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Troubleshooting Guide

Common issues and solutions for Notifer users.

Quick Support

Can't find your issue? Contact support at support@notifer.io or visit our community forum.

Account Issues

Can't Sign In

Problem: Login fails with incorrect credentials

Solutions:

  1. Verify email and password
  2. Check for typos
  3. Email is case-sensitive

  4. Password is case-sensitive

  5. Reset password

  6. Go to app.notifer.io/login
  7. Click "Forgot password?"
  8. Enter email

  9. Check inbox for reset link

  10. Check account status

  11. Account might be disabled
  12. Email might not be verified

  13. Try resending verification email

  14. Try different browser

  15. Clear cookies and cache
  16. Try incognito/private mode
  17. Disable browser extensions

Email Verification Issues

Problem: Verification email not received

Solutions:

  • Check spam/junk folder
  • Wait 5-10 minutes - Email delivery can be delayed
  • Verify email address - Check for typos during registration
  • Resend verification email:
  • Go to login page
  • Click "Resend verification email"
  • Enter email address
  • Check inbox again

Problem: Verification link expired

Solution: - Verification links expire after 24 hours - Request new verification email - Complete verification within 24 hours

Google Sign-In Fails

Problem: Can't sign in with Google

Solutions:

  1. Check pop-ups
  2. Enable pop-ups for app.notifer.io

  3. Disable pop-up blockers

  4. Clear cookies

  5. Clear browser cookies for google.com and notifer.io

  6. Try again

  7. Try incognito mode

  8. Open incognito/private window

  9. Attempt Google sign-in

  10. Check Google account

  11. Verify Google account is active
  12. Try signing in to google.com directly
  13. Enable third-party access in Google account settings

Topic Issues

Can't Create Topic

Problem: Topic creation fails

Solutions:

Error: "Topic name already exists" - Topic names are globally unique - Try different name or add prefix - Check "My Topics" - you might already own it

Error: "Invalid topic name" - Use only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, underscores - No spaces or special characters - Length: 3-50 characters - Examples: my-topic, server_alerts, topic123

Error: "Rate limit exceeded" - Free plan: 5 topics max - Wait or upgrade plan - Delete unused topics

Can't Delete Topic

Problem: Delete button disabled or error

Solutions:

  • Verify ownership - Only topic owner can delete
  • Check subscriptions - Unsubscribe all users first (Business plan)
  • Type topic name correctly - Delete confirmation requires exact name
  • Try from different browser - Might be UI issue

Topic Not Showing in Discover

Problem: Public topic not visible in discovery

Solutions:

  • Check privacy setting - Must be public
  • Check visibility - "Show in Discover" must be enabled (Topic Settings → General)
  • Wait a few minutes - New topics may take time to index
  • Publish message - Topics with no messages may not appear
  • Clear cache - Refresh discover page

Can't Access Private Topic

Problem: 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden

Solutions:

Using curl/API: 

# Verify authentication header
curl -d "Test" \
  -H "X-Topic-Token: tk_your_token_here" \
  https://app.notifer.io/private-topic

# Or use API key
curl -d "Test" \
  -H "X-API-Key: noti_your_key_here" \
  https://app.notifer.io/private-topic

Using web dashboard: - Sign in to correct account - Verify you own the topic - Check topic appears in "My Topics"

Check token: - Token hasn't been revoked - Token has correct permissions (publish or subscribe) - No typos in token (copy-paste recommended)

Publishing Issues

Messages Not Appearing

Problem: Published message doesn't show in feed

Solutions:

  1. Verify successful publish 

    # Check HTTP response
curl -i -d "Test message" https://app.notifer.io/your-topic

# Should return:
# HTTP/1.1 200 OK
# {"status":"ok","message":"Message published"}

  2. Check topic name

  3. Verify spelling
  4. Topic name is case-sensitive

  5. Check URL: https://app.notifer.io/{exact-topic-name}

  6. Refresh feed

  7. Hard refresh (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)

  8. Check real-time connection status

  9. Check subscription

  10. Verify you're subscribed to topic

  11. Check notification settings (priority threshold, tag filters)

  12. Check message retention

  13. Messages older than retention period auto-delete
  14. Free: 7 days, Pro: 30 days, Business: 90 days

Publishing Returns Error

Problem: HTTP error when publishing

Solutions:

400 Bad Request: - Check message body is not empty - Verify headers are correct format - Check special characters are properly encoded

401 Unauthorized: - Private topic requires authentication - Add X-Topic-Token or X-API-Key header - Verify token is valid and not revoked

403 Forbidden: - Token lacks publish permission - Create new token with publish scope - Or use different authentication method

413 Payload Too Large: - Message exceeds size limit - Free: 4KB, Pro: 16KB, Business: 64KB - Reduce message size or upgrade plan

429 Too Many Requests: - Rate limit exceeded - Free: 60/hour, Pro: 600/hour, Business: 6000/hour - Wait for rate limit reset - Check X-RateLimit-Reset header - Upgrade plan for higher limits

Headers Not Working

Problem: Priority, tags, or title not showing

Solutions:

Verify header names: 

# Correct headers:
curl -d "Message" \
  -H "X-Title: My Title" \
  -H "X-Priority: 5" \
  -H "X-Tags: urgent,server" \
  https://app.notifer.io/topic

# Common mistakes:
# ❌ "Title: My Title" (missing X- prefix)
# ❌ "Priority: 5" (missing X- prefix)
# ❌ "X-Tag: urgent" (should be X-Tags plural)

Check header values: - Priority: Integer 1-5 - Tags: Comma-separated, no spaces - Title: Plain text, max 100 characters

Nginx configuration (if self-hosting): - Ensure nginx passes through custom headers - Check proxy_set_header directives

Notification Issues

Desktop Notifications Not Working

Problem: No browser notifications

Solutions:

  1. Check browser permission
  2. Chrome: Settings → Privacy & Security → Site Settings → Notifications
  3. Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Notifications
  4. Safari: Preferences → Websites → Notifications

  5. Ensure app.notifer.io is "Allowed"

  6. Check system settings

  7. Windows: Settings → System → Notifications
    • Ensure Chrome/Firefox is enabled

  8. macOS: System Preferences → Notifications

    • Find Chrome/Firefox in list
    • Enable "Allow notifications"

  9. Check subscription settings

  10. Verify you're subscribed to topic
  11. Check priority threshold (set to 1 for all messages)

  12. Check tag filters (remove if testing)

  13. Test notification

  14. Settings → Notifications → "Send test notification"

  15. Should appear immediately

  16. Clear browser data

  17. Clear site data for app.notifer.io
  18. Re-grant notification permission

Mobile Push Not Received

Problem: Mobile app doesn't show notifications

Solutions:

  1. Check app permission
  2. iOS: Settings → Notifer → Notifications → Allow Notifications ON

  3. Android: Settings → Apps → Notifer → Notifications → All ON

  4. Check system notification settings

  5. iOS: Settings → Notifications → Show Previews → Always

  6. Android: Ensure all notification categories enabled

  7. Check battery optimization

  8. Android: Settings → Apps → Notifer → Battery → Unrestricted

  9. Battery optimization can delay or block notifications

  10. Verify push token

  11. Open app
  12. Settings → Advanced → Push Token
  13. Should show valid token starting with "ExponentPushToken"

  14. If missing, reinstall app

  15. Check subscription

  16. Open app → Topics tab
  17. Verify topic is in "Subscribed"

  18. Check notification settings (priority threshold)

  19. Test with high priority 

    curl -d "Test notification" \
  -H "X-Priority: 5" \
  -H "X-Topic-Token: tk_..." \
  https://app.notifer.io/your-topic

Email Notifications Not Arriving

Problem: Email forwarding doesn't work

Solutions:

  1. Check spam folder
  2. Look for emails from notifications@notifer.io

  3. Mark as "Not Spam" and add to contacts

  4. Verify email settings

  5. Topic Settings → Notifications → Email Forwarding
  6. Check email address is correct

  7. Verify email forwarding is enabled

  8. Check filters

  9. Remove priority threshold temporarily
  10. Remove tag filters temporarily

  11. Test with simple message

  12. Check quota

  13. Free: 10 emails/day
  14. Pro: 100 emails/day
  15. Business: 1000 emails/day

  16. View usage in topic settings

  17. Verify topic received messages

  18. Check message appears in web dashboard
  19. Filters might be excluding messages

Connection Issues

SSE Connection Failed

Problem: "Disconnected" status in web dashboard

Solutions:

  1. Check internet connection
  2. Verify you're online

  3. Try loading other websites

  4. Disable browser extensions

  5. Ad blockers can interfere with SSE
  6. Privacy extensions might block connections

  7. Try incognito mode

  8. Check firewall/proxy

  9. Corporate firewalls may block SSE
  10. VPN might interfere

  11. Try different network (mobile hotspot)

  12. Clear browser cache

  13. Clear cache for app.notifer.io

  14. Hard refresh page

  15. Try different browser

  16. Test in Chrome, Firefox, Safari
  17. Update browser to latest version

WebSocket Connection Failed (Mobile)

Problem: Mobile app shows "Disconnected"

Solutions:

  1. Check network
  2. Switch between WiFi and mobile data

  3. Try different WiFi network

  4. Disable VPN

  5. VPN can block WebSocket connections

  6. Temporarily disable and test

  7. Check app version

  8. Update to latest version

  9. Old versions may have connection bugs

  10. Restart app

  11. Force close app

  12. Reopen and check connection

  13. Reinstall app

  14. Uninstall completely
  15. Reinstall from App Store/Play Store
  16. Sign in again

Authentication Issues

API Keys Not Working

Problem: 401 Unauthorized with API key

Solutions:

  1. Verify header name 

    # Correct:
curl -H "X-API-Key: noti_..." https://app.notifer.io/topic

# Wrong:
curl -H "API-Key: noti_..." https://app.notifer.io/topic
curl -H "Authorization: noti_..." https://app.notifer.io/topic

  2. Check key hasn't been revoked

  3. Settings → API Keys
  4. Verify key is in list and active

  5. Check "Last used" updates when you use it

  6. Check key scopes

  7. Key must have publish scope for publishing
  8. Key must have subscribe scope for subscribing

  9. Create new key with correct scopes if needed

  10. Verify key format

  11. User API keys start with noti_
  12. Topic access tokens start with tk_
  13. Don't confuse the two

Topic Access Tokens Not Working

Problem: 401 Unauthorized with topic token

Solutions:

  1. Verify header name 

    # Correct:
curl -H "X-Topic-Token: tk_..." https://app.notifer.io/topic

# Wrong:
curl -H "X-API-Key: tk_..." https://app.notifer.io/topic

  2. Check token for correct topic

  3. Topic tokens are topic-specific
  4. Token for "topic-a" won't work on "topic-b"

  5. Verify you're using token for this specific topic

  6. Check token hasn't been revoked

  7. Topic Settings → Access Tokens
  8. Verify token is active

  9. "Last used" should update

  10. Check token permissions

  11. Publish action requires publish permission
  12. Subscribe action requires subscribe permission
  13. View token permissions in topic settings

Performance Issues

Slow Message Loading

Problem: Messages take long to load

Solutions:

  • Clear browser cache
  • Reduce number of subscribed topics
  • Check internet connection speed
  • Try different browser
  • Close unused tabs

High CPU/Memory Usage

Problem: Browser or app using too much resources

Solutions:

  • Close other tabs
  • Disable unused browser extensions
  • Update to latest browser version
  • Restart browser/app
  • Check for browser memory leaks (try incognito)

Data Issues

Messages Disappeared

Problem: Old messages no longer visible

Solutions:

Check retention period: - Free plan: 7 days - Pro plan: 30 days (configurable up to 90 days) - Business plan: 90 days (configurable up to 365 days) - Messages auto-delete after retention period

Check manual deletion: - Topic owner can delete messages - Check with topic owner if not your topic

Export important messages: - Topic → More → Export Messages - Download as JSON or CSV - Save externally

Data Not Syncing

Problem: Changes don't reflect across devices

Solutions:

  • Check you're signed in to same account
  • Refresh page/app
  • Sign out and sign in again
  • Check internet connection
  • Wait a few minutes for sync

Getting More Help

Check Status Page

Visit status.notifer.io to see: - Current system status - Ongoing incidents - Planned maintenance - Historical uptime

Contact Support

Email Support: - support@notifer.io - Include: Account email, issue description, error messages, browser/device info

Community Forum: - community.notifer.io - Search existing topics - Ask questions - Share solutions

Report Bugs: - GitHub Issues: github.com/notifer/issues - Include reproduction steps - Attach screenshots if relevant

Provide Useful Information

When reporting issues, include: - Account email (if account-related) - Browser/device (Chrome 120, iPhone 15 iOS 17, etc.) - Topic name (if topic-related) - Error messages (exact text or screenshot) - Steps to reproduce - What you expected vs what happened

Next Steps