Common Issues

Solutions for common DevDaily problems including Copilot setup, git errors, clipboard issues, and webhook failures

This page covers the most common issues you might encounter when using DevDaily and how to resolve them.

GitHub Copilot CLI Not Found

Error: GitHub Copilot CLI not found

Problem

DevDaily requires GitHub Copilot CLI for AI-powered text generation. You may see this error:

Copilot CLI not found

Solution

DevDaily supports both the new standalone Copilot CLI and the legacy gh extension:

Option 1: Install the new Copilot CLI (recommended)

brew install copilot-cli

Option 2: Install the legacy gh extension

gh extension install github/gh-copilot

Verification

Check your installation:

# For new CLI
copilot --version

# For legacy extension
gh copilot --version

The new Copilot CLI is the preferred method. The gh extension is deprecated but still supported.

Not a Git Repository

Error: Not a git repository

Problem

DevDaily analyzes git history to generate summaries. If you’re not in a git repository:

fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

Solution

Navigate to a git repository:

cd /path/to/your/project
devdaily standup

Initialize a new git repository:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

DevDaily requires an existing git repository with commit history to function.

No Commits Found

No commits found for the specified time range

Problem

DevDaily can’t find any commits matching your criteria:

No commits found in the last 1 day(s)

Solutions

1. Increase the time range:

devdaily standup --days 3
devdaily standup --days 7

2. Check author filter:

By default, DevDaily filters commits by the current git user. If commits were made by a different author:

# Check your git user
git config user.name
git config user.email

# See all commits without author filter
git log --all --since="1 day ago"

3. Verify commit history exists:

git log --oneline

4. Check for recent commits:

devdaily context --days 14

Clipboard Issues

Failed to copy to clipboard

Problem

DevDaily can’t copy output to your clipboard:

Failed to copy to clipboard

Solutions

Linux: Install xclip or xsel

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install xclip

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install xclip

# Arch
sudo pacman -S xclip

macOS: Check permissions

Ensure your terminal has accessibility permissions:

1. System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy
2. Select “Accessibility” from the left sidebar
3. Grant permission to your terminal app (Terminal, iTerm2, etc.)

Workaround: Disable auto-copy

devdaily standup --no-copy

Or set in configuration:

{
  "output": {
    "copyToClipboard": false
  }
}

Webhook Failures

Failed to send Slack/Discord notification

Problem

Webhook notifications fail to send:

Slack webhook URL not configured
Failed to send Slack message: 401 Unauthorized
Discord API error: 404 Not Found

Solutions

1. Configure webhooks:

devdaily init --notifications

This will prompt you to enter your webhook URLs.

2. Test webhook configuration:

devdaily standup --test-webhook

3. Verify webhook URLs:

Check your configuration file:

devdaily config --path

Webhook URLs should be stored in secrets file:

• ~/.config/devdaily/secrets.json (global)
• .devdaily.secrets.json (project, git-ignored)

4. Common webhook errors:

• 401 Unauthorized: Webhook URL is invalid or expired. Regenerate the webhook in Slack/Discord settings.
• 404 Not Found: Webhook has been deleted. Create a new webhook.
• 400 Bad Request: Message format issue. Check if special characters need escaping.

5. Reconfigure webhooks:

devdaily init --notifications

Never commit webhook URLs to version control. DevDaily automatically adds .devdaily.secrets.json to .gitignore.

GitHub CLI Authentication

GitHub Auth not authenticated

Problem

GitHub CLI is installed but not authenticated:

GitHub Auth: Not authenticated

Solution

Authenticate with GitHub:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to authenticate via browser or token.

Verify authentication:

gh auth status

Automatic fix:

devdaily doctor --fix

Node.js Version

Node.js version requirement

Problem

DevDaily requires Node.js 18 or higher:

Node.js: v16.20.0 (requires >= 18)

Solution

Install Node.js 18+:

# Using nvm (recommended)
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

# Or download from nodejs.org
open https://nodejs.org

Verify version:

node --version

Git Hooks Not Working

Auto-snapshots not triggered on commit

Problem

Git hooks for auto-snapshots aren’t triggering.

Solutions

1. Install git hooks:

devdaily init --git-hooks

2. Verify hooks are installed:

cat .git/hooks/post-commit
cat .git/hooks/post-checkout

You should see DevDaily commands in these files.

3. Check hook permissions:

chmod +x .git/hooks/post-commit
chmod +x .git/hooks/post-checkout

4. Remove and reinstall:

devdaily init --remove-hooks
devdaily init --git-hooks

Git hooks are opt-in. DevDaily appends to existing hooks rather than overwriting them.

PR Creation Failures

Failed to create pull request

Problem

PR creation fails with various errors:

failed to create pull request
no commits between base and head

Solutions

1. Push your branch first:

git push -u origin your-branch-name
devdaily pr --create

2. Verify base branch:

# Check default branch
devdaily pr --base main
# or
devdaily pr --base develop

3. Ensure commits exist:

git log main..HEAD

4. Check GitHub CLI auth:

gh auth status
gh auth refresh

Performance Issues

DevDaily is slow or times out

Problem

Commands take too long or timeout.

Solutions

1. Use light mode for snapshots:

devdaily snapshot --light

This skips PR and ticket fetching.

2. Reduce time range:

devdaily standup --days 1
devdaily context --days 7

3. Disable auto-snapshots:

In .devdaily.json:

{
  "journal": {
    "autoSnapshot": false
  }
}

4. Clean up old journal entries:

devdaily snapshot --prune 90

This removes entries older than 90 days.

Configuration Issues

Configuration not being applied

Problem

Your configuration changes aren’t taking effect.

Solutions

1. Check configuration file location:

devdaily config --path

2. Verify JSON syntax:

Ensure your .devdaily.json is valid JSON:

# macOS/Linux
cat .devdaily.json | python -m json.tool

# Or use an online validator

3. Configuration precedence:

Local project config (.devdaily.json) overrides global config (~/.config/devdaily/config.json).

4. Reset to defaults:

Remove your config file and let DevDaily recreate it:

rm .devdaily.json
devdaily init

Still Having Issues?

If you’re still experiencing problems:

1. Run diagnostics:

   devdaily doctor
   

2. Check debug output:

   devdaily standup --debug
   

3. Report an issue: Visit github.com/hempun10/devdaily/issues

Most issues can be automatically diagnosed and fixed with devdaily doctor --fix.