Troubleshooting

How to Get Error Logs

Error logs are essential for troubleshooting issues and getting help from Jan team. To get error logs from Jan, follow the steps below:

Through Jan Interface

Open System Monitor in the footer
Choose App Log

App log

Through Terminal

Application Logs


tail -n 50 ~/Library/Application\ Support/jan/data/logs/app.log

Server Logs


tail -n 50 ~/Library/Application\ Support/jan/data/logs/cortex.log

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Ensure to redact any private or sensitive information when sharing logs or error details. We retain your logs for only 24 hours.

Broken Build

To resolve the issue where Jan is stuck in a broken build after installation:

Uninstall Jan
Delete Application Data, Cache, and User Data:


rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Jan

If you are using a version before 0.4.2, you need to run the following commands:


ps aux | grep nitro
# Looks for processes like `nitro` and `nitro_arm_64`, and kill them one by one by process ID
kill -9 <PID>

Download the latest version of Jan

Following these steps, you can cleanly uninstall and reinstall Jan, ensuring a smooth and error-free experience with the latest version.

Before reinstalling Jan, ensure it's completely removed from all shared spaces if installed on multiple user accounts on your device.

Troubleshooting NVIDIA GPU

To resolve issues when Jan does not utilize the NVIDIA GPU on Windows and Linux systems.

Step 1: Verify Hardware and System Requirements

1.1. Check GPU Detection

First, verify that your system recognizes the NVIDIA GPU: Windows:

Right-click desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel
Or check Device Manager → Display Adapters Linux:


lspci | grep -i nvidia

1.2. Install Required components

NVIDIA Driver:

Install NVIDIA Driver (opens in a new tab) for your GPU (NVIDIA driver 470.63.01 or higher).
Verify installation:


nvidia-smi

Expected output should show your GPU model and driver version.

CUDA Toolkit:

Download and install CUDA toolkit (opens in a new tab) (CUDA 11.7 or higher)
Verify installation:


nvcc --version

Linux Additional Requirements:

Required packages are installed:


sudo apt update
sudo apt install gcc-11 g++-11 cpp-11

See detailed instructions (opens in a new tab).

Set up CUDA environment:


export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/cuda/lib64

See detailed instructions (opens in a new tab).

Ensure your (V)RAM is accessible; some users with virtual RAM may require additional configuration.

Step 2: Turn on GPU acceleration

Jan manages GPU usage automatically:

Switches to GPU mode when supported
Automatically selects GPU with highest VRAM

To verify GPU acceleration is turned on:

Open Settings > Hardware
Verify that GPU Acceleration is turned on
Verify your selected GPU(s) are visible in System Monitor from Jan's footer

Hardware

Step 3: GPU Settings Check

Go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Open Jan Data Folder
Open Settings folder
Open settings.json file

Example settings.json:


{
  "notify": true,
  "run_mode": "gpu",
  "nvidia_driver": {
    "exist": true,
    "version": "531.18"
  },
  "cuda": {
    "exist": true,
    "version": "12"
  },
  "gpus": [
    {
      "id": "0",
      "vram": "12282"
    },
    {
      "id": "1",
      "vram": "6144"
    },
    {
      "id": "2",
      "vram": "6144"
    }
  ],
  "gpu_highest_vram": "0"
}

Key Configuration Values:

run_mode: Should be "gpu" for GPU acceleration
nvidia_driver: Shows driver status and version
cuda: Shows CUDA toolkit status and version
gpus: Lists available GPUs and their VRAM (in MB)
gpu_highest_vram: ID of GPU with most VRAM

Step 4: Restart Jan

Restart Jan to make sure it works.

Tested Configurations

These configurations have been verified to work with Jan's GPU acceleration. You can use them as reference points for your setup.

Bare Metal Installations

Windows 11 Pro (64-bit)

Component	Version/Model
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070Ti
CUDA	12.2
NVIDIA Driver	531.18
OS	Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
RAM	32GB

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Component	Version/Model
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070Ti
CUDA	12.2
NVIDIA Driver	545
OS	Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Virtual Machine Setups

Ubuntu on Proxmox VM

Component	Version/Model
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti
CUDA	12.1
NVIDIA Driver	535
OS	Ubuntu 20.04/18.04 LTS
VM Type	Proxmox

Performance Notes

Bare metal installations provide better performance
VM setups require proper GPU passthrough configuration
Some laptop GPUs may have reduced performance
Hybrid graphics (Optimus) may need additional configuration

Permission Denied

When running Jan, you might encounter the following error message:


Uncaught (in promise) Error: Error invoking layout-480796bff433a3a3.js:538 remote method 'installExtension':
Error Package /Applications/Jan.app/Contents/Resources/app.asar.unpacked/pre-install/janhq-assistant-extension-1.0.0.tgz does not contain a valid manifest:
Error EACCES: permission denied, mkdtemp '/Users/username/.npm/_cacache/tmp/ueCMn4'

Permission problems mainly cause this error during installation. To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Open your Terminal
Execute the following command to change ownership of the ~/.npm directory to the current user:


sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm

This command ensures that the necessary permissions are granted for Jan's installation.

"Failed to fetch" or "Something's Amiss" errors

When you start a chat with a model and encounter a Failed to Fetch or Something's Amiss error, here are some possible solutions to resolve it:

1. Check System & Hardware Requirements

Hardware dependencies: Ensure your device meets all hardware requirements
OS: Ensure your operating system meets the minimum requirements (Mac, Windows, Linux)
RAM: Choose models that use less than 80% of your available RAM
- For 8GB systems: Use models under 6GB
- For 16GB systems: Use models under 13GB

2. Check Model Parameters

In Engine Settings in right sidebar, check your ngl (number of GPU layers) setting to see if it's too high
Start with a lower NGL value and increase gradually based on your GPU memory

3. Port Conflicts

If you check your app logs & see "Bind address failed at 127.0.0.1:39291", check port availability:


# Mac
netstat -an | grep 39291
# Windows
netstat -ano | find "39291" 
tasklist /fi "PID eq 39291"
# Linux
netstat -anpe | grep "39291"

Netstat displays the contents of various network-related data structures for active connections.

Default Jan ports:

Jan and Cortex API Server: 1337
Jan Documentation: 3001

4. Factory Reset

A factory reset can resolve persistent issues by returning Jan to its original state. This will remove all custom settings, downloaded models, and chat history.

Go to Settings > Advanced Settings
At Reset To Factory Settings, click Reset

⚠️

This will delete all chat history, models, and settings.

5. Try a clean installation

Uninstall Jan & clean Jan data folders (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Install the latest stable release

⚠️

This will delete all your Jan data.

OpenAI Unexpected Token Issue

The "Unexpected token" error usually relates to OpenAI API authentication or regional restrictions.

Step 1: API Key Sepup

Get a valid API key from OpenAI's developer platform (opens in a new tab)
Ensure the key has sufficient credits & appropriate permissions

Step 2: Regional Access

If you're in a region with restricted access, use a VPN service from a supported region
Verify your network can reach OpenAI's API endpoints

Need Further Support?

If you can't find what you need in our troubleshooting guide, feel free reach out to us for extra help:

Copy your app logs
Go to our Discord (opens in a new tab) & send it to #🆘|get-help channel for further support.

Check the logs to ensure the information is what you intend to send. We retain your logs for only 24 hours, so report any issues promptly.

Installing an Extension