Troubleshooting & FAQ

Common issues, diagnostics, and answers to frequently asked questions about OpenFang.

Table of Contents

• Quick Diagnostics
• Installation Issues
• Configuration Issues
• LLM Provider Issues
• Channel Issues
• Agent Issues
• API Issues
• Desktop App Issues
• Performance
• FAQ

Quick Diagnostics

Run the built-in diagnostic tool:

openfang doctor

This checks:

• Configuration file exists and is valid TOML
• API keys are set in environment
• Database is accessible
• Daemon status (running or not)
• Port availability
• Tool dependencies (Python, signal-cli, etc.)

Check Daemon Status

openfang status

Check Health via API

curl http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/health
curl http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/health/detail  # Requires auth

View Logs

OpenFang uses tracing for structured logging. Set the log level via environment:

RUST_LOG=info openfang start          # Default
RUST_LOG=debug openfang start         # Verbose
RUST_LOG=openfang=debug openfang start  # Only OpenFang debug, deps at info

Installation Issues

cargo install fails with compilation errors

Cause: Rust toolchain too old or missing system dependencies.

Fix:

rustup update stable
rustup default stable
rustc --version  # Need 1.75+

On Linux, you may also need:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install pkg-config libssl-dev libsqlite3-dev

# Fedora
sudo dnf install openssl-devel sqlite-devel

openfang command not found after install

Fix: Ensure ~/.cargo/bin is in your PATH:

export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to persist

Black screen on login after install (Arch / CachyOS / fish users)

Cause: Older OpenFang installers (<v0.6.4) appended a PATH line directly to ~/.config/fish/config.fish. On Arch derivatives like CachyOS, the desktop session can source fish on login — a malformed or invalid PATH line then prevents the session from finishing, leaving you on a black screen.

Fix: Boot to a TTY (Ctrl+Alt+F2) and remove any OpenFang PATH lines from config.fish:

sed -i '/openfang/d' ~/.config/fish/config.fish

Then re-run the installer — current versions write to ~/.config/fish/conf.d/openfang.fish (a drop-in directory) instead, and guard the path with test -d so a missing install dir can never wedge fish startup.

To remove OpenFang's PATH entry cleanly:

rm ~/.config/fish/conf.d/openfang.fish

Docker container won't start

Common causes:

• No API key provided: docker run -e GROQ_API_KEY=... ghcr.io/RightNow-AI/openfang
• Port already in use: change the port mapping -p 3001:4200
• Permission denied on volume mount: check directory permissions

Configuration Issues

"Config file not found"

Fix: Run openfang init to create the default config:

openfang init

This creates ~/.openfang/config.toml with sensible defaults.

"Missing API key" warnings on start

Cause: No LLM provider API key found in environment.

Fix: Set at least one provider key:

export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_..."     # Groq (free tier available)
# OR
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
# OR
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

Add to your shell profile to persist across sessions.

Config validation errors

Run validation manually:

openfang config show

Common issues:

• Malformed TOML syntax (use a TOML validator)
• Invalid port numbers (must be 1-65535)
• Missing required fields in channel configs

"Port already in use"

Fix: Change the port in config or kill the existing process:

# Change API port
# In config.toml:
# [api]
# listen_addr = "127.0.0.1:3001"

# Or find and kill the process using the port
# Linux/macOS:
lsof -i :4200
# Windows:
netstat -aon | findstr :4200

LLM Provider Issues

"Authentication failed" / 401 errors

Causes:

• API key not set or incorrect
• API key expired or revoked
• Wrong env var name

Fix: Verify your key:

# Check if the env var is set
echo $GROQ_API_KEY

# Test the provider
curl http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/providers/groq/test -X POST

"Rate limited" / 429 errors

Cause: Too many requests to the LLM provider.

Fix:

• The driver automatically retries with exponential backoff
• Reduce max_llm_tokens_per_hour in agent capabilities
• Switch to a provider with higher rate limits
• Use multiple providers with model routing

Slow responses

Possible causes:

• Provider API latency (try Groq for fast inference)
• Large context window (use /compact to shrink session)
• Complex tool chains (check iteration count in response)

Fix: Use per-agent model overrides to use faster models for simple agents:

[model]
provider = "groq"
model = "llama-3.1-8b-instant"  # Fast, small model

"Model not found"

Fix: Check available models:

curl http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/models

Or use an alias:

[model]
model = "llama"  # Alias for llama-3.3-70b-versatile

See the full alias list:

curl http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/models/aliases

Ollama / local models not connecting

Fix: Ensure the local server is running:

# Ollama
ollama serve  # Default: http://localhost:11434

# vLLM
python -m vllm.entrypoints.openai.api_server --model ...

# LM Studio
# Start from the LM Studio UI, enable API server

Channel Issues

Telegram bot not responding

Checklist:

1. Bot token is correct: echo $TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN
2. Bot has been started (send /start in Telegram)
3. If allowed_users is set, your Telegram user ID is in the list
4. Check logs for "Telegram adapter" messages

Discord bot offline

Checklist:

1. Bot token is correct
2. Message Content Intent is enabled in Discord Developer Portal
3. Bot has been invited to the server with correct permissions
4. Check Gateway connection in logs

Slack bot not receiving messages

Checklist:

1. Both SLACK_BOT_TOKEN (xoxb-) and SLACK_APP_TOKEN (xapp-) are set
2. Socket Mode is enabled in the Slack app settings
3. Bot has been added to the channels it should monitor
4. Required scopes: chat:write, app_mentions:read, im:history, im:read, im:write

Webhook-based channels (WhatsApp, LINE, Viber, etc.)

Checklist:

1. Your server is publicly accessible (or use a tunnel like ngrok)
2. Webhook URL is correctly configured in the platform dashboard
3. Webhook port is open and not blocked by firewall
4. Verify token matches between config and platform dashboard

"Channel adapter failed to start"

Common causes:

• Missing or invalid token
• Port already in use (for webhook-based channels)
• Network connectivity issues

Check logs for the specific error:

RUST_LOG=openfang_channels=debug openfang start

Agent Issues

Agent stuck in a loop

Cause: The agent is repeatedly calling the same tool with the same parameters.

Automatic protection: OpenFang has a built-in loop guard:

• Warn at 3 identical tool calls
• Block at 5 identical tool calls
• Circuit breaker at 30 total blocked calls (stops the agent)

Manual fix: Cancel the agent's current run:

curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/agents/{id}/stop

Or via chat command: /stop

Agent running out of context

Cause: Conversation history is too long for the model's context window.

Fix: Compact the session:

curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/agents/{id}/session/compact

Or via chat command: /compact

Auto-compaction is enabled by default when the session reaches the threshold (configurable in [compaction]).

Agent not using tools

Cause: Tools not granted in the agent's capabilities.

Fix: Check the agent's manifest:

[capabilities]
tools = ["file_read", "web_fetch", "shell_exec"]  # Must list each tool
# OR
# tools = ["*"]  # Grant all tools (use with caution)

"Permission denied" errors in agent responses

Cause: The agent is trying to use a tool or access a resource not in its capabilities.

Fix: Add the required capability to the agent manifest. Common ones:

• tools = [...] for tool access
• network = ["*"] for network access
• memory_write = ["self.*"] for memory writes
• shell = ["*"] for shell commands (use with caution)

Agent spawning fails

Check:

1. TOML manifest is valid: openfang agent spawn --dry-run manifest.toml
2. LLM provider is configured and has a valid key
3. Model specified in manifest exists in the catalog

API Issues

401 Unauthorized

Cause: API key required but not provided.

Fix: Include the Bearer token:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-key" http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/agents

429 Too Many Requests

Cause: GCRA rate limiter triggered.

Fix: Wait for the Retry-After period, or increase rate limits in config:

[api]
rate_limit_per_second = 20  # Increase if needed

CORS errors from browser

Cause: Trying to access API from a different origin.

Fix: Add your origin to CORS config:

[api]
cors_origins = ["http://localhost:5173", "https://your-app.com"]

WebSocket disconnects

Possible causes:

• Idle timeout (send periodic pings)
• Network interruption (reconnect automatically)
• Agent crashed (check logs)

Client-side fix: Implement reconnection logic with exponential backoff.

OpenAI-compatible API not working with my tool

Checklist:

1. Use POST /v1/chat/completions (not /api/agents/{id}/message)
2. Set the model to openfang:agent-name (e.g., openfang:coder)
3. Streaming: set "stream": true for SSE responses
4. Images: use image_url with data:image/png;base64,... format

Desktop App Issues

App won't start

Checklist:

1. Only one instance can run at a time (single-instance enforcement)
2. Check if the daemon is already running on the same ports
3. Try deleting ~/.openfang/daemon.json and restarting

White/blank screen in app

Cause: The embedded API server hasn't started yet.

Fix: Wait a few seconds. If persistent, check logs for server startup errors.

System tray icon missing

Platform-specific:

• Linux: Requires a system tray (e.g., libappindicator on GNOME)
• macOS: Should work out of the box
• Windows: Check notification area settings, may need to show hidden icons

Performance

High memory usage

Tips:

• Reduce the number of concurrent agents
• Use session compaction for long-running agents
• Use smaller models (Llama 8B instead of 70B for simple tasks)
• Clear old sessions: DELETE /api/sessions/{id}

Slow startup

Normal startup: <200ms for the kernel, ~1-2s with channel adapters.

If slower:

• Check database size (~/.openfang/data/openfang.db)
• Reduce the number of enabled channels
• Check network connectivity (MCP server connections happen at boot)

High CPU usage

Possible causes:

• WASM sandbox execution (fuel-limited, should self-terminate)
• Multiple agents running simultaneously
• Channel adapters reconnecting (exponential backoff)

FAQ

How do I switch the default LLM provider?

Edit ~/.openfang/config.toml:

[default_model]
provider = "groq"
model = "llama-3.3-70b-versatile"
api_key_env = "GROQ_API_KEY"

Can I use multiple providers at the same time?

Yes. Each agent can use a different provider via its manifest [model] section. The kernel creates a dedicated driver per unique provider configuration.

How do I add a new channel?

1. Add the channel config to ~/.openfang/config.toml under [channels]
2. Set the required environment variables (tokens, secrets)
3. Restart the daemon

How do I update OpenFang?

# From source
cd openfang && git pull && cargo install --path crates/openfang-cli

# Docker
docker pull ghcr.io/RightNow-AI/openfang:latest

Can agents talk to each other?

Yes. Agents can use the agent_send, agent_spawn, agent_find, and agent_list tools to communicate. The orchestrator template is specifically designed for multi-agent delegation.

Is my data sent to the cloud?

Only LLM API calls go to the provider's servers. All agent data, memory, sessions, and configuration are stored locally in SQLite (~/.openfang/data/openfang.db). The OFP wire protocol uses HMAC-SHA256 mutual authentication for P2P communication.

How do I back up my data?

Back up these files:

• ~/.openfang/config.toml (configuration)
• ~/.openfang/data/openfang.db (all agent data, memory, sessions)
• ~/.openfang/skills/ (installed skills)

How do I reset everything?

rm -rf ~/.openfang
openfang init  # Start fresh

Can I run OpenFang without an internet connection?

Yes, if you use a local LLM provider:

• Ollama: ollama serve + ollama pull llama3.2
• vLLM: Self-hosted model server
• LM Studio: GUI-based local model runner

Set the provider in config:

[default_model]
provider = "ollama"
model = "llama3.2"

What's the difference between OpenFang and OpenClaw?

OpenFang can import OpenClaw configs: openfang migrate --from openclaw

How do I report a bug or request a feature?

• Bugs: Open an issue on GitHub
• Security: See SECURITY.md for responsible disclosure
• Features: Open a GitHub discussion or PR

What are the system requirements?

How do I enable debug logging for a specific crate?

RUST_LOG=openfang_runtime=debug,openfang_channels=info openfang start

Can I use OpenFang as a library?

Yes. Each crate is independently usable:

[dependencies]
openfang-runtime = { path = "crates/openfang-runtime" }
openfang-memory = { path = "crates/openfang-memory" }

The openfang-kernel crate assembles everything, but you can use individual crates for custom integrations.

Common Community Questions

How do I update OpenFang?

Re-run the install script to get the latest release:

curl -fsSL https://openfang.sh/install | sh

Or build from source:

git pull origin main
cargo build --release -p openfang-cli

How do I run OpenFang in Docker?

docker run -d --name openfang \
  -e GROQ_API_KEY=your_key_here \
  -p 4200:4200 \
  ghcr.io/rightnow-ai/openfang:latest

How do I protect the dashboard with a password?

OpenFang has built-in dashboard authentication. Enable it in ~/.openfang/config.toml:

[auth]
enabled = true
username = "admin"
password_hash = "$argon2id$..."  # see below

Generate the password hash:

openfang auth hash-password

Paste the output into the password_hash field and restart the daemon.

For public-facing deployments, you should also place a reverse proxy (Caddy, nginx) in front for TLS termination.

How do I configure the embedding model for memory?

In ~/.openfang/config.toml:

[memory]
embedding_provider = "openai"     # or "ollama", "gemini"
embedding_model = "text-embedding-3-small"
embedding_api_key_env = "OPENAI_API_KEY"

For local Ollama embeddings:

[memory]
embedding_provider = "ollama"
embedding_model = "nomic-embed-text"

Email channel responds to ALL emails — how do I restrict it?

Add allowed_senders to your email config:

[channels.email]
allowed_senders = ["[email protected]", "[email protected]"]

Empty list = responds to everyone. Always set this to avoid auto-replying to spam.

How do I use Z.AI / GLM-5?

[default_model]
provider = "zai"
model = "glm-5-20250605"
api_key_env = "ZHIPU_API_KEY"

How do I add Kimi 2.5?

Kimi models are built-in. Use alias kimi or the full model ID:

[default_model]
provider = "moonshot"
model = "kimi-k2.5"
api_key_env = "MOONSHOT_API_KEY"

Can I use multiple Telegram bots?

Not yet — each channel type currently supports one bot. Multi-bot routing is tracked as a feature request (#586). As a workaround, run multiple OpenFang instances on different ports with different configs.

Claude Code integration shows errors

Add to ~/.openfang/config.toml:

[claude_code]
skip_permissions = true

Then restart the daemon.

Trader hand shell permissions

The trader hand needs shell access for executing trading scripts. In your agent's agent.toml:

[capabilities]
shell = ["python *", "node *"]

OpenRouter free models don't work

OpenRouter free models have strict rate limits and may return empty responses. Use a paid model or try a different free provider like Groq (GROQ_API_KEY).