Troubleshooting

The app sits on the loading screen

The first launch after an update can legitimately take a minute: the runtime is starting. If it stalls beyond that:

1. Use the Retry button on the boot screen: it restarts the backend cleanly and resolves most one-off stalls.
2. If Retry doesn’t clear it, quit fully (the close button shuts down all of Unclaw’s components) and relaunch.
3. Still stuck? Check disk space: a nearly-full disk can break the runtime’s first-run downloads.

She can’t hear me

• Check the microphone permission: Unclaw must be enabled. Toggle it and relaunch if you changed it:
  • macOS: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
  • Windows: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone
• Check your input device in your system’s sound settings: Unclaw listens to the system default microphone.
• The transcription indicator (the red wave in the input bar) should move when you speak. If it moves but she doesn’t respond, the AI provider may be the issue: run Check Keys in Settings.

The character isn’t appearing

If you see the app’s backdrop but no character:

1. Give it a moment: after an update or a backend restart, the character engine reboots and the character re-enters on its own.
2. If she stays absent, quit fully and relaunch. The app is designed so a fresh launch always recovers.

Replies stopped coming

Almost always the AI provider: an expired key, an exhausted quota, or the provider having an incident. Settings → Check Keys tests your exact configuration live and names what failed. If you use a local model, make sure Ollama is running.

Performance

• Unclaw renders a film-quality character: it will use your GPU. This coexists well with normal work, but a heavy GPU app (games, 3D tools, video renders) will compete with it.
• Smaller window = lighter rendering. The render resolution follows the window, so shrinking her costs less.
• Local voice engines (especially Pocket) are the lightest overall choice.

Updates

Unclaw updates itself in pieces: the app, the character engine, voices, and assets update independently, so most updates are small. If an update seems stuck, relaunch; downloads resume where they left off.

Still stuck?

Reach us through unclaw.io. Include what you were doing, and whether Retry/relaunch changed anything.