Troubleshooting

Velnode Browser  ·  a product of Dignity New Zealand Limited

_{User  |  Version 1.3  |  Last updated 2026-07-03}

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Troubleshooting

Document type: User Owner: Dignity New Zealand Limited Applies to: Velnode Browser v2.3.2-beta.1 and later Last updated: 2026-07-03 Document version: 1.3 Status: Approved

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Practical fixes for the issues users hit most often, ordered roughly by frequency. If nothing here resolves your issue, e-mail [email protected] with the version number shown in the title bar (or ☰ → About Velnode) and a short description.

Velnode Browser is a product of Dignity New Zealand Limited.

0. Installing Velnode — SmartScreen and updates

0a. Windows says "Windows protected your PC" / "Unknown publisher"

Velnode is digitally signed (since v2.3.3-beta.13) by DIGNITY NEWZEALAND LIMITED, our registered company — the "Unknown publisher" era is over. If SmartScreen still shows a caution screen, that's its reputation system warming up to a newly signed publisher; it fades as downloads accumulate. Click More info, confirm the publisher reads DIGNITY NEWZEALAND LIMITED, then Run anyway. If the publisher shows as anything else, do NOT install — download only from velnode.app.

If you want to confirm the installer itself is genuine before running it, check its SHA-256 hash against the checksums published at https://downloads.velnode.app/latest/SHA256SUMS.txt. In PowerShell: Get-FileHash Velnode-Setup.exe and compare the output to the published value for Velnode-Setup.exe.

0b. How do I update Velnode?

Updates in the beta are notify-only. Velnode checks for a newer release and, if one is available, shows you a notice linking to https://velnode.app/download — it never downloads or installs anything on its own. To update, download the latest installer from that page and run it; it installs over your existing copy and keeps all your data (bookmarks, history, notes, vault, and settings). Fully automatic updates are planned once the installer is code-signed.

0c. Reinstalling or updating deleted my data

It should not. Velnode's installer never touches your profile data — your data/ folder is separate from the application files, and both a fresh install over an existing one and a version update preserve it. If you believe your data went missing after an install or update, see §4 (Bookmarks or notes disappeared) and e-mail [email protected] with details.

1. Velnode will not start

Symptom. Double-clicking the Velnode icon does nothing, or the window flashes and disappears.

Try, in order:

1. Check disk space. Velnode needs a few hundred megabytes free to write timeline.json and the semantic memory. Free some space and try again.
2. Rename data/. Quit Velnode. Rename the data/ folder to data.bak/. Launch Velnode. If it starts cleanly, the problem is a corrupted state file. Move the JSON files back one at a time to find the offender.
3. Try a clean install location. On Windows, reinstall into a path that does not contain Unicode or non-ASCII characters. Some legacy Node modules misbehave on exotic paths.
4. Check antivirus. Some antivirus tools quarantine Electron binaries by default. Add Velnode to the allow-list.

2. Vee will not respond

Symptom. You ask Vee something and nothing comes back.

Try, in order:

1. Open Settings → Vee → AI provider. Confirm the API key is present and not blank. A blank key with Local-Only off will lead to a silent failure mode in some misconfigured environments.
2. Check Local-Only mode. If Local-Only is on and you have not yet downloaded the local Vee brain (Settings → AI → "Add local Vee brain" — it is an opt-in download, not bundled with the installer), Vee will respond from its built-in knowledge only rather than calling a cloud provider. Turn Local-Only off, or download the local brain.
3. Check Kids Mode. Kids Mode forces Local-Only. The same condition applies.
4. On-device brain: check free memory and give the first answer time. A Vee Brain needs about 4 GB of free memory while answering — if memory is too low, Velnode shows a "not enough free memory" message instead of answering; close some heavy apps and ask again. The first on-device answer after launch also takes a minute or two while Vee reads your context (you'll see a status note in the chat) — that read happens once; later answers start in seconds.
5. Check token caps. If you have set a very low daily token cap in Settings → Vee, Vee will refuse calls once the cap is exhausted. The Settings page shows the current count.
6. Try a different prompt. Vee will refuse prompts that breach the policy. The refusal usually says why; if the refusal is silent, the prompt may have tripped the safety layer of your cloud provider. Try rewording.

3. Pages load slowly

Symptom. Tabs take longer to render than you remember.

Try, in order:

1. Settings → Velnode System Health. Look at the RAM column. If a plugin is using more than its expected share, disable it.
2. Disable plugins individually. A misbehaving plugin can make tabs feel sluggish. Disable them all, then re-enable one at a time.
3. Close idle tabs. Chromium's per-tab cost is still real even when a tab is in the background. Velnode does not magically remove it.
4. Check your AI provider. A slow cloud provider can cause Vee suggestions to feel laggy. Switch providers or turn off in-page suggestions in Settings → Vee.

4. Bookmarks or notes disappeared

Symptom. A bookmark or sticky note you saved is gone.

Try, in order:

1. Search. In the Command + Context bar, type find: followed by something you remember about it. The semantic find searches the timeline.
2. Check the backups. Velnode keeps numbered backup snapshots in the project repo (velorabrowser_stable_backup/Backup-N). On a development install, you can roll back. On a release install, see the Backup Procedure for the canonical recovery flow.
3. Verify Local Data files. Quit Velnode. Open data/bookmarks.json or data/notes.json in a text editor. If the file is empty or malformed, restore from your most recent backup.

5. Tabs are grouped incorrectly

Symptom. Velnode groups two unrelated sites under the same group.

Reason. Tab grouping is by host. If two sites share the same host (for example, a vendor-hosted help page on the vendor's main domain), they will group together by design.

Fix. Right-click the group → Break group. The tabs become individual again.

6. Voice does not work

Symptom. Vee Whisper does not respond to your voice.

Try, in order:

1. Check microphone permission. Velnode prompts for microphone access on first use. If you denied it, re-grant access in your operating system's privacy settings.
2. Confirm the voice key. Settings → Voice → Voice key. Some users change the binding and forget. Reset to the default.
3. Wake-word. The always-listening "Hey Vee" wake-word is a separate opt-in download, not bundled with the installer. Until you add it, voice requires pressing the voice key.

7. The PDF or Markdown viewer is broken

Symptom. A .pdf or .md file opens as a download instead of in the viewer.

Try:

1. Settings → Viewers → confirm the viewer is enabled.
2. Open the file with Ctrl/Cmd + O and pick it manually. If it opens, the file association is the issue, not the viewer.
3. If the viewer hangs on a very large PDF, give it a few seconds. Velnode's PDF viewer is single-process and large files render slower than an external viewer.

8. I want to start over

Symptom. You want to reset Velnode completely.

Steps:

1. Quit Velnode.
2. Back up data/ somewhere safe — see Backup Procedure.
3. Delete data/ from the install directory.
4. Relaunch Velnode. It will create empty defaults.

If you also want to remove plugins and downloaded models, delete the corresponding plugins/ folder and any model files you downloaded for the local brain or wake-word.

9. Password Vault issues

9a. I forgot my master passphrase

If you set up a recovery phrase, use it: on the vault unlock screen, click Use recovery phrase (appears below the passphrase field after one failed attempt), enter your 24 words in order, and Velnode will prompt you to set a new passphrase.

If you did not set up a recovery phrase, the vault cannot be unlocked. Click Reset vault on the unlock screen to delete it and start fresh, then change the passwords on every affected site using each site's own "forgot password" flow.

9b. My recovery phrase was rejected

Check each word carefully against your written copy. BIP39 words are standard English; spelling must be exact (Velnode accepts upper or lower case). A transposed or misspelled word causes the whole phrase to fail. If the phrase still does not work, it may not belong to this vault — recovery phrases are bound to the specific vault where they were generated and cannot be transferred between vaults.

9c. A site login was not captured

The vault captures logins when you submit a username and password form. Some sites use non-standard login flows (step-by-step pages, pop-ups, SSO-only) that the capture may miss. In these cases, open the vault and add the login manually using the Add login button.

9d. Auto-fill is not working on a site

Auto-fill matches credentials by the site's origin (scheme + domain). If the site redirects through a third-party SSO provider (for example, signing into YouTube via your Google account), Velnode records the auth origin and shows the display label of the originating site. If auto-fill does not trigger:

1. Open the vault and search for the site name.
2. Check that the stored origin matches the page where you need the fill. If not, edit the entry to correct the origin.
3. If the site uses a non-standard form, click the vault icon in the toolbar to fill manually.

9e. Restore says "no items found in backup file"

Make sure you are on Velnode v1.19 or later. Backup files from future versions may not be backwards-compatible. If you are on the correct version, the file may be corrupt or incomplete. Try an earlier automatic snapshot if you have them, or e-mail [email protected] with the version number from the title bar (or ☰ → About Velnode) and a description of how the backup was created.

9f. Automatic backups stopped

Check that the chosen backup folder still exists and is writable. If the folder was on an external drive that is now disconnected, Velnode skips the backup silently. Reconnect the drive, or re-open vault Settings → Backup and restore → Automatic backups, re-choose a folder, and save.

10. Account issues

10a. Forgot password — what can I recover?

A password-reset link (sent to your registered email) restores your ability to log in. It does not automatically restore access to data encrypted under your old key. After resetting, Velnode asks for your 24-word Recovery Kit. Entering it re-wraps the encrypted data key under your new password, and everything works as before.

If you have lost your Recovery Kit: your login is restored, but any data encrypted to your account before the reset is unrecoverable — not by you, and not by Dignity New Zealand Limited. Your local data on your device (data/*.json, the vault) is not affected; only the account-encrypted cloud data is lost. This is the honest, unavoidable consequence of zero-knowledge encryption.

10b. Recovery Kit was rejected

Check each word carefully: BIP-39 words are standard English and spelling must be exact (Velnode accepts upper or lower case). A single wrong, transposed, or misspelled word causes the whole phrase to fail.

If the phrase still does not work:

• Make sure you are entering the Recovery Kit for this account, not the vault's 24-word recovery phrase. The two are separate.
• If you copied the words from the PDF Emergency Kit, confirm the PDF was downloaded for this account.

If the Kit is definitely correct but still fails, write to [email protected] with the version number from the title bar (or ☰ → About Velnode) and a description of the issue.

10c. "Email already in use" at sign-up

An account with that email address already exists. Try signing in instead. If you do not remember the password, use the forgot-password flow.

10d. Sign-in fails with correct credentials

1. Check that you are entering the email address you registered with (lowercase; Velnode normalises it).
2. If you recently reset your password, use the new password.
3. If your session expired, signing in again creates a new session.
4. If the sign-in page shows an error other than "Email or password is incorrect", the account server may be temporarily unavailable. Velnode remains fully functional signed out; try again in a few minutes.

10e. "Securing your account…" spinner is taking a very long time

This step runs the key-derivation algorithm, which takes a few seconds (about 3–5 seconds on most devices). If it has been running for more than 30 seconds, close the account page and try again. On a very slow or heavily loaded device, the derivation may take longer than usual.

10f. Verification email did not arrive

Check your spam or junk folder. If it is not there, return to velora://account and request a new verification link from the Account settings page. Unverified accounts are still functional in Stage 1; verification is used to confirm you own the email address.

10g. Lost access to the email address used to register

Contact [email protected]. Include as much identifying information as you can about the account. We will work with you on a case-by-case basis. We cannot grant access to account data without verifying your identity through an alternative means.

11. I think I found a security issue

Stop. Do not publicly disclose it. Write to [email protected] with the subject Security disclosure and a reproduction. See the Acceptable Use Policy §5 and the Incident Response procedure.

12. Where to ask next

• FAQ — short answers to common questions.
• Velnode Account — full account guide.
• Vee Capabilities — what Vee can and cannot do.
• E-mail [email protected] with the version number from the title bar (or ☰ → About Velnode).

9.5. Vee won't answer / "No usable AI provider"

1. Open Settings → AI Provider & Key. Confirm a provider and model are selected and the Status line reports the key is saved/valid.
2. The key must match the chosen provider (OpenAI starts sk-, Claude sk-ant-, Gemini AIza, Grok xai-, OpenRouter sk-or-). If the status says "looks invalid for this provider", you probably pasted a key for a different provider.
3. Local / custom server (Ollama, LM Studio): set the base URL (e.g. http://localhost:11434/v1). Network (non-loopback) addresses must use https; plain http:// is allowed only for localhost / 127.0.0.1.
4. Local-Only Mode on? Then no cloud provider is used at all — Vee answers only from the on-device model. Turn it off in Settings to use a cloud provider.
5. Voice not working on a non-OpenAI provider? That is expected — transcription needs an OpenAI key or local voice. Typed chat still uses your selected provider.

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Document maintained by Dignity New Zealand Limited. Questions: [email protected].