Troubleshooting

Fixes for empty maps, startup problems, and update issues.

The map is empty or a project won't open

Open the project root — the folder holding the marker (Cargo.toml, package.json, go.mod, a .sln/.csproj/.vbproj, or similar), not a subfolder.
For .NET, make sure the solution or project file is present; bin/ and obj/ are ignored by design.
Lightwell only reads a project — it never builds or compiles it, and the project does not need to be built first. For Rust workspaces it reads workspace metadata through Cargo when Cargo is available, and falls back to reading the Cargo.toml manifests directly when it isn't, so Cargo is not required. Other languages are read straight from their project and source files.
If a folder can't be read, Lightwell shows an error screen with the reason instead of a map. Read the message, fix what it names (for example a missing marker file), then open the folder again.

On macOS, use 11.0 or later and open the signed, notarized build from the download page; move it to Applications before launching.
On Linux, install the package for your distribution (deb, rpm, or AppImage) from the download page.
Quit and reopen the app. If a workspace still draws nothing, open it again with Open workspace and choose the project root folder.

Update checks run in the desktop app. In Settings, use Check now and read the status beside it.
Signed in-app install covers macOS, Windows, and the Linux AppImage. Other packages (deb, rpm, tarballs) show the release notes with a download link instead — install the new package over the old one.
Turned checks off by accident? Re-enable Automatically check for updates in Settings → Updates.

Open an issue with your operating system, Lightwell version (Settings → About), and what you opened.