Review logs after each DevCycle completion
Monitoring
# Set up health checks
lv config set monitoring.healthCheck.enabled true
lv config set monitoring.healthCheck.interval "1h"
# Enable automatic checkpoint creation
lv config set checkpoints.autoCreate true
# Set backup retention
lv config set upgrades.backupRetention 10💡
Pro tip
Run
lv dashboard in a terminal tab while working. It shows real-time health status and early warning signs of issues.Quick Reference
| Problem | Quick Fix |
|---|---|
| CLI not found | npm i -g @loaded-vibes/cli |
| MCP not responding | lv tools restart |
| DevCycle stuck | lv devcycle reset [name] |
| Config error | lv config reset |
| State corrupted | lv state repair |
| Everything broken | lv reset --hard |