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Troubleshooting Guide

Common issues and solutions for mc-webui.

Table of Contents

Common Issues

Container won't start

Check logs:

docker compose logs -f mc-webui

Common causes:

  • Serial port not found → Verify MC_SERIAL_PORT in .env
  • Permission denied → Add user to dialout group
  • Port 5000 already in use → Change FLASK_PORT in .env

Cannot access web interface

Check if port is open:

sudo netstat -tulpn | grep 5000

Check firewall:

# Allow port 5000 (if using UFW)
sudo ufw allow 5000/tcp

Check container is running:

docker compose ps

No messages appearing

Check device connection:

# Check container logs for device communication
docker compose logs -f mc-webui

Check database:

# Verify the database file exists
ls -la data/meshcore/*.db

Check System Log in the web UI (Menu → System Log) for real-time device event information.

Device not found

# Check if device is connected
ls -l /dev/serial/by-id/

# Verify device permissions
sudo chmod 666 /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Espressif*

USB device errors

Check device connection:

ls -l /dev/serial/by-id/

Restart container:

docker compose restart mc-webui

Check device permissions:

ls -l /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Espressif*

Should show crw-rw---- with group dialout.

Device not responding

Symptoms:

  • Container logs show repeated no_event_received errors and restarts: 
    ERROR:meshcore:Error while querying device: Event(type=<EventType.ERROR: 'command_error'>, payload={'reason': 'no_event_received'})
  • Device name not detected (auto-detection fails)
  • All commands timeout in the Console

What this means:

The serial connection to the USB adapter (e.g. CP2102) is working, but the MeshCore device firmware is not responding to protocol commands. The device boots (serial port connects), but the application code is not running properly.

What does NOT help:

  • Restarting Docker containers
  • Restarting the host machine
  • USB reset or USB power cycle (only resets the USB-to-UART adapter, not the MeshCore radio module)

Fix: Re-flash the firmware

The MeshCore device firmware is likely corrupted. Re-flash the latest firmware using the MeshCore Flasher:

  1. Download the latest firmware from MeshCore releases
  2. Flash using MeshCore Flasher or esptool
  3. Restart mc-webui: docker compose up -d

This can happen after a power failure during OTA update, flash memory corruption, or other hardware anomalies.

BLE Connection Issues

If using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transport, see the dedicated Bluetooth Pairing Guide for setup and troubleshooting, including:

  • Host preparation (BlueZ configuration, ControllerMode = le)
  • Pairing with fixed PIN
  • Trusting the device for automatic reconnection
  • Diagnosing connection loops and stale BlueZ connections

Contact Management Issues

Check logs:

# mc-webui container logs
docker compose logs -f mc-webui

You can also check the System Log in the web UI (Menu → System Log) for real-time information about contact events and settings changes.

Docker Commands

View logs

docker compose logs -f mc-webui

Restart

docker compose restart mc-webui

Start / Stop

# Start the application
docker compose up -d

# Stop the application
docker compose down

# Rebuild after code changes
docker compose up -d --build

Check status

docker compose ps

Access container shell

docker compose exec mc-webui sh

Backup and Restore

All important data is in the data/ directory.

UI Backup (recommended)

You can create and download database backups directly from the web UI:

  1. Click the menu icon (☰) → "Backup"
  2. Click "Create Backup" to create a timestamped backup
  3. Click "Download" to save a backup to your local machine

Manual backup (CLI)

cd ~/mc-webui
tar -czf ../mc-webui-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz data/

# Verify backup
ls -lh ../mc-webui-backup-*.tar.gz

Recommended backup schedule

  • Weekly backups of data/ directory
  • Before major updates
  • After significant configuration changes

Restore from backup

# Stop application
cd ~/mc-webui
docker compose down

# Restore data
tar -xzf ../mc-webui-backup-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz

# Restart
docker compose up -d

Next Steps

After successful installation:

  1. Join channels - Create or join encrypted channels with other users
  2. Configure contacts - Enable manual approval if desired
  3. Test Direct Messages - Send DM to other COM contacts
  4. Set up backups - Schedule regular backups of data/ directory
  5. Read full documentation - See User Guide for all features

Getting Help

Documentation:

Issues: