Troubleshooting

Diagnostic procedures for common failure modes, organized by symptom category. Each entry provides a root cause, resolution steps, and — where applicable — preventive measures.

---

Quick Diagnosis

Locate the symptom. Follow the linked resolution.

Symptom	Category	First action
No response after sending a message	Chat	Wait 60 seconds → click [Regenerate]
Incorrect or fabricated answer	Chat	Request source quote → rephrase with higher specificity
Chat not visible in sidebar	Chat	Check History
Rate limit exceeded	Chat	Wait 5 minutes
Response truncated mid-sentence	Chat	Type "Continue" or "Keep going"
Context lost in long conversation	Chat	Start new chat with a summary of prior findings
File upload fails	Documents	Verify file size (≤20 MB) and format
"Can't read file" error	Documents	Convert to text-based PDF or .docx
Wrong answer about document contents	Documents	Request exact quote → verify against source
PDF table data is malformed	Documents	Re-upload data as CSV/XLSX, or paste and describe structure
Long document loses context	Documents	Split into 3–5 sections; process per session
Cannot sign in	Account	Reset password or verify SSO credentials
Settings do not persist	Account	Clear browser cache → retry in alternate browser

---

1. Chat Issues

1.1 No Response

Symptom: Message sent; no output appears.

Resolution:

1. Wait 60 seconds. Complex prompts and larger models require additional processing time.
2. Click [Regenerate] to retry the request.
3. Send a minimal test prompt ("Hello?") to isolate whether the issue is prompt-specific or systemic.
4. Refresh the page and retry.

If all steps fail: The service may be temporarily unavailable. Wait 10 minutes and retry. If the issue persists, escalate via Support & Escalation.

---

1.2 Incorrect Output

Symptom: IAN returns factually incorrect, fabricated, or off-topic content.

Resolution:

1. Request source attribution: Prompt "Quote the exact text or source where you found that." Verify the cited passage against the original material.
2. Increase prompt specificity: Vague prompts produce lower-accuracy outputs. See Best Practices §1.1.
3. Regenerate: Click [Regenerate] — the same model may produce a more accurate response on a subsequent attempt.

Compliance note: Do not rely on IAN as the sole source of truth for claims, compliance, legal, or financial decisions. Always verify against official sources or consult a subject-matter expert.

---

1.3 Missing Chat History

Symptom: A previous conversation is no longer visible.

Resolution:

1. Open History in the sidebar. Use the search box to locate by keyword.
2. Open Saved in the sidebar. Starred chats are retained indefinitely.

Prevention: Star (⭐) any conversation you will need to reference later. Starred chats do not expire.

---

1.4 Rate Limit Exceeded

Symptom: Error message indicating too many requests.

Resolution: Wait 5 minutes, then continue normally.

If recurring: Request a rate limit adjustment from your organization admin.

---

1.5 Truncated Response

Symptom: Output stops mid-sentence.

Root cause: The response exceeded the model's per-response output token limit.

Resolution: Type "Continue" or "Keep going". IAN resumes from the point of truncation.

---

1.6 Context Window Exceeded

Symptom: IAN no longer references information from earlier in the conversation, or produces contradictory statements.

Root cause: The conversation length has exceeded the model's context window capacity.

Resolution:

1. Start a new chat.
2. In the first message, provide a summary of prior findings: "Here's what we established so far: [summary]. Now let's continue with…"

Prevention: Keep conversations focused on a single topic. Start a new session when the topic changes substantially.

---

2. Document Issues

2.1 File Upload Failure

Symptom: File does not attach or upload errors on submission.

Diagnostic checklist:

Check	Requirement	Resolution
File size	≤20 MB per file; ≤50 MB total per message	Split file into smaller parts
File format	PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV, or XLSX	Convert to a supported format
File integrity	File opens normally on local machine	Re-download or re-save the file

If all checks pass:

1. Try drag-and-drop instead of the [Attach files] button (or vice versa).
2. Retry in a different browser.
3. Re-save the file (File → Save As → new copy) and retry.

---

2.2 Unreadable File

Symptom: IAN returns a "can't read file" error.

File type	Root cause	Resolution
.doc (pre-2007 Word)	Unsupported legacy format	Open in Word → Save As .docx
Password-protected PDF	IAN cannot decrypt protected files	Remove password protection, re-save
Scanned document (image-only PDF)	No extractable text layer	Process with OCR software before uploading
Proprietary formats (.pages, .numbers)	Not supported	Export to PDF or DOCX

Quick diagnostic: Open the file and press Ctrl+A (Select All). If text is highlighted, IAN can process it. If nothing highlights, the file is image-based and requires OCR preprocessing.

---

2.3 Incorrect Document Output

Symptom: IAN makes claims about the document that do not match the actual contents.

Resolution:

1. Request a verbatim quote: "Quote the exact paragraph where you found that."
2. Verify the quote against the source document.
3. If the quote is accurate but the interpretation is wrong: Provide additional context: "When this document says [term], it means [your definition]."
4. If the quote is inaccurate or fabricated: The model misread the document. Rephrase the question or switch models.

---

2.4 PDF Table Extraction Errors

Symptom: Table data from a PDF is malformed, merged, or incorrectly structured.

Root cause: PDF table layouts are visually rendered, not structurally encoded. Text extraction frequently fails to preserve column/row relationships.

Workaround:

1. Copy the table data from the PDF.
2. Paste into the chat message or a plain text file.
3. Describe the structure explicitly: "Here's a table with columns: Date, Amount, Region."
4. Submit the query against the pasted data.

Preferred alternative: If the source data is available in CSV or XLSX format, upload the spreadsheet instead. Structured file formats produce significantly more reliable extraction.

---

2.5 Context Loss on Long Documents

Symptom: IAN produces incomplete or inconsistent answers when processing documents exceeding ~50 pages.

Root cause: Document length approaches or exceeds the model's context window capacity.

Resolution:

1. Split the document into 3–5 sections by topic or chapter.
2. Upload one section per chat session.
3. Summarize each section independently.
4. Open a final chat, paste all summaries, and prompt: "Synthesize these findings into one overview."

For the full segmented analysis workflow, see Best Practices §3.4.

---

3. Account Issues

3.1 Sign-In Failure

Symptom	Resolution
SSO authentication failure	Verify you are using your p-number (not email address). Confirm MFA device is available.
Account locked	Wait 15 minutes for auto-unlock. If still locked, contact support.
"Access denied" error	Account may not yet be provisioned. Allow a few hours for propagation. If unresolved, contact support.

For full sign-in procedures, see Sign In & Account Setup.

---

3.2 Settings Not Persisting

Symptom: Changes to user settings revert after navigation or page refresh.

Resolution:

1. Refresh the page and retry.
2. Retry in a different browser.
3. Clear the browser cache: Ctrl+Shift+Delete → clear cached files → refresh.

If unresolved, contact support.

---

Escalation Procedure

If no resolution above addresses the issue:

1. Document the scenario: what action was taken, what occurred, and what was expected.
2. Capture a screenshot of any error message.
3. Submit via Support & Escalation.

---

Related Pages

Page	Purpose
Getting Started with Chat	Core chat interaction workflow
Document Upload Basics	File upload procedures and format reference
Common Scenarios	Prompt templates for repeatable workflows
Best Practices	Prompt engineering and operational guidelines
Platform Overview	IAN Think capability matrix and onboarding path