Troubleshooting
Fixes for common problems, sorted by symptom.
- "Permission denied" when running line on macOS or LinuxThe binary may have lost its execute permission or sit on a noexec mount. Reinstall, or run chmod +x ~/.line/bin/line.Troubleshooting
- /undo says "Nothing to undo"/undo only reverts changes Line made with its file tools in the current session. Shell command changes and earlier sessions aren't tracked.Troubleshooting
- A hook is blocking Line CLI's actionsA hook that exits with code 2 blocks the action and gives its stderr as the reason. Check /hooks and fix or remove the hook.Troubleshooting
- How do abuse policy warnings and pauses appear in Line CLI?In Line, a warning appears as a message and your request is still answered. A second strike in 30 days pauses the account for 24 hours.Troubleshooting
- How do I know if Line CLI is down for everyone?Check status.clatterlabs.com for incidents affecting Line CLI and SuperCosmos, subscribe to alerts, or use the RSS feed.How-to
- I can't scroll up in Line CLIUse the mouse wheel or PgUp/PgDn. If the wheel scrolls your terminal instead, turn mouse capture on with /mouse on.Troubleshooting
- I updated, but line --version still shows the old versionYou probably have two copies of line, or didn't restart. Check which binary runs with which line (or Get-Command line on Windows).Troubleshooting
- Line CLI has trouble with a Windows folder that has spacesQuote paths with spaces in commands. If an install folder path causes problems, reinstall into a folder without spaces using LINE_INSTALL_DIR.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI ignores my settings.jsonIf settings.json has a JSON error, Line uses defaults. Validate the file, check you edited ~/.config/line/settings.json, and restart Line.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI is working in the wrong folderLine works in the folder you start it in. Quit, cd into the right project and run line again, or allow extra folders with --add-dir.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI keeps ignoring my project rulesPut rules in LINE.md (or AGENTS.md) in the project root, keep them short and specific, and back hard rules with permission rules.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI made changes I don't want. How do I recover?Use /undo for the last turn, /rewind to go back further, and git for anything shell commands changed. Then give clearer limits.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "--print needs a prompt"Print mode requires a prompt after -p. Write line -p "your request", or to continue a session, line -c -p "continue".Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "<model> isn't available"Line runs on auto and supercosmos only. Old model names (except line-code, which is mapped) are rejected. Use -m supercosmos -e <effort>.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "Can't reach the Line API"Line can't connect to Clatter Labs. Check your internet, VPN, proxy or firewall, then retry. Your session is saved.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "Compact failed"The summary call didn't complete, usually a connection or capacity issue. Your conversation is unchanged; try /compact again shortly.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "Paused after 300 steps in one turn"A single turn is capped at 300 model steps. Say "continue" to keep going; consider splitting the task or using plan mode first.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "The connection to the Line API dropped mid-reply"A reply was cut off in transit. Line normally redoes the step by itself. If it keeps happening, check your network or the status page.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "The Line API is temporarily unreachable"Clatter Labs' service answered with a temporary gateway error (502–504). Line retries automatically; check the status page if it persists.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "The Line API took too long to answer"The request timed out. Line retries steps automatically; if you see this as a final error, try again or check the status page.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says "The model returned an empty response"The model answered with nothing several times. Line normally nudges it to continue; if it stops, rephrase, compact or switch effort.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says a command was declined. Why?In print mode, anything needing approval is declined unless allowed. Interactively, a deny rule or your own "no" can decline it.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI says the context is full or older steps are clippedThe conversation is too long for the context window. Run /compact, start a new session, or remove large tool outputs and plugins you don't need.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI seems stuck on "Thinking". What should I do?Max and Heavy can think for a while on hard steps. Watch the status line for retries; press Esc to interrupt if it's taking too long.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI shows a 401 or "not signed in" error during a sessionLine refreshes its sign-in automatically once on a 401. If that fails, run /login to sign in again; your session is kept.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI shows a 402 or credits errorLine usage is covered by your plan, not credits. A 402 isn't retried; check /usage and the Console billing page, then contact support.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI takes a long time to startStartup can wait for MCP servers to connect and for project scanning. Check slow MCP servers with line mcp, and disable ones you don't need.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI's file edit failed. Why?Edits fail when the text to replace isn't found exactly once or the file changed. Line shows the closest lines and usually retries itself.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI's screen looks garbled or has strange symbolsFix broken symbols, colours or layout in Line CLI by using a Unicode font, a modern terminal, resizing the window, or adjusting /rtl and /mouse.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI's verification step keeps failingLine runs your tests or verify_command before finishing. If the check is wrong or flaky, set verify_command or change verify to nudge or off.Troubleshooting
- Line CLI's web_fetch returns almost nothing from a pagePages built with JavaScript return an empty shell. Line reports the title, links and asset URLs and suggests other ways to get the content.Troubleshooting
- line skill install failsSkill installs fail on bad sources, GitHub rate limits or skills over 60 files or 2 MB. Check the source, set GITHUB_TOKEN, or pick a smaller skill.Troubleshooting
- My build fails with the Line CLI sandbox turned onThe sandbox only lets commands write to the project, temp and tool-cache folders. Add needed folders to sandbox_writable or allow network.Troubleshooting
- My MCP server's tools don't appear in Line CLICheck /mcp: the server must be trusted (project servers) and ready. Fix failures, then /mcp reload. Tools appear as mcp__server__tool.Troubleshooting
- Pressing Esc doesn't stop Line CLI right awayEsc interrupts at the next safe point; a running shell command may need a moment. Press Ctrl+C to interrupt harder, again to exit.Troubleshooting
- Shift+Enter sends my message instead of adding a new lineSome terminals don't pass Shift+Enter through. Use Ctrl+J or Alt+Enter for a new line, or end the line with a backslash.Troubleshooting
- The browser says sign-in failed when I run line loginIf the sign-in page errors or the terminal never finishes, run line login again, use --device, or check your account can sign in on the website.Troubleshooting
- What information should I send support about a Line CLI problem?Send line status output, your OS, what you ran, the exact error text, the time with time zone, and the session id if you have one.How-to
Still need help?
Tried the steps above and still stuck? Email us. We usually reply within the first hour, and always within 24 hours. A full support team is with you.
Infrastructure questions, or permanent deletion of your data
infrastructure@clatterlabs.xyzFor deleting your whole account or the data of one service.