DiscordChatExporter/.docs/Recurring-Scrape-Troubleshooting.md

Recurring Discord Scrape Automation - Troubleshooting Guide

This guide covers common issues and their solutions.

Setup Issues

"Required file not found" Error

Symptoms: Setup fails with "Required file not found: /path/to/config.json"

Solutions:

1. Verify config file exists: ls -la config/scrape-targets.json
2. Check file permissions: chmod 644 config/scrape-targets.json
3. Use absolute path in setup command: ./scripts/setup-cron.sh --config $(pwd)/config/scrape-targets.json

---

"Invalid JSON config" Error

Symptoms: Setup fails with "Invalid JSON config: ..."

Solutions:

1. Validate JSON syntax: jq empty config/scrape-targets.json
2. Common mistakes:
   • Trailing commas in arrays/objects
   • Unquoted keys
   • Missing closing braces
3. Use an online JSON validator if needed

---

"DISCORD_TOKEN must be set" Error

Symptoms: Preflight or scrape fails with token error

Solutions:

1. Set token in current session:

   export DISCORD_TOKEN="your-token-here"
   ./scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh preflight
   

2. Or set in scrape.env and source it:

   source scrape.env
   ./scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh preflight
   

3. Or use DISCORD_TOKEN_FILE for file-based tokens:

   export DISCORD_TOKEN_FILE="/path/to/token/file"
   chmod 600 /path/to/token/file
   

---

"Target output_dir is outside archive_root" Error

Symptoms: Setup fails with path validation error

Solution: Update config to ensure output_dir is under archive_root:

{
  "archive_root": "/home/user/discord-archives",
  "targets": [
    {
      "output_dir": "/home/user/discord-archives/target1"  // ✓ Under archive_root
    }
  ]
}

Not this:

{
  "archive_root": "/home/user/discord-archives",
  "targets": [
    {
      "output_dir": "/tmp/exports"  // ✗ Outside archive_root
    }
  ]
}

---

Authentication Issues

"Guild discovery failed" Error

Symptoms: Preflight or scrape fails with guild discovery message

Causes:

• Using a bot token (cannot enumerate guilds)
• Invalid token
• Token lacks required permissions

Solutions:

1. For bot tokens: Provide explicit guild and channel IDs:

   {
     "name": "my-target",
     "guild_ids": ["123456789"],
     "channel_ids": ["111222333"]
   }
   

2. For user tokens: Ensure the token is valid:

   • Generate a new token from Discord Developer Portal
   • Test token validity: DISCORD_TOKEN=xxx ./scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh list-targets

3. Check permissions:

   • Bot needs at least "Read Messages/View Channels" and "Read Message History"
   • User token needs access to the target guilds/channels

---

"Export ... belongs to channel XXX, expected YYY" Error

Symptoms: Scrape fails when updating an existing archive

Cause: Archive's embedded channel ID doesn't match the configured channel

Solutions:

1. Update config to match archive:

   • Check the existing archive file for the correct channel ID
   • Update channel_ids in config

2. Or move the archive:

   mv archive/old-location.json archive/target1/
   

3. Or update the channel mapping manually:

   jq '.["111"] = "path/to/archive.json"' archive/.dce-meta/channel-map.json > tmp.json && mv tmp.json archive/.dce-meta/channel-map.json
   

---

Cron Schedule Issues

Cron Job Not Running

Symptoms: Cron job installed but exports aren't happening

Diagnostic steps:

1. Verify cron is installed:

   crontab -l | grep discord-scrape
   

2. Check if cron daemon is running:

   sudo systemctl status cron
   # or on macOS:
   sudo launchctl list | grep cron
   

3. Check system logs:

   # Linux
   sudo grep CRON /var/log/syslog
   # or
   sudo grep discord-scrape /var/log/cron
   
   # macOS
   log stream --predicate 'eventMessage contains[c] "cron"'
   

4. Test the script manually:

   source scrape.env
   bash scripts/run-discord-scrape-host.sh scrape
   

---

"No such file or directory" in Cron Logs

Symptoms: Cron log shows script not found even though it exists

Causes:

• Path in crontab uses relative paths
• Directory changed since cron was installed
• Script permissions changed

Solutions:

1. Re-install cron with absolute paths:

   cd /path/to/DiscordChatExporter
   ./scripts/setup-cron.sh --config $(pwd)/config/scrape-targets.json
   

2. Ensure script is executable:

   chmod +x scripts/run-discord-scrape-host.sh
   chmod +x scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh
   chmod +x scripts/setup-cron.sh
   

---

Cron Jobs Running at Wrong Time

Symptoms: Export runs at unexpected times

Solutions:

1. Check timezone setting:

   date  # System time
   timedatectl  # System timezone
   

2. Verify crontab schedule:

   crontab -l
   

3. Update schedule:

   ./scripts/setup-cron.sh --interval "daily" --at "2:00"
   

4. Validate cron expression at crontab.guru

---

Export Issues

Exports Complete but Produce Empty Files

Symptoms: Archive files created but contain minimal/no messages

Solutions:

1. Verify channels are accessible:

   export DISCORD_TOKEN="your-token"
   ./scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh preflight
   

2. Check channel permissions:

   • Ensure token has "Read Message History"
   • Verify channel is not archived/deleted

3. Manual test export:

   ./scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh scrape --target target-name
   

---

"Archive is not valid JSON" Error

Symptoms: Existing archive file becomes corrupted

Solutions:

1. Validate the file:

   jq empty archive-file.json
   

2. If corrupted, restore from backup (if available)

3. If no backup, move the archive aside and re-export:

   mv archive-file.json archive-file.json.bak
   ./scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh scrape --target target-name
   

---

Incremental Exports Are Too Slow

Symptoms: Each scheduled export takes several minutes

Solutions:

1. Check API rate limiting:

   • Discord limits API calls per user
   • Too many frequent exports can trigger rate limiting
   • Increase interval between exports: --interval "weekly"

2. Reduce scope:

   • Export only recent messages: configure after date in export
   • Split large channels into separate targets

3. Check system resources:

   • Disk I/O bottleneck: iostat -x 1
   • CPU usage: top
   • Memory: free -h

---

"Failed to write archive" or Permission Denied

Symptoms: Export fails with write permission errors

Solutions:

1. Check directory permissions:

   ls -la archive/target-name/
   chmod 755 archive/target-name/
   chmod 644 archive/target-name/*.json
   

2. If using Docker/Podman, set user mode:

   # For rootless podman
   export DCE_USERNS_MODE=keep-id
   export DCE_UID=$(id -u)
   export DCE_GID=$(id -g)
   

3. Check SELinux (if enabled):

   getenforce
   # If "Enforcing", add `:z` to mount options:
   # docker-compose.yml should already have this
   

---

Docker/Container Issues

"Failed to build image" Error

Symptoms: Docker build fails during setup

Solutions:

1. Verify Docker is running:

   docker ps
   docker version
   

2. Check disk space:

   docker system df
   

3. Clean up and retry:

   docker system prune -a
   docker-compose build --no-cache
   

4. If using Podman:

   podman system prune -a
   podman-compose build --no-cache
   

---

"Cannot connect to Docker daemon" Error

Symptoms: Setup fails to reach Docker

Solutions:

1. For Docker:

   sudo systemctl start docker
   sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
   newgrp docker
   

2. For Podman (rootless):

   systemctl --user start podman
   systemctl --user enable podman
   

---

Authorization / Token Refresh Issues

Host Retry Auth Flow Not Working

Symptoms: Export fails with 401/403 errors even with DISCORD_TOKEN_FILE set

Solutions:

1. Verify token file is readable:

   cat $DISCORD_TOKEN_FILE
   

2. Ensure proper permissions:

   chmod 600 $DISCORD_TOKEN_FILE
   

3. Check token is fresh:

   • Tokens can expire
   • Generate a new token from Discord Developer Portal
   • Update the token file

4. Verify host wrapper is being used:

   grep run-discord-scrape-host scripts/run-discord-scrape-host.sh
   

---

Getting Help

If you're still stuck:

1. Check existing issues: https://github.com/Tyrrrz/DiscordChatExporter/issues

2. Run preflight in verbose mode:

   set -x  # Enable debug output
   ./scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh preflight
   

3. Check logs:

   # Docker logs
   docker-compose logs --tail 50
   
   # Cron logs (on Linux)
   sudo journalctl -u cron --since "1 hour ago"
   

4. Collect error details for reporting issues:

   • Config (sanitize token)
   • Full error message
   • OS/Docker version
   • Steps to reproduce