Troubleshooting - LambdaTest

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Log Locations

Before diagnosing, know where to look:

Log	Path
Run text log	`{run_dir}/run.log`
Step detail (JSON)	`{run_dir}/run-test/step_NNN.json`
Step screenshot	`{run_dir}/run-test/screenshots/step_NNN.png`
Run summary	`{run_dir}/run-test/run_summary.json`
Session log	`{session_dir}/tui.log`
All sessions	`~/.testmuai/kaneai/sessions/`

The run_end event in Agent Mode provides session_dir and run_dir directly.

Chrome Issues

”Chrome failed to launch”

Cause: Chrome is not installed, all CDP ports in the 9222–9230 range are in use, or a profile lock from another running Chrome. Kane CLI manages a Chrome process and connects to it over the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). On macOS it looks under /Applications/Google Chrome.app; on Linux it looks for google-chrome, google-chrome-stable, chromium, and similar binaries; on Windows it looks under Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe and AppData\Local. Fix:

Install Google Chrome if not present
Check for processes on CDP ports:
lsof -i :9222-9230
Quit any extra Chrome processes hoarding the 9222–9230 port range
Pick a different Chrome user-data directory, or quit the Chrome instance using it. See Chrome Management

If you only need to connect to an already-running Chrome:

kane-cli run "..." --cdp-endpoint http://localhost:9222

“CDP endpoint not reachable”

Cause: Using --cdp-endpoint but Chrome is not running on that port. Fix: Remove --cdp-endpoint and let Kane CLI manage Chrome automatically. Or start Chrome with remote debugging before running:

google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 &
kane-cli run "..." --cdp-endpoint http://localhost:9222

Chrome opens then closes immediately

Cause: Another Kane CLI instance is already running and holds the Chrome profile lock. Fix: Check for running kane-cli processes:

ps aux | grep kane-cli

Kill any existing processes, then retry.

Authentication Issues

”Authentication failed” (exit code 2)

Cause: Expired tokens or incorrect credentials. Fix for interactive use:

Re-run the login flow:
kane-cli login
Confirm which profile, environment, and token state are active:
kane-cli whoami
If the token is missing or expired and refresh did not succeed, log in again.

Fix for CI / non-interactive use: Verify both values against the credentials shown in your dashboard, then pass them on the command line:

kane-cli run "<objective>" \
  --username "YOUR_LT_USERNAME" \
  --access-key "YOUR_LT_ACCESS_KEY"

If they still do not work, regenerate the access key in the dashboard and retry.

”Not configured” on first run

Cause: No profile exists yet. Fix: Run the login flow:

kane-cli login --username "YOUR_LT_USERNAME" --access-key "YOUR_LT_ACCESS_KEY"

Get credentials from the dashboard > Credentials.

Basic auth not working

Cause: Wrong username or access key. Fix: Verify your credentials on the dashboard. Username and access key are case-sensitive. Make sure you’re using the access key (not the password).

Run Issues

”Run timed out” or “max steps exceeded”

Cause: Objective is too complex, page is slow to load, or --max-steps is too low. Fix:

Increase --timeout: --timeout 300
Increase --max-steps: --max-steps 60
Break the work into smaller objectives. Run several sequential kane-cli run invocations, each focused on one logical sub-task. The session keeps the same browser between runs, so state carries over.
Tighten the objective. Vague objectives often cause the agent to wander; describe the target outcome and any required values up front.

Agent repeats the same action

Cause: The agent is stuck in a loop: the page didn’t change after the action. Fix: Rephrase the objective to be more explicit. Add an assertion after the action to confirm state changed:

"click the Save button, assert the page shows 'Saved successfully'"

“Variables not resolving”: `{{key}}` appears literally

Cause: Variable file not loaded, wrong JSON format, or wrong variable key name. Fix:

JSON syntax. Variable files are JSON. A missing comma or unquoted key will cause the file to be skipped silently.
File location. Confirm your file is in the right place — see loading order.
Inline test. Bypass file loading by passing the variable on the command line:
kane-cli run "log in as {{user}}" \ --variables '{"user":{"value":"alice"}}'
If the inline form works, the issue is with file loading, not the variable itself.

Assertions fail even though the page looks correct

Cause: The assertion phrasing doesn’t match what’s on the page, or there’s a timing issue. Fix:

Check the screenshot at {run_dir}/run-test/screenshots/step_NNN.png: see exactly what the agent saw
Refine the assertion: use assert the page contains (substring) instead of exact text
Add a wait: "wait for the confirmation message to appear, then assert..."

Upload Issues

”Upload failed” or “Test Manager error”

Cause: Kane CLI uploads run artifacts to Test Manager at the end of the session. If the upload fails: Fix:

Authentication. Re-check kane-cli whoami and re-login if needed. Test Manager upload requires a valid token (or basic auth) for the configured environment.
Network connectivity. The upload talks to the control plane and a cloud storage endpoint. Verify outbound HTTPS is not blocked by a proxy or firewall.
Project is set. The pipeline will not commit a test case without a project. Confirm one is configured:
kane-cli config show
If project_id is empty, set it with kane-cli config project or pick one in the TUI.

Agent Mode Issues

No NDJSON output / only seeing TUI

Cause: Missing --agent flag. Fix: Add --agent to your command:

kane-cli run "..." --agent --headless

NDJSON parsing fails: `jq` errors or unexpected output

Cause: Stderr is mixing with stdout, or you’re trying to parse mid-stream events. Fix: Redirect stderr and use tail -1 to get only the run_end event:

kane-cli run "..." --agent 2>/dev/null | tail -1 | jq .

`ask_user` event fires and blocks the run

Cause: The objective requires human input in an agent context. Fix: Rewrite the objective to avoid prompts. For example, instead of “navigate through the sign-up flow”, be explicit:

"click Sign Up, fill email with '{{email}}', fill password with '{{password}}', click Create Account"

Installation Issues

`kane-cli: command not found` after install

Cause: npm global bin directory is not in your PATH. Fix:

npm config get prefix

# Add to PATH (adjust path based on above output)
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"

# Make permanent: add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
echo 'export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc

Installation fails

Cause: Node.js version is below 18. Fix: Check your version and upgrade:

node --version   # Must be 18 or higher

Install fails with “sharp: Please add node-addon-api”

Symptom: npm install -g @testmuai/kane-cli fails with sharp: Please add node-addon-api to your dependencies (any Node version, any platform).

Kane CLI 0.3.4+ treats sharp as an optional dependency, so the install still succeeds even if sharp fails. Screenshots simply upload as PNG instead of WebP (about 30% larger, no functional impact). On an older version, upgrade first with npm install -g @testmuai/kane-cli@latest.

Cause: sharp powers optional PNG to WebP screenshot compression. When it cannot load its prebuilt binary it tries to build from source, which fails. The most common trigger on macOS is a system-wide libvips (often pulled in by brew install appium, imagemagick, or gdal). Fix (most common, macOS):

# Diagnose: a printed version means libvips is the cause
pkg-config --modversion vips-cpp

# Bypass libvips detection. Uninstall first, since npm considers
# kane-cli already installed and will not re-resolve sharp otherwise.
npm uninstall -g @testmuai/kane-cli
SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS=1 npm install -g @testmuai/kane-cli

# Make it permanent
echo 'export SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS=1' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc

Two other triggers: npm configured to skip optional dependencies (npm config get omit should not contain optional, so clear it with npm config delete omit and reinstall), and a proxy or private registry that does not forward the @img scope (add an @img:registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/ pass-through). If you are fine with PNG screenshots, no action is needed.

Mobile Issues

Mobile testing is supported on macOS Apple Silicon (arm64) only. Start every mobile problem with doctor, which prints one line per required check, each with a fix:

kane-cli doctor              # required checks, each with a fix if it fails
kane-cli doctor --install    # install the test tooling Kane CLI manages
kane-cli doctor --targets    # list the emulators and simulators available

The common setup failures for each platform, and their fixes, are listed on the setup pages:

”Update available” Notice

Kane CLI checks the public npm registry for a newer release once every 24 hours. The result is cached locally so the check itself is non-blocking and silent on failure. When a newer version exists, Kane CLI surfaces an “update available” notification with the current and latest versions and a severity label (major, minor, or patch). The notice is informational — your current version still works. To upgrade, follow the steps in Updates.

Filing a Bug Report

If you encounter behavior that looks like an agent bug (not auth, timeout, or a vague objective), file an issue: github.com/LambdaTest/kane-cli/issues Include the following:

Field	How to Get It
Kane CLI version	`kane-cli --version`
OS	macOS (ARM/Intel), Linux (x64/ARM64), Windows (x64)
What happened	Describe the behavior
Reproduction steps	The exact `kane-cli run` command and objective
Expected behavior	What should have happened
Logs	`run_summary.json` and `step_NNN.json` from `run_dir`
Screenshot	`screenshots/step_NNN.png` from `run_dir`

Do NOT file bug reports for: auth issues, low timeouts, vague objectives, or site-side errors (CAPTCHAs, 500 errors).

​Log Locations

​Chrome Issues

​”Chrome failed to launch”

​“CDP endpoint not reachable”

​Chrome opens then closes immediately

​Authentication Issues

​”Authentication failed” (exit code 2)

​”Not configured” on first run

​Basic auth not working

​Run Issues

​”Run timed out” or “max steps exceeded”

​Agent repeats the same action

​“Variables not resolving”: {{key}} appears literally

​Assertions fail even though the page looks correct

​Upload Issues

​”Upload failed” or “Test Manager error”

​Agent Mode Issues

​No NDJSON output / only seeing TUI

​NDJSON parsing fails: jq errors or unexpected output

​ask_user event fires and blocks the run

​Installation Issues

​kane-cli: command not found after install

​Installation fails

​Install fails with “sharp: Please add node-addon-api”

​Mobile Issues

​”Update available” Notice

​Filing a Bug Report

Log Locations

Chrome Issues

”Chrome failed to launch”

“CDP endpoint not reachable”

Chrome opens then closes immediately

Authentication Issues

”Authentication failed” (exit code 2)

”Not configured” on first run

Basic auth not working

Run Issues

”Run timed out” or “max steps exceeded”

Agent repeats the same action

“Variables not resolving”: `{{key}}` appears literally

Assertions fail even though the page looks correct

Upload Issues

”Upload failed” or “Test Manager error”

Agent Mode Issues

No NDJSON output / only seeing TUI

NDJSON parsing fails: `jq` errors or unexpected output

`ask_user` event fires and blocks the run

Installation Issues

`kane-cli: command not found` after install

Installation fails

Install fails with “sharp: Please add node-addon-api”

Mobile Issues

”Update available” Notice

Filing a Bug Report