Contents

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

•5 min read
Common Issues

Common Issues

Solutions to frequently encountered problems.

Installation

"Cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it"

RiteMark isn't notarized with Apple yet. To open:

  1. Right-click on RiteMark in Applications
  2. Select Open
  3. Click Open in the dialog

You only need to do this once.

App won't open at all (macOS)

  1. Verify you have an Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
  2. Try downloading the DMG again
  3. Move to Applications folder before opening

Windows SmartScreen blocks the installer

Windows may show a "Windows protected your PC" warning for new applications. This is normal. See our Windows SmartScreen guide for step-by-step instructions to get past it.

Editor

Blank editor / Nothing shows

The editor webview didn't load. Try:

  1. Reload Window: Cmd+Shift+P -> "Reload Window"
  2. Restart RiteMark: Quit and reopen
  3. Check file type: Only .md files open in WYSIWYG mode

Changes not saving

RiteMark auto-saves after 1 second. If changes aren't saving:

  1. Check file permissions (can you write to that folder?)
  2. Look for error messages in bottom status bar
  3. Try saving manually: Cmd+S

Formatting looks wrong

  1. Reload the window: Cmd+Shift+P -> "Reload Window"
  2. Check if the file is valid markdown
  3. Complex HTML in markdown may not render correctly

Text selection issues

  1. Click outside the editor, then back inside
  2. Reload window if persistent

AI Assistant

"AI Offline" in status bar

The AI assistant can't connect. Check:

  1. Internet connection - Are you online?
  2. API key - Is one configured?
  3. API credits - Do you have OpenAI credits?

No response from AI

  1. Wait longer - some requests take time
  2. Check for error messages in the AI sidebar
  3. Try a simpler request
  4. Verify your API key is valid

"Invalid API key" error

  1. Cmd+Shift+P -> "Configure OpenAI API Key"
  2. Enter a valid key (starts with sk-)
  3. Make sure no extra spaces were copied

AI changes wrong text

  1. Select text first before making a request
  2. Check the selection indicator in the AI sidebar
  3. Be specific about what you want changed

Claude Code not working on Windows

Earlier versions of RiteMark had binary detection issues on Windows where .cmd/.exe shims were not resolved correctly, causing "spawn EINVAL" errors in AI chat. This is fixed in v1.5.0. Update RiteMark and check Settings -> Claude Account to confirm Claude Code shows as connected.

Codex not working on Windows

The same binary detection fix in v1.5.0 applies to Codex. Update RiteMark and check Settings -> ChatGPT Account for your connection status.

"spawn EINVAL" error in AI chat

This error occurred on Windows in versions before 1.5.0 due to incorrect .cmd to cli.js resolution. The fix is to update RiteMark to v1.5.0 or later. After updating, the AI agents should connect without errors.

Export

PDF export fails

  1. Check you have write permission to save location
  2. Try saving to Desktop first
  3. Make sure document isn't corrupted

Word export has wrong formatting

  1. Complex tables may need manual adjustment
  2. Some markdown features don't translate perfectly
  3. Consider PDF for consistent formatting

Export button not visible

Export only works for markdown files. CSV and Excel files use different tools.

Files

CSV file shows as text

  1. Make sure file extension is .csv
  2. Close and reopen the file
  3. Check file isn't corrupted

Excel file won't open

  1. Verify extension is .xlsx or .xls
  2. File might be corrupted - try opening in Excel
  3. Very large files may fail to load

Large file warning

Files over 5MB or 10,000 rows may:

  • Take longer to load
  • Be truncated (CSV shows first 10K rows)
  • Cause performance issues

For very large data, use a dedicated spreadsheet app.

Performance

Slow typing / lag

  1. Close other resource-heavy applications
  2. Reload window: Cmd+Shift+P -> "Reload Window"
  3. Very long documents may be slower

High memory usage

  1. Close unused files
  2. Restart RiteMark
  3. This is a known issue being improved

Updates

Using the Update Center

As of v1.5.0, RiteMark includes an Update Center in Settings. You can check for available updates, install them directly with pause and resume support, skip versions you don't want, and see component readiness cards showing what's included in each update. This is the recommended way to keep RiteMark current.

How to update manually

If you prefer to update manually or the Update Center isn't available (versions before 1.5.0), you can still download the latest release from the GitHub releases page. On macOS, open the DMG and drag RiteMark to Applications to replace the existing version. On Windows, run the new Ritemark-Setup.exe installer.

Still Stuck?

Get Help

Report an Issue

If you've found a bug:

  1. Note what you were doing
  2. Note any error messages
  3. Check if it's reproducible
  4. Report at GitHub Issues

Quick Fixes

Problem Quick Fix
Editor blank Cmd+Shift+P -> Reload Window
AI not working Check internet + API key
Can't open app (macOS) Right-click -> Open
SmartScreen warning (Windows) Click More info -> Run anyway
File won't save Check folder permissions
Slow performance Restart RiteMark
AI agents not working (Windows) Update to v1.5.0, check Settings -> Account sections
Back to support
Common Issues