Troubleshooting
A site is broken after changing privacy settings
Section titled “A site is broken after changing privacy settings”Temporarily test the site with stricter controls relaxed one at a time: ad blocking mode, third-party cookie policy, fingerprinting mode, WebRTC policy, or force-dark website styling. Prefer a narrow site exception over globally weakening a protection that works elsewhere.
A website will not stay signed in
Section titled “A website will not stay signed in”Check:
- whether the workspace is Temporary;
- third-party cookie blocking;
- cookie/login exceptions;
- clear-on-close rules;
- clear-cookies-on-exit behavior;
- whether you migrated the profile to another OS account or machine.
A tab keeps reloading when I return to it
Section titled “A tab keeps reloading when I return to it”It may have been discarded to release memory. Review the memory target, hibernate timer, discard timer, and Keep pinned tabs awake setting.
A Labs page is missing
Section titled “A Labs page is missing”Enable Advanced → Enable Vast Labs, then enable the individual feature in the Labs section. Some controls also require Experimental features or Developer Mode instead of Labs.
Network Devices finds nothing
Section titled “Network Devices finds nothing”Confirm the feature is enabled, trigger a scan manually, allow the OS firewall prompt if appropriate, and check that you are on the same local network as the device. Active probing is off by default and should not be required for every device type.
Password Manager is empty after launch
Section titled “Password Manager is empty after launch”The vault starts locked. Unlock it first. If encryption is unavailable or the profile was moved across machines/accounts, review the portability notes in Password Manager and Data, Backup & Migration.
An extension does not work fully
Section titled “An extension does not work fully”Open Extensions and review its compatibility badge, runtime state, website permissions, Vast permissions, and update state. Partial compatibility usually means the extension expects an API or environment Vast does not fully provide.
A custom shortcut does not work
Section titled “A custom shortcut does not work”Reset it to the default, then test a different key combination. The operating system or another application can intercept global combinations.
A backup imports but logins are missing
Section titled “A backup imports but logins are missing”Browser cookies and encrypted credentials can be machine/account-bound. A successful profile import validates the archive; it does not guarantee cross-machine decryption or server-side session validity.
Reporting a bug
Section titled “Reporting a bug”Include the Vast version, platform, clear reproduction steps, expected behavior, actual behavior, and the least-sensitive diagnostic information needed to reproduce the issue. Security vulnerabilities should use the project’s private reporting path rather than a normal public issue.