Troubleshoot common problems

Start here when something doesn’t work the way the other guides describe. If you’re still stuck, get in touch and include your Dockmaster version from Settings → Updates.

A command fails right away

1. Click the command’s row to open its output tab. The error from the program is there.
2. Check the command in Edit (⋮ menu in the sidebar): the Work directory must exist, and the command must work when you type it in a terminal in that folder.
3. Environment variables come from your system, then the app’s Env file, then its Environment list. On macOS and Linux, Dockmaster also loads the variables your login shell sets, so tools installed through your shell profile are found.

A port is already in use

If an app lists its ports in the project editor, Dockmaster stops whatever is listening on them before it starts the command. If you still see “address already in use”:

• Make sure the port the app actually uses is listed under Ports.
• Check that another project doesn’t use the same port.

Git can’t push or pull

Dockmaster never prompts for Git passwords. If Source Control reports an authentication error, run git push or git pull once in a terminal to sign in through your credential helper or SSH agent, then use Sync again. If the tab says Git isn’t installed, install Git and restart Dockmaster.

An AI tool or shell is missing from the menu

Dockmaster detects shells and AI tools when the window opens. After installing one, make sure it runs from a new terminal (it must be on your PATH), then restart Dockmaster.

No notifications

• Turn on Settings → Behaviour → Show desktop notifications, and allow notifications for Dockmaster in your system settings.
• Notifications only appear for terminals you aren’t looking at.
• For Claude Code, set preferredNotifChannel to terminal_bell.

Emulators don’t appear

See Launch emulators. Usually ANDROID_HOME isn’t set and the SDK isn’t in its default folder.

Where Dockmaster keeps your data

Everything stays on your computer, in:

• Windows: %AppData%\Dockmaster
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Dockmaster
• Linux: ~/.config/Dockmaster

File or folder	Contents
projects.json	Your projects, apps and commands
settings.json	Your settings
workspace.json	Terminal tabs to reopen
scrollback/	Saved terminal output for reopened tabs
logs/	A plain-text copy of each command’s output

Quit Dockmaster before copying or editing these files. To back up your projects, copy projects.json.