Troubleshooting Guide

Quick fixes for common issues

Quick Solutions

🚫

Login Failed

Can't login to Facebook

1. Disable 2FA temporarily
2. Try different account
3. Check for account restrictions
🤖

AI Not Working

Ollama connection issues

1. Run ollama serve
2. Check port 11434 is open
3. Verify model is downloaded
🔍

No Results

Scraping returns empty

1. Increase search radius
2. Adjust filters
3. Use debug mode

Common Issues

❌ Login Failed or Account Restricted

+

Facebook login fails with "Login failed or account restricted" error.

Common Causes:

  • Two-factor authentication enabled
  • Account flagged for suspicious activity
  • CAPTCHA or verification required
  • Password changed recently
  • Account locked or restricted

Solutions:

1. Disable 2FA
  • Go to Facebook Security Settings
  • Turn off Two-Factor Authentication
  • Try login again
  • Re-enable 2FA after scraping
2. Use Different Account
  • Create secondary Facebook account
  • Ensure Marketplace access
  • Use for scraping only
3. Debug Mode
  • Set headless: false in browser options
  • Watch login process visually
  • Handle CAPTCHA manually if needed

Prevention:

  • Use dedicated scraping account
  • Don't run scraper too frequently
  • Clear browser data periodically

🤖 Cannot Connect to Ollama Service

+

AI evaluation fails with "Cannot connect to ollama service" error.

Diagnostic Steps:

# Check if Ollama is running
ollama list

# Check if service is listening
netstat -an | grep 11434

# Test API endpoint
curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

Solutions:

Start Ollama Service: 
# Start service
ollama serve

# In separate terminal, test
ollama run llama3.1:8b "Hello"
Download Model: 
# Download required model
ollama pull llama3.1:8b

# Verify download
ollama list
Port Configuration: 
# Check port usage
lsof -i :11434

# Kill conflicting process if needed
kill -9 [PID]

# Start Ollama on different port
OLLAMA_PORT=11435 ollama serve

🔍 No Listings Found

+

Scraper completes but returns no results or very few listings.

Possible Causes:

  • Search parameters too restrictive
  • No Miatas in your area
  • Facebook page structure changed
  • Marketplace not available in region

Solutions:

Debug Information:

Debug screenshots are saved as debug-marketplace.png when no results are found. Check these images to see what the scraper is seeing.

🌐 Browser Automation Failed

+

Puppeteer fails to start browser or navigate to pages.

🐧 Linux

# Install Chrome dependencies
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
  gconf-service libasound2 libatk1.0-0 libc6 libcairo2 \
  libcups2 libdbus-1-3 libexpat1 libfontconfig1 libgcc1 \
  libgconf-2-4 libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 libglib2.0-0 libgtk-3-0 \
  libnspr4 libpango-1.0-0 libpangocairo-1.0-0 libstdc++6 \
  libx11-6 libx11-xcb1 libxcb1 libxcomposite1 libxcursor1 \
  libxdamage1 libxext6 libxfixes3 libxi6 libxrandr2 \
  libxrender1 libxss1 libxtst6 ca-certificates \
  fonts-liberation libappindicator1 libnss3 lsb-release \
  xdg-utils wget

🪟 Windows

  • Ensure Windows Defender isn't blocking Puppeteer
  • Run as administrator if needed
  • Check Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) compatibility

🍎 macOS

# If using M1/M2 Mac, ensure correct architecture
arch -arm64 npm install puppeteer

# Or use system Chrome
export PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH="/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome"

Debug Mode

Use debug mode to troubleshoot issues with detailed logging and visual feedback.

🔧 Enabling Debug Mode

Web Interface:

Click "🛑 End Early (Debug)" button on the search page

URL Parameter:

Add ?debug=true to the scrape-results URL

Manual Override:

Navigate directly to http://localhost:3000/scrape-results?debug=true

🔍 What Debug Mode Does

Limited Processing: Only processes first 3 listings for faster iteration
Enhanced Logging: Detailed console output with step-by-step progress
Screenshot Capture: Saves debug images when errors occur
Visible Browser: Optionally run browser in non-headless mode

📊 Reading Debug Output

🔍 Scrape-results endpoint called
🐛 DEBUG MODE ENABLED - Will process only first 3 listings
✅ Session and search params found, proceeding with scrape
🚀 Starting browser...
🌐 Navigating to Facebook login...
📍 Current URL after navigation: https://www.facebook.com/login
🔐 Need to log in...
✅ Found email input
⌨️ Typing email...
⌨️ Typing password...
🖱️ Clicking login button...
✅ Login successful!
🔍 Building direct search URL...

Performance Tips

⚡

Optimize Search Parameters

  • Start with smaller radius and expand if needed
  • Use reasonable result limits (10-30 for testing)
  • Set practical filters to reduce processing time
🧠

AI Processing

  • Ollama performs better with adequate RAM (8GB+)
  • Close other applications during evaluation
  • Consider smaller models for faster responses
🌐

Network & Browser

  • Stable internet connection improves reliability
  • Close unnecessary browser windows
  • Clear browser cache periodically

Getting Help

📞 Support Channels

🐛

Bug Reports

Found a reproducible issue? Open an issue on GitHub with detailed steps.

Report Issue
💡

Feature Requests

Have ideas for improvements? Start a discussion on GitHub.

Discuss
📖

Documentation

Check the complete guide for detailed information.

Read Guide

📋 When Reporting Issues

Environment: OS, Node.js version, browser version
Steps to Reproduce: Exact steps that cause the issue
Expected vs Actual: What should happen vs what actually happens
Console Logs: Copy the terminal output
Debug Screenshots: Include any debug-*.png files