How-To Ask for Help

Knowledge Base
1

How-To Ask for Help

General

All contributors here help out in their spare time and because they want to give something back to the Klipper project. Be respectful and patient. If someone knows the answer to your question, they will answer it.

Choose the right Category

  • Questions / Issues should go into the General Discussion category most of the time. Filling the template is mandatory.
  • The categories Config, Developers and Macros are used to post results of one’s work for the benefit of others
  • The category Frontends is specifically for discussions about the various User Interfaces

Provide the klippy.log

Providing the klippy.log is mandatory for any help request, regardless of its nature. It provides

  • It is the only reliable source of information about the Klipper context and a machine that supporters usually do not own or sit in front of.
  • Provides comprehensive access to all relevant information, without the need for the experts here to revert for additional information
  • The current configuration Klipper is using, e.g. printer kinematics, currents, combination of settings etc
  • Errors, the order in which they occurred, and the context in which they occurred
  • Klipper and MCU version information
  • A lot more information

:exclamation: Important

  • Even if the reason for providing the log is not immediately obvious, providing it is required and will reduce delays in getting a proper answer or helpful advice.
  • If the klippy.log is not provided up front, then the request is likely to be made to attach it to the next post. Publicly arguing about whether it is needed or not, is considered disruptive behavior.
  • All users are kindly asked to follow this simple rule when asking for help in this forum.

How to obtain the klippy.log

Mainsail

klippy_log_mainsail
klippy_log_mainsail2457×675 48.1 KB

fluidd

klippy_log_fluidd
klippy_log_fluidd1273×910 28.4 KB

Shell

  1. Use tools like WinSCP, Terminus or similar to establish a secure connection to the host
  2. Find and download the klippy.log file in the following folder:
    • Typically: /home/<username>/printer_data/logs/ with <username> being the Linux user under which Klipper is installed
    • Legacy: /tmp/klippy.log

How to provide the log

  • Attach the log directly to the original post. The easiest way is to drag and drop the file into the window where you are composing the post.
  • Ensure that the log file actually contains the unexpected behavior
  • If the log is too large, use a compression tool such as zip to reduce its size.
  • Do not use external hosting services such as Google Drive, Pastebin, etc.
  • Submit a new log whenever something changes
  • If the log is not provided initially, attach the log to a new reply so that it is in the most recent post in the thread.

klippy.log Roll-Over

When the Klipper host service or the entire printer is restarted, then Klipper will “roll-over” the klippy.log. This means it will:

  • Start a new klippy.log
  • Backup the old log in the format klippy.log.YYYY.MM.DD

Apart from using the shell method as described, it is equally easy to obtain these old logs from the webinterfaces.

Mainsail

klippy_log_mainsail_rollover
klippy_log_mainsail_rollover1395×1279 66.4 KB

fluidd

klippy_log_fluidd_rollover
klippy_log_fluidd_rollover2430×1149 83.9 KB

Properly Format Your Text

If you post any excerpts from the log or the config, use the code tags of Discourse. Otherwise, the entire text will be completely messed up

code_tags

If the code tag icon, as shown above, is not visible, it might be hidden behind the “gear” gear(1) icon

The perfect request for help

  1. Search the discourse for keywords in Klipper’s error message. It is highly likely that there are dozens of similar / identical requests (while it is highly unlikely that your machine is so special that the information already provided does not apply).
  2. Consult Klipper’s official documentation
  3. Consult the Knowledge Base: About the Knowledge Base category / Table of Contents
  4. Open a new thread in the General Discussion category and fill in the form with the correct information.
  5. Attach the klippy.log file:
    1. Restart the Klipper host service or restart the entire printer to roll over the log
    2. Reproduce the unwanted / unexpected behavior or wait for it to happen (avoid attaching 20MB of log with 1 line showing the problem).
    3. Issue a M112 command immediately after the event. This will print advanced debugging information
    4. Get and attach the log
  6. Provide a concise and meaningful description:
    • In English. If you are not comfortable with this, use tools such as Deepl.
    • Remember that an external supporter who does not know or own the machine will need to understand and follow your description.
    • In the best case, provide a clear sequence of steps to reproduce the problem.
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