Common Issues and Solutions

Quick solutions to the most common issues users encounter with Farline AI.

AI Chat Issues

AI Not Responding

Symptoms:

• Chat appears to hang
• "Thinking..." message doesn't complete
• No response after sending message

Solutions:

1. Check your internet connection

   • Ensure you're online
   • Try refreshing the page

2. Wait a moment

   • Complex projects can take 10-20 seconds to process
   • Large project definition generation requires more time

3. Refresh the page

   • Press Ctrl+R (Cmd+R on Mac)
   • Your project should auto-save and reload

4. Try a simpler request

   • Break complex requests into smaller steps
   • Example: Instead of "Create a complete project with 5 teams and 20 work items", try "Create a project with 2 teams"

Still not working?

• Check the browser console for errors (F12 → Console tab)
• Contact support at support@farline.ai

AI Generates Invalid Project Definition

Symptoms:

• Error message: "Invalid YAML syntax"
• Charts don't update after AI response
• Red error indicators in project definition editor

Solutions:

1. Ask AI to fix it

   You: "The project definition has errors. Can you fix it?"

2. Check for common YAML mistakes

   • Indentation issues (YAML uses spaces, not tabs)
   • Missing colons after field names
   • Mismatched brackets or quotes

3. Start fresh

   • Create a new project
   • Rebuild step-by-step with AI assistance

4. Manually fix in editor

   • Click into the project definition editor
   • Fix syntax errors (hover over red underlines for hints)
   • Charts update automatically when valid

AI Misunderstands My Request

Symptoms:

• AI creates wrong work items or teams
• Incorrect sizes or dependencies
• Project doesn't match what you described

Solutions:

1. Be more specific

   • Instead of: "Add some engineering work"
   • Try: "Add a work item called 'Build API' with size 30 to the Backend team"

2. Correct the AI

   You: "No, make the size 40 instead of 30"
   You: "Remove that work item and add a different one"

3. Review the project definition

   • Check what the AI actually created
   • Provide feedback on specific issues

4. Edit the project definition directly

   • Sometimes faster to fix small issues manually

Project Definition Issues

Changes Don't Appear in Charts

Symptoms:

• Edit the project definition but charts don't update
• Changes seem to disappear

Solutions:

1. Check for YAML syntax errors

   • Look for red underlines or error messages
   • Fix syntax issues first

2. Save explicitly

   • Farline AI auto-saves, but try clicking out of the editor
   • Refresh the page to ensure changes persist

3. Verify the change was made

   • Sometimes edits are in wrong location in the project definition
   • Use Ctrl+F (Cmd+F) to find the item you're editing

4. Check browser console

   • Press F12 → Console tab
   • Look for error messages

Work Items Not Showing

Symptoms:

• Created work item doesn't appear in chart
• Missing from timeline

Solutions:

1. Verify work item has required fields

   work_items:
     - id: my-item          # Required
       name: My Item        # Required
       size: 10             # Required (must be > 0)

2. Check if it's under a workstream

   • Work items must be nested under a workstream
   • Ensure indentation is correct

3. Verify size is > 0

   • Items with size 0 don't show in charts

4. Look for dependency issues

   • If depends on non-existent item, might not render

Dependencies Not Working

Symptoms:

• Work items start at wrong time
• Dependencies don't seem to affect order

Solutions:

1. Check dependency IDs

   dependencies:
     - api-endpoints  # Must match exact ID, not name

2. Verify dependency exists

   • Dependency must reference an existing work item ID
   • Can reference items in other workstreams

3. Check for circular dependencies

   • Item A depends on B, B depends on A = circular (invalid)
   • AI should catch this, but manual edits might create it

4. Review workstream order

   • Dependencies work across workstreams
   • Check that dependency is defined before it's referenced

Chart and Visualization Issues

Chart Not Displaying

Symptoms:

• Blank chart area
• Charts fail to load
• "Failed to render" error

Solutions:

1. Check for valid project data

   • Ensure at least one scenario exists
   • Verify workstreams have work items

2. Try different chart type

   • Switch between Mermaid and DayPilot
   • One might work if the other fails

3. Refresh the page

   • Clear any rendering issues
   • Charts regenerate on load

4. Check browser compatibility

   • Use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
   • Update to latest version

Chart Too Wide or Tall

Symptoms:

• Chart extends beyond screen
• Requires excessive scrolling

Solutions:

1. Reduce project duration

   • Increase team capacity
   • Reduce work item sizes
   • Add parallelism

2. Consolidate workstreams

   • Combine small teams
   • Reduce number of swimlanes

3. Use horizontal scrolling

   • Most charts support scroll
   • This is normal for large projects

4. Export to external tool

   • Copy Mermaid syntax to Confluence/Notion
   • Use their zoom/scroll features

Can't Copy Mermaid Chart

Symptoms:

• "Copy to Clipboard" button doesn't work
• Nothing copied when clicked

Solutions:

1. Check browser permissions

   • Allow clipboard access when prompted
   • Check browser settings for clipboard permissions

2. Manually select and copy

   • Click into Mermaid syntax area
   • Ctrl+A (Cmd+A) to select all
   • Ctrl+C (Cmd+C) to copy

3. Try different browser

   • Clipboard API support varies
   • Chrome generally has best support

Session and Data Issues

Project Not Saving

Symptoms:

• Changes disappear after refresh
• "Unable to save" error

Solutions:

1. Check connection

   • Ensure you're signed in
   • Check your internet connection

2. Export as backup

   • Menu → Export Session (ZIP)
   • Save locally as backup

3. Try incognito/private mode

   • Rules out extension conflicts
   • Tests with fresh storage

4. Clear browser data (last resort)

   • Export projects first!
   • Clear site data for farline.ai
   • Re-import projects

Can't Find My Project

Symptoms:

• Project disappeared from list
• Used to exist, now missing

Solutions:

1. Check project selector dropdown

   • Click dropdown to see all projects
   • Sort by recent or alphabetical

2. Sign in with correct account

   • Projects tied to user account
   • Verify you're using same sign-in method

3. Check different browser/device

   • Projects stored per-browser
   • Use Export/Import to move between devices

4. Restore from export

   • If you exported previously, re-import the ZIP

Session Import Failed

Symptoms:

• "Failed to import session" error
• ZIP file doesn't load

Solutions:

1. Verify file format

   • Must be a valid ZIP file exported from Farline AI
   • Check file extension (.zip)

2. Check file size

   • Very large files might timeout
   • Try importing smaller sessions

3. Re-export from source

   • Original export might be corrupted
   • Create fresh export and try again

4. Import JSON format instead

   • Try "Export All Sessions (JSON)"
   • JSON format sometimes more reliable

Performance Issues

App Running Slowly

Symptoms:

• Page loads slowly
• UI feels laggy
• Charts take long to render

Solutions:

1. Close other tabs

   • Free up browser memory
   • Reduce CPU load

2. Simplify project

   • Large projects (100+ work items) can slow rendering
   • Consider splitting into phases

3. Update browser

   • Use latest version
   • Older browsers can be slower

4. Check system resources

   • Close memory-intensive applications
   • Restart browser if needed

Charts Taking Long to Generate

Symptoms:

• "Generating chart..." message persists
• Charts don't appear

Solutions:

1. Wait longer

   • Complex projects can take 30-60 seconds
   • Especially Mermaid charts with many items

2. Simplify project structure

   • Reduce number of work items
   • Consolidate workstreams

3. Try DayPilot instead

   • Sometimes renders faster than Mermaid
   • Toggle chart type to test

Account and Access Issues

Can't Sign In

Symptoms:

• Sign-in page errors
• Redirect loops
• "Authentication failed"

Solutions:

1. Clear browser cache

   • Clear cookies for farline.ai
   • Try fresh sign-in

2. Try different browser

   • Rules out browser-specific issues

3. Check email verification

   • Verify your email if first-time sign-in
   • Check spam folder for verification email

4. Contact support

   • Email support@farline.ai
   • Include error messages if any

Lost Access to Projects

Symptoms:

• Previously accessible projects now missing
• "No projects found"

Solutions:

1. Verify correct account

   • Check you're signed in with right email
   • Projects tied to specific account

2. Check organization

   • If using organizational account, verify organization access

3. Restore from export

   • Import previously exported ZIP files

Getting More Help

If these solutions don't resolve your issue:

1. Use the AI chat widget

   • Click widget in bottom-right corner
   • Describe your problem
   • AI will search help articles for solutions

2. Email support

   • support@farline.ai
   • Include:
     • Description of issue
     • Steps to reproduce
     • Screenshots if helpful
     • Browser and OS version

3. Check browser console

   • Press F12 → Console tab
   • Copy any error messages
   • Include in support request

4. Try in different browser

   • Helps isolate browser-specific issues
   • Chrome, Firefox, Safari all supported

Related Articles

• Browser Compatibility and Requirements - Supported browsers and system requirements
• Backing Up Your Projects - Backup and restore your work
• Contact Support - Get help from our team
• Using the AI Chat to Build Projects - Master the chat interface

Last updated: 2025-12-19