# Troubleshooting Ripscope says what went wrong in a message, in your terminal or in your editor. Each message below comes with its cause and the fix. ## Command not found ```text ripscope: command not found ``` The directory Ripscope was installed into is not on your `PATH`. The installer puts it in `~/.local/bin` on Linux and `%USERPROFILE%\.local\bin` on Windows. [Add that directory to PATH](../guide/installation-options.md#add-ripscope-to-path) and open a new terminal. The editor plugins find Ripscope there either way. ## The full-screen interface is not supported ```text ripscope: cscope's full-screen interface is not supported; use -b, -L or -l ``` You ran `ripscope` without saying what to do. Search with `-L`, for example `ripscope -L -1 main`, or search from your [editor](../editors/vim.md). ## No source files found ```text ripscope: no source files found ``` Ripscope found no C files to index. Check that you are in your project directory. Add `-R` when the sources are in subdirectories. When a `cscope.files` is present, Ripscope indexes only the files it names, so check its entries. ## Cannot find file ```text ripscope: cannot find file src/old.c ``` A file named on the command line or in the file list does not exist. Ripscope indexes the rest. Remove or correct the entry. Names in a file list are relative to the directory you build the index in. ## No index ```text ripscope: no index at ripscope.db ``` `-d` answers from an existing index and never creates one. Run the search without `-d`, or build the index first with `ripscope -b`. If your index has another name, give it with `-f`. ## Not a ripscope index ```text ripscope: cscope.out is not a ripscope index; it was left unchanged ``` The path you gave with `-f` holds a cscope database or some other file. Ripscope keeps its own index and does not read cscope's. Leave out `-f` to use `ripscope.db`, or name a new file. ## A search prints nothing A search that finds no matches prints nothing and exits with status 0. If you expected a match, check these in turn. 1. **The pattern.** A symbol pattern must match the whole name. `-1 reet` does not find `greet`, but `-1 '.*reet'` does. Use `-4` to search for text inside names. 2. **The files.** `ripscope -dL -7 .` lists every indexed file. If yours is missing, build the index again with `-R` or with the file named. 3. **The headers.** A header is indexed when an indexed file includes it and Ripscope can find it. Add its directory with `-I DIR`. 4. **Standard error.** `ripscope: invalid query pattern` there means the pattern could not be used, which also prints no rows. ## Invalid query pattern ```text ripscope: invalid query pattern: invalid syntax ``` The pattern is not a valid regular expression, or the search cannot take it. For example, a definition search takes a name or a pattern that matches whole names, not text with spaces. [Queries](../guide/queries.md#patterns) lists what each search accepts. ## The index is on a network or synchronised folder ```text ripscope: /mnt/share/ripscope.db is on NFS, where the index's write-ahead log is unsafe; keep the index in a local folder that is not synchronised ``` The index must be on a local disk. Your sources can stay where they are. Name an index in a local folder with `-f`, such as `-f ~/.cache/project.db`. The editor plugins already keep their indexes in your local cache directory. [Where the index may live](../guide/building.md#where-the-index-may-live) has the full list of places Ripscope refuses. ## Damaged index ```text ripscope: damaged index: its name postings cannot be read; rebuild it with -bu and the options it was built with ``` Build the index again from the sources with `-bu` and the options you first built it with, such as `ripscope -bu -R -k`. To check an index, run `ripscope --verify`. See [Check and repair an index](../guide/recovery.md). ## The inotify watch limit is reached A warning with a search result contains this text: ```text the inotify watch limit is reached; raise fs.inotify.max_user_watches ``` Linux limits how many files and directories one user can watch. Past the limit, a session checks the sources before every search, which is slower on a large project. Raise the limit, for example with `sudo sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288`, and restart your editor. ## The first search in an editor takes a while ```text ripscope: indexing /home/me/project for the first time... ``` The first search in a project builds its index, which takes a moment on a large project. Later searches reuse it and read only the files you changed. ## The editor cannot find Ripscope ```text ripscope: the ripscope executable was not found; install it with :RipscopeInstall Ripscope executable not found; install it with :RipscopeInstall ``` Vim prints the first message and Neovim the second. Run `:RipscopeInstall` in Vim or Neovim, or `M-x ripscope-install` in Emacs. Each downloads the executable that matches the plugin. ## Vim reports E609 or E259 E259 means the search ran and found nothing. E609 means the search could not be answered, or that its answer came with a warning. [Results, warnings and failures](../editors/diagnostics.md) explains each case in Vim, Neovim and Emacs and how to recover. ## Still stuck [Open an issue](https://github.com/pederbe/ripscope/issues/new/choose) with the command you ran, what it printed and the output of `ripscope --version`.