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Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting guide for Vigilare - solve common issues with floating reminders, sync problems, window behavior, and performance optimization.

Having issues with Vigilare? This guide will help you resolve common problems and get back to productive task management.

Prerequisites

Before troubleshooting specific issues, verify these basic requirements:

  1. System Requirements

    • macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later
    • Apple Reminders app (pre-installed)

  2. Required Permissions

    • Reminders Access: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Reminders → Vigilare ✓

  3. Apple Reminders App

    • Open Reminders.app to verify your tasks exist there first
    • Ensure iCloud sync is enabled if using multiple devices

Common Issues

Reminders Not Showing

If your reminders aren’t appearing in Vigilare:

1. Check Permissions

  • Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Reminders
  • Ensure Vigilare is checked and has access
  • If missing, click the + button to add Vigilare

2. Verify Data in Apple Reminders

  • Open the Reminders.app
  • Confirm your tasks exist there
  • If missing there too, it’s not a Vigilare issue

3. Refresh the View

  • Click the refresh button (↻) in Vigilare’s window header
  • Or restart Vigilare from the Dock

4. Check List Filtering

  • Ensure you haven’t selected a list filter that excludes these tasks
  • Try switching to “All” in the list dropdown

5. Verify Lists Aren’t Archived

  • Open Settings (⚙) → Lists tab
  • Check if the list is archived
  • Unarchive the list if needed

Window Disappeared

If the Vigilare window is no longer visible:

Quick Fix

  1. Click the Vigilare icon in the Dock
  2. Window will appear

If Dock Icon Missing

  1. Check if Vigilare is running in Activity Monitor
  2. If not running, launch from Applications folder
  3. If running but icon missing, restart macOS

Window Moved Off-Screen

The window might be positioned outside your visible displays:

  1. Click Dock icon or open Settings (⌘,)
  2. Change window position manually
  3. Or reset by quitting Vigilare and deleting: ~/Library/Preferences/jp.labee.floating-reminders.plist

Sync Issues

If changes in Vigilare don’t appear in Apple Reminders (or vice versa):

Real-Time Sync Delay

  • Changes may take a few seconds to sync
  • iCloud sync can be slower depending on network
  • Wait 5-10 seconds and check again

Force Refresh

  1. Click the refresh button (↻) in Vigilare
  2. Open Apple Reminders and pull to refresh
  3. If on multiple devices, check iCloud status

iCloud Sync Problems

  1. System Settings → Apple ID → iCloud
  2. Ensure Reminders toggle is ON
  3. Check “Account Status” shows no errors
  4. Try toggling Reminders OFF then ON (gives it a kick)

Permission Reset

If sync is completely broken:

  1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Reminders
  2. Uncheck Vigilare
  3. Restart Vigilare
  4. Grant permission again when prompted

Window Behavior Issues

Window Won’t Stay on Top

  • Open Settings (⚙) → General
  • Check Window Level is set to “Floating” not “Normal”
  • “Desktop” level appears below all windows

Window Appearance

  • Use window positioning to keep it visible but not intrusive
  • Minimize to icon mode when you need to focus

Window Not Visible on All Spaces

  • Settings → General → Spaces
  • Change to “Show on all spaces”
  • Restart Vigilare for this change to take effect

Minimize Mode Stuck

If the window is stuck as a tiny icon:

  • Double-click the icon to restore
  • Or click Dock icon to show window

Task Management Issues

Can’t Add New Tasks

  • Verify Reminders permission (see Prerequisites)
  • Try adding in Apple Reminders first to test
  • Check if the selected list allows new items

Can’t Edit or Delete Tasks

  • Some system lists may be read-only
  • Check if you have permission in Reminders.app
  • Shared lists may have restricted permissions

Task Completion Not Saving

  • Wait a few seconds for iCloud sync
  • Check internet connection
  • Try toggling completion in Apple Reminders

Subtasks Not Appearing

  • Native Subtasks: Vigilare does not display hierarchical subtasks in the main list. This is by design.
  • Checklists: Use the Markdown editor to create checklists within task notes.
  • Verify the task exists in Apple Reminders.

Markdown Editor Issues

Editor Not Loading

  • Check internet connection (editor resources load on first use)
  • Try editing a different reminder
  • Restart Vigilare if problem persists

Formatting Not Saving

  • Click “Save” button before closing edit window
  • Or use keyboard shortcut ⌘S
  • Changes auto-save every few seconds

Text Appears Garbled

  • This may indicate incompatible formatting
  • Copy content to plain text editor first
  • Reformat using Vigilare’s editor tools

Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working

Shortcuts Don’t Respond

  • Ensure Vigilare window is focused (click on it first)
  • Some shortcuts only work in specific contexts
  • Check if macOS system shortcuts override Vigilare’s

View All Available Shortcuts

  • Open Settings (⚙) → Shortcuts tab
  • Complete list of keyboard shortcuts with descriptions
  • Shortcuts work only when window is active

Performance Issues

App Running Slowly

  1. Reduce number of visible tasks

    • Archive completed lists
    • Use list filtering to show fewer tasks

  2. Check macOS resources

    • Open Activity Monitor
    • Verify sufficient RAM available
    • Close unnecessary apps

  3. Restart Vigilare

    • Menu bar icon → Quit
    • Launch again from Applications

High Memory Usage

  • Normal range: 50-150 MB
  • Large task lists (500+) may use more
  • Archive old lists to reduce load

Window Rendering Lag

  • Reduce window size if working with many tasks
  • Minimize to icon when not actively using

Common Error Messages

”Reminders Access Denied”

Cause: Vigilare doesn’t have permission to access Apple Reminders. Solution: See Check Permissions section above.

”Failed to Load Reminders”

Cause: Temporary sync or permission issue. Solution:

  1. Check internet connection
  2. Verify Apple Reminders app works
  3. Restart Vigilare
  4. Reset permissions if needed

”Unable to Save Changes”

Cause: Write permission issue or iCloud sync problem. Solution:

  1. Check iCloud status
  2. Verify list isn’t read-only
  3. Try editing in Apple Reminders first
  4. Check available iCloud storage

Advanced Troubleshooting

Reset Vigilare Preferences

If Vigilare is behaving unexpectedly:

  1. Quit Vigilare completely
  2. Open Finder → Go menu → Go to Folder
  3. Enter: ~/Library/Preferences/
  4. Delete: jp.labee.floating-reminders.plist
  5. Restart Vigilare

⚠️ Warning: This resets all settings (window position, archived lists, etc.)

Check Console Logs

For detailed error information:

  1. Open Console.app (in Applications/Utilities)
  2. Select your Mac in sidebar
  3. Search for “Vigilare”
  4. Look for error or warning messages

Clean Reinstall

If all else fails:

  1. Quit Vigilare
  2. Drag app to Trash from Applications
  3. Delete preferences: ~/Library/Preferences/jp.labee.floating-reminders.plist
  4. Empty Trash
  5. Restart Mac (clears all app caches)
  6. Reinstall from Mac App Store

Known Limitations

Current limitations you should be aware of:

  • macOS 15+ Required: Older versions not supported due to API requirements
  • Apple Reminders Only: Cannot connect to other task management systems
  • One Window: Only one floating window supported at a time
  • No Global Hotkey: Keyboard shortcuts work only when window is focused

Getting More Help

If you continue experiencing issues:

  1. Check the FAQ for common questions
  2. Document the problem:
    • What you were trying to do
    • What actually happened
    • Any error messages
    • Your macOS version
  3. Contact support via the Support page

Report a Bug

Help us improve Vigilare:

  1. Include:
    • macOS version
    • Vigilare version (Settings → About)
    • Steps to reproduce
    • Screenshots if applicable
  2. Be specific: “Tasks don’t sync” → “Tasks created in Vigilare don’t appear in Reminders.app after 5 minutes”
  3. Contact us via the Support page