Even the most futuristic tools have their quirks. Fear not – this troubleshooting guide addresses common problems you might encounter in Shaper, with practical solutions for each. If something’s not working as expected, chances are it’s covered below. Use this as a quick reference when you hit a snag.

  • Issue: Cannot log in or authenticate (Login issues).

    Solution: Double-check that you’re using the correct login method. If you signed up via Google or GitHub OAuth, ensure you click those options instead of typing a password. If the login page is stuck or not responding, try clearing your browser cache or using an incognito window – sometimes stale cookies can cause problems. Also verify Shaper’s status (via status page or community) to ensure the service isn’t temporarily down. If you still can’t log in, use the “Forgot Password” if applicable, or contact Shaper support for account assistance.

  • Issue: The design canvas is blank or not rendering my project.

    Solution: This could happen if the project failed to load or if there’s a serious error in the code that breaks the preview. First, try refreshing the browser tab. If that doesn’t help, open the integrated code editor and look for errors (Shaper might highlight code issues or show an error message if the React app failed to compile). For example, if you or a dev wrote some code with a syntax error, it could break the preview – fix any red underlines or errors in the code and see if the design appears. Another cause might be that you have no visible components on the current page (e.g., if you deleted everything or navigated to an empty page). Switch pages or use the layer list to ensure there are elements present. If it’s a specific element not rendering, it might be due to unsupported code (like a third-party component that doesn’t show in the canvas). In that case, test in the preview (open the live preview in a new tab) to see if it appears there, and consider using a placeholder in design for visual purposes.

  • Issue: Git sync error – project not committing or pulling.

    Solution: If Shaper’s Git integration isn’t working, first check if your GitHub connection is still valid. Perhaps your auth token expired – re-connect your GitHub in Shaper settings. If committing fails, note any error messages. Common issues include repository permissions (did someone revoke or change access on GitHub?), or hitting file size limits (if you added very large assets, GitHub may reject them). Ensure your repo isn’t archived or deleted. For pull issues, it might be a merge conflict preventing automatic pull. You may need to resolve the conflict manually: open the Source Control panel or the terminal and perform a git merge, fixing conflicts and committing. If you’re not comfortable doing that in Shaper, you could temporarily pause designing, ask a developer to merge externally, then just do a fresh pull. In worst-case scenarios, disconnecting and reconnecting Git (starting fresh) could be an option, but that might create a new repo – so try to resolve issues within the existing link. Always make sure you have the latest Shaper version – if it’s a known bug, an update might have fixed it; check the changelog or community for any Git sync bug reports.

  • Issue: UI appears broken or different between Shaper and deployed site.

    Solution: If the design looks one way in Shaper but not the same when deployed (or in a developer’s local environment), a few things could be happening:

    • There might be responsive differences: e.g., Shaper’s canvas might be showing a desktop width, but on deployment you view it on a different screen size. Ensure you test responsive breakpoints in Shaper (there’s usually a device preview/resizing tool). Adjust your design for various screen sizes accordingly.
    • There could be missing styles if some styles are only in Shaper’s environment but not in the exported code. Check that all your tokens and classes are properly included in the build (e.g., Tailwind purging might remove classes that aren’t referenced in code – if you used a token value that isn’t directly referenced, you may need to mark it as safe for Tailwind). Developers can inspect the live site’s HTML/CSS to see what’s off.
    • If using third-party components or scripts, maybe they didn’t initialize properly on the live site. Open the browser console on the deployed site to see any errors. For example, a script might be blocked or an API key might be missing (like Google Maps not showing because the key is not configured in prod).
    • Verify that you deployed the latest version. It’s possible the site is showing an older commit if deployment failed on the newest. Double-check the deployment logs.
    • If the discrepancy is due to a Shaper bug (e.g., the canvas rendering had a glitch and wasn’t truly reflecting the code), try to identify what element was problematic and nudge it. Sometimes re-saving or slightly altering that element and deploying again can fix a weird mis-sync. You can also reach out on the community forums with specifics; it might be a known rendering issue.

  • Issue: The editor is slow or unresponsive (especially in big projects).

    Solution: This ties into our “optimizing large projects” discussion. If Shaper is lagging, first try the basics: refresh the page, maybe close and reopen the browser if you’ve been working a long session (memory leaks can happen). If it’s persistently slow, consider splitting your project as noted earlier – for instance, archive pages you don’t actively need to edit (perhaps a v1 of a page that’s replaced by v2). You could also try using a more powerful computer or browser for heavy projects (Chrome tends to be best for these web apps, but if one browser has issues, test another). Disabling some high-intensity effects in design can help; for example, if you have a page with multiple videos auto-playing, pause them or use placeholder images while designing. On the development side, if your project’s code is doing expensive computations on every hot-reload (like generating thousands of elements), it could slow down preview – you might guard those in development mode. In extreme cases, contact Shaper support – they might be able to increase your project’s memory allocation on their end or provide specific guidance for your case.

  • Issue: AI suggestions or generation isn’t working properly.

    Solution: If you’re using Shaper’s AI features and encounter issues (like prompts not generating anything, or AI quick-fix not applying), first ensure you have available AI credits (if Shaper uses a credit system). If it simply returns a poor result, try rephrasing your prompt – sometimes more precise language yields better outcomes. If the AI seems unresponsive, it could be a temporary server load issue; waiting and trying again often helps. Also check if your internet connection is stable. For AI chat specifically, if it’s giving irrelevant answers, verify that it has enough context – you might need to feed it more description or select the right scope (some tools allow “apply to selected element” vs general). For known bugs where AI refuses to generate certain layouts (maybe due to complexity), the workaround might be to break the task into smaller prompts (generate simpler pieces then combine). Any persistent AI tool errors should be reported to Shaper’s feedback channels – since AI is a new frontier, the team is likely eager to improve it and will value detailed bug reports.

  • Issue: “Project not found” or lost work (accidental project deletion).

    Solution: Realizing you deleted a project (or major component) by accident can be scary. If a project was deleted via the Shaper dashboard, there may be a recovery grace period. Check if Shaper has a “trash” or archive – some platforms keep deleted projects for X days. If so, restore it from there. If not, all is not necessarily lost: if you had GitHub sync turned on, your code is still safe in the repo. You can recreate the project in Shaper by importing that code (for example, create a new Shaper project and connect it to the existing repo before it tries to create a new one; Shaper might detect and pull in the code). This might not perfectly recreate the visual history (some Shaper-specific metadata might not be in Git), but it’s a solid starting point. For components or pages deleted within a project, check the Git commit history. Each deletion might correspond to a commit removing files. You can recover those by retrieving the old commit or file from GitHub. In the future, consider enabling extra confirmations for destructive actions (if Shaper provides a setting like that). And always keep Git integration on – it’s the best insurance for your work.

  • Issue: Strange UI bug in Shaper (button not responding, panel glitching).

    Solution: If you suspect Shaper’s interface itself is glitching (not your design, but the actual tool UI), first try the perennial fix: refresh the browser tab. If that doesn’t fix it and it seems reproducible (like “whenever I open the token editor, the panel is blank”), try to document it. See if it happens in a different browser or after clearing cache. Often, UI bugs are session-specific. If the bug persists, report it to Shaper’s support or forum with steps to reproduce. Meanwhile, see if there’s a workaround: for example, if a certain panel is bugged, maybe you can edit the same thing via the code editor or another interface. Shaper’s team is actively improving the product, so you might find that a bug you hit today is fixed in the next update (check the changelog). The community forum can also be a resource – someone might have already encountered that bug and posted a solution (like a keyboard shortcut to use instead of clicking the broken button).

This problem/solution list isn’t exhaustive, but it addresses the most frequently encountered issues. When in doubt, remember the Shaper community is very supportive – don’t hesitate to reach out on forums or Discord (if available) with your problem; often you’ll get a quick tip or fix from others who faced the same.