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Find the message or problem you’re seeing, then follow the steps under it. If nothing here matches, contact support with the exact message. For a wrong score or an extra count, see Fix a mistake. For problems with Companion on iPhone, see Companion troubleshooting.

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Installing and opening

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”Copy Sightline to get updates?” on a Mac

Sightline can’t update itself from the main Applications folder on some district-managed Macs. Install on Mac explains what Copy and open does and what to choose.

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”Windows protected your PC”, or Defender removed a file

Select More info and check that Publisher reads Christopher Ives, the name on Sightline’s code-signing certificate, before you select Run anyway. If Defender quarantined a Sightline file, restore it from Protection history. Install on Windows covers both.

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”Open the newest copy of Sightline”

Your records were last opened in a newer version than the one you just started. Quit, then open the newest copy of Sightline, at the version the message names or later.

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”Sightline can’t open your records” or “Sightline can’t unlock your records”

Your file has not been changed. If the screen offers Restore from a backup, select it, choose your backup, and unlock it if asked. Check the counts before you select Replace and open. If this computer’s key is gone, only a backup saved with a passphrase can be restored. Otherwise quit and contact support.

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”Sightline couldn’t start”

The dialog shows an error message. Copy that message and contact support. Don’t attach log files.

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Recording

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”I can’t select Begin”

Read the message beside Begin. It names what’s missing, such as “Add a behavior”, “Enter a length of at least 1 minute”, “Enter an interval of at least 5 seconds”, or “Interval must fit within session length”. Latency also needs “Add when the clock starts”.

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”The recorder paused when I switched windows”

Pause when Sightline loses focus is turned on. Select Resume to continue. To stop it, turn the setting off in Settings → Recording.

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”I can’t hear the interval cue”

Check Sound and Volume in Settings → Recording, and Audio signal in the observation’s setup. Sound set to Off silences every recording sound.

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”I can’t pause, or can’t mark a response, in Latency”

Pause is unavailable while a trial is running. Record the response, select No response, or cancel the trial, then pause. The response buttons stay unavailable until a trial starts: select Mark prompt first, and resume the observation if it is paused.

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”Auto-save failed. Your data may not be saved. Keep the session open.”

Keep Sightline open and finish the observation through the completion screen. The warning clears when a later save succeeds.

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”Couldn’t save this observation” when I ended it

Stay on the completion screen and select Retry save. If it keeps failing, keep Sightline open and contact support. If you quit, Sightline offers to recover the observation the next time it opens.

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”Sightline closed in the middle of an observation”

Sightline keeps a recovery copy of the observation in progress. The next time you open observation setup, it shows Interrupted session found. Select Resume to reopen the recorder with the data saved so far, or Discard to delete the copy. Discard can’t be undone. Entries from the last few seconds may be missing. In Duration, running episodes are closed at the recovered time, which may not be when the behavior ended. In Latency, only completed trials come back. Check both against your notes. Demo mode doesn’t keep recovery copies.

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Results and reports

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”Warning: This session failed to save”

Keep Results open. Select Export → Excel or CSV to keep the recording data. Open the file and check it. It is a copy, not proof that the observation saved. If exporting fails, keep the screen open and contact support with the exact message.

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”Couldn’t save your final correction” when I close Sightline

Select Retry to save and close again, or Keep app open to stay in Sightline. Close without saving asks you to confirm, then discards that correction.

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AI and dictation

You can keep writing yourself while you sort out any of these.

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The AI model “didn’t finish downloading”

Check the internet connection and free disk space, then retry in Settings → AI Assistant. Sightline continues from where the download stopped.

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”AI couldn’t start”

Select Restart or Start in Settings → AI Assistant. Check that the writing model is installed and Active, and look for “Local AI engine is running”. An installed model alone doesn’t mean the engine has started.

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The AI “took too long to respond and was restarted”

The AI model needs free memory to run. Close other demanding apps and try again. If it keeps happening, switch to a smaller model in Settings → AI Assistant. See Set up AI.

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”Data changed since this summary was generated”

You corrected the data after the AI summary was written. Select Regenerate, or turn on AI if it is off. Text you already put into a write-up doesn’t update; check it against the corrected results.

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Dictation can’t use the microphone

Follow the message. On a Mac, allow Sightline in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. On Windows, open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone and turn on microphone access for desktop apps. “Couldn’t start the microphone” means Sightline couldn’t open it: check that it’s connected and try again.

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”Couldn’t insert your text where you started”

Sightline shows the dictated text with Copy. Copy it and paste it where you need it.

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Backups

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”That passphrase did not open this file”

Enter the passphrase chosen when that file was saved, and check that you selected the right file. Sightline cannot recover a lost passphrase.

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”Backup is from a newer version of Sightline”

Check Settings → About for updates, then restore again. If the latest version still refuses the backup, keep the file and contact support.

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”Couldn’t load the list of backups”

Close and reopen Settings. This error doesn’t by itself mean the backup files are missing.

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”A data upgrade did not finish”

Stop entering new data and contact support. Your earlier records are in the backup marked Before update. Sightline may refuse to restore it if restoring would repeat the failed upgrade; the backup is still safe. You can export it to keep a separate copy.

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Plans and licensing

Settings → Plan says why. An expired license, an ended trial, or a license that needs verification returns the app to Community. Your saved observations stay on the computer, and you can export their recording data as CSV. For an expired license, select Renew; after renewing, enter your key again if asked. If Plan says “Couldn’t reach the license server. Paid features stay on until” a date, reconnect to the internet before then. Restart Sightline if it still asks for verification. See Plans and licensing.

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”The system clock looks wrong”

Correct your computer’s date and time, then restart Sightline.

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”Couldn’t verify the licensing server’s response”

Check that the computer’s clock is right. If it is, a network security tool may be changing the connection, which district networks sometimes do. Try a different network, such as home Wi-Fi, or ask your district IT to allow Sightline’s license check. If it still fails, contact support.

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”This license is already activated on another device”

On the other computer, open Settings → Plan, select Deauthorize, and confirm. Then activate again here. If that computer was lost, replaced, or reimaged, contact support with your license key.