Troubleshooting

When SnapBack first loads it checks five preconditions. If any are unmet, the status bar shows an actionable message instead of 🧢. Click the status bar item to resolve each one.

$(warning) Install SnapBack CLI The SnapBack CLI is not installed or not on your PATH.

Copynpm install -g @snapback/cli
snap --version

Or click the status bar item — it opens a terminal and runs the install automatically.

$(sync~spin) Starting SnapBack… The daemon is starting. This resolves on its own within a few seconds. If it persists, reload VS Code (⌘+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window).

$(key) Sign in to SnapBack You are not authenticated. Click the status bar item to open the sign-in flow in your browser, then return to VS Code.

$(folder) Initialize workspace This workspace has not been initialized. Click the status bar item or run:

Copysnap init

$(plug) Connect AI tool MCP is not configured for your AI assistant. Click the status bar item or run ⌘+Shift+P → SnapBack: Configure MCP. Supported tools configure automatically — no manual editing needed.

Extension not installing:

Copy# Close VS Code, clear cache, reinstall
rm -rf ~/.vscode/extensions/marcellelabs.snapback-*
code --install-extension MarcelleLabs.snapback-vscode

Requirements:

• VS Code 1.70+
• Node.js 14+ (for CLI)

Not creating snapshots:

1. Check status bar for 🧢 icon (green = active)
2. Save a file with Cmd+S / Ctrl+S
3. Check SnapBack sidebar

Permission denied (EACCES):

Copychmod -R 755 .snapback/

AI tool not detected:

• Make a change with AI, then save
• Check status bar for AI detection badge

Force detection:

Copy// .snapbackrc
{
  "aiDetection": {
    "forceEnable": true,
    "tool": "cursor"
  }
}

Too many false positives:

Copy{
  "autoDecisionEngine": {
    "riskThreshold": 70
  }
}

MCP not connecting:

Copy⌘+Shift+P → SnapBack: MCP Reconnect

Run diagnostics:

Copy⌘+Shift+P → SnapBack: MCP Diagnose

Verify CLI:

Copynpm install -g @snapback/cli
snap --version

Slow performance:

Copy# Clean old snapshots
snap cleanup --keep 30d

# Or via VS Code
⌘+Shift+P → SnapBack: Clean Old Snapshots

Exclude large directories:

Copy// .snapbackignore
{
  "exclude": ["**/node_modules/**", "**/dist/**"]
}