Troubleshooting

Most GitNomad problems come down to one of three things:

1. Your computer is offline (or VS Code / the extension isn’t running).
2. Your sign-in or link needs refreshing.
3. A network hiccup between your phone and the sync service.

This page walks through the common symptoms and their fixes, from most to least common. If nothing here helps, open an issue with the details listed at the bottom of this page.

The one check that fixes most issues: make sure your computer is on, VS Code is open, and the GitNomad panel shows a linked/connected state. On the free plan your computer does the real work — if it’s asleep or the extension isn’t running, sync and run won’t happen.

Sign-in

I can’t sign in / the browser closes and nothing happens

• Make sure you finished the sign-in in the browser sheet (approve the GitHub or Google prompt). Closing it early cancels sign-in.
• Check your internet connection and try again.
• If you were signed in before and it suddenly fails, your session may have expired — sign in again.
• Corporate or school networks sometimes block sign-in pop-ups. Try mobile data or a different network.

It signed me in but my repos are empty

That’s expected until you connect a computer. Repos come from your desktop, so you need to install and link the VS Code extension. If you’ve already linked, see My repos aren’t showing up.

Linking and connection

The link code doesn’t work

• Codes are single-use and expire after a few minutes. Tap New code on the phone (Profile → Link desktop) and enter the fresh one.
• Make sure you’re typing it into the GitNomad extension in VS Code, not somewhere else.
• Double-check the digits — it’s a 6-digit code.

The extension says “Cannot connect”

• Confirm your computer is online.
• Make sure you actually linked the extension (Profile → Link desktop → enter code in the extension). An unlinked extension can’t sync.
• Click Re-link in the GitNomad panel and enter a new code from the phone.
• Restart syncing: use Stop syncing then start again, or reload the VS Code window.

I linked, but the phone shows “desktop offline”

• Your computer hasn’t checked in recently. Make sure VS Code is open and the GitNomad panel is running (not stopped).
• If your computer went to sleep, wake it — sync resumes automatically.
• Reload the VS Code window to restart the extension.

Syncing

My repos aren’t showing up

1. In VS Code, open the folder you want to share — it must be a git repository (it has a .git folder / VS Code shows source control for it).
2. In the GitNomad panel, use Add a repo and select that folder, or make sure it’s listed.
3. Confirm the extension is linked and the computer is online.
4. On the phone, pull down on the Repos list to refresh.

My phone edit didn’t reach my computer

• Check the repo’s status badge. N pending means the edit is queued because your computer is offline or paused — bring the computer online and it will deliver.
• Make sure you saved (and pushed if prompted) on the phone.
• Give it a few seconds — sync polls every few seconds, it isn’t instant.
• If it stays pending with the computer clearly online, reload the VS Code window to restart the extension.

It’s stuck on “N pending” and says “action on desktop”

This happens when both sides changed the same file and your computer has unsaved-to-git (uncommitted) changes to it. Git won’t let your phone’s version overwrite work you haven’t committed, so your phone’s edits wait — and the repo shows an “action on desktop” badge. On the phone’s file list you’ll see a banner naming the file(s), like:

Your desktop has uncommitted changes to index.html. Commit or discard them on your desktop to finish syncing.

On your computer, do one of these for the named file(s):

• Keep both sides (recommended): commit your computer’s change, then let sync continue — you’ll get a “Changes to review” card on the phone to merge the two versions.

  git add -A
  git commit -m "my desktop edits"
  

• Keep the phone’s version: discard your computer’s uncommitted change so the phone’s edit applies cleanly.

  git checkout -- index.html      # or: git restore index.html
  

Within a few seconds the badge clears and your phone’s changes land. (You can do this from the VS Code Source Control panel too — commit or discard the file.)

My computer’s changes aren’t on the phone

• Save the file in VS Code — unsaved-but-saved-to-disk changes appear as live drafts within a few seconds.
• Pull down to refresh the file list or reopen the file.
• Confirm the repo isn’t showing desktop offline.

A file shows old content / seems frozen

• Pull down to refresh, or close and reopen the file.
• If a big sync (like a divergence resolution) just happened, wait a few seconds and refresh — the phone re-reads once the computer settles.

A review won’t go away

If a “Changes to review” card keeps appearing:

• Open it and complete the review — pick a side for every conflicting chunk, then tap Apply. A review only clears once it’s applied.
• Make sure your computer is online so it can fast-forward to the merged result after you apply.
• If it reappears immediately after applying, your computer may have committed again on the same lines — resolve once more; it will settle.

See Reviewing merges for how the review works.

Running code doesn’t work

Nothing happens when I run a command

• Running uses your computer — it must be on, with VS Code open and the extension linked and running. Check the repo isn’t desktop offline.
• Make sure you typed a command and tapped Run.

The command runs but errors

• The error is from your command on your machine, exactly as if you’d typed it in a terminal there. Check the command, the working directory (it runs in the repo root), and that any tools it needs are installed on your computer.

A command seems stuck

• Tap Stop. If your computer went offline mid-run, the run pauses until it’s back; stop it and try again once you’re connected.

Account and data

How do I delete my account?

Profile → Delete account. This permanently removes your synced repos and unlinks your desktops. Your local code on your own computer is not affected. See Account & your data.

I removed a repo but it came back

Removing a repo from the phone deletes the cloud copy. If your computer’s extension is still exposing that folder, it can reappear on the next sync. To make removal permanent, remove it in the extension too.

General

Is it slow / not instant?

Sync is designed to be safe and durable, not real-time. Expect a few seconds for changes to appear. Pull to refresh to check immediately.

Things are behaving strangely after an update

• Force-close and reopen the app.
• Reload the VS Code window to restart the extension.
• As a last resort, sign out and back in on the phone (your repos are safe on your computer).

Still stuck? How to report it

Open an issue and include:

• What you did and what you expected vs what happened.
• Your phone model and Android version.
• Your computer’s OS and VS Code version.
• Whether the repo showed synced / pending / desktop offline at the time.
• Any error message text (a screenshot helps).

The more detail you give, the faster it gets fixed. Thanks for helping make GitNomad better!