Troubleshooting / FAQ

Q. Sequences are not detected / do not appear in the list

Check the following in order.

1. Whether the target extension is enabled under Preferences → Scanning → Extensions
2. Whether the project folder’s .seqlensignore or Preferences → Scanning → Ignore patterns excludes it
3. Whether filenames use the “name + frame number + extension” format, and two or more frames exist with the same directory, same name, same extension, and same digit count
4. Whether the sequence width (frame range) is 1 million or more (a guard to prevent false positives from timestamp-like filenames)

If the scan result may be stale, rescan from the rescan button in the address bar / status bar, or press Cmd/Ctrl+R.

Q. MP4 / Quick Play does not work or fails

FFmpeg may not be found. Open Preferences → FFmpeg, then handle it in this order:

1. Check whether the ffmpeg path has been resolved
2. If it has not been found, run Download or Re-download
3. If FFmpeg is already installed on the system, use Browse to directly specify the absolute path to ffmpeg

If you closed the wizard once, you can show it again from Preferences → FFmpeg → Run setup wizard. If encoding fails with an old binary, install it again with Re-download.

Q. Export to After Effects fails

1. Whether After Effects itself is installed and SeqLens can detect it
2. Whether AE’s Preferences → Scripting & Expressions → Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network is enabled
3. Whether AE is blocked by a foreground modal dialog

If it does not improve, quit AE once, restart it, and try again. The current host application for pushing is After Effects only (this is separate from file exports such as CSV / JSON).

Q. SeqLens says the device limit has been reached

Each plan has a limit on the number of machines that can be signed in at the same time. If you try to sign in from a new machine after exceeding that limit, an error appears. If an existing machine has been removed from the account, SeqLens shows “This device was removed from your account. Please sign in again to continue.” and prompts you to sign in again. Open the account management page at seqlens.app/account, remove machines you no longer need, then sign in again from Sign in with browser.

Q. Watcher paused keeps appearing in the status bar

File watching is paused during large move operations. It resumes automatically when the job completes. If it stays stopped for a long time, check remaining work in the Jobs window, Cancel job for unnecessary jobs, then rescan (Cmd/Ctrl+R).

Q. Updates are not reflected on macOS SMB mounts (smb://)

Because macOS SMB client change notifications are unstable, follow the SMB hint dialog shown by the app: add notify=yes and the dir_cache_* settings to the [default] section of /etc/nsmb.conf, then reconnect the SMB mount (or restart macOS). This greatly reduces missed file-watch events. You can copy the settings directly with the Copy button in the dialog.

Q. Project rescans are slow / memory usage is high

At hundreds of thousands of frames, the first scan may take several minutes. Subsequent scans focus on locations that changed since the previous scan. If it is still slow, exclude unnecessary deep directories or intermediate render folders with .seqlensignore or Preferences → Scanning → Ignore patterns.

Q. Cannot connect to the HTTP API server

Open Preferences → Server and check the following in order.

1. Whether the Address switch is on (green), and the Server menu shows “Status: Running”
2. Whether the port conflicts with another process (default: 5397)
3. Whether the caller IP is included in Allowed IPs (default is loopback 127.0.0.1 / ::1 only)
4. If Require token is ON, whether the request includes the Authorization: Bearer <token> header

For detailed errors, open the log file (userData/logs/api-server.log) from Server → Show Server Logs.

Q. I want to see app logs / send a bug report

Help → Show Logs opens the current log file in the default app (if it cannot be opened, the userData/logs/ directory opens in Finder / Explorer). Send bug reports from Help → Report a Bug…, and feature requests from Help → Request a Feature…. Including reproduction steps and logs helps speed up handling. When using the Beta channel, you can also send from the Report a Bug floating button in the lower right.

Q. I want to sign out / use another account

Open settings with Cmd/Ctrl+,, switch to the Account tab, and the Sign out button appears in the lower-left of the dialog. After signing out, SeqLens automatically returns to the sign-in screen, so sign in again with another account from Sign in with browser.

Q. I want to change the theme or language

Under Preferences → General → Theme, select System / Light / Dark. Under Language, select System / English / 日本語. Changes apply immediately.

Q. I do not want the last project to open on launch

If SeqLens exits after you explicitly close the project, it starts on the Welcome screen the next time it launches. If you do not want the last project to open automatically, close the project with File → Close Project (Cmd/Ctrl+W) before quitting the app.

Q. I want to receive beta updates / return to stable

Switch Preferences → About → Update channel to Beta or Stable (latest). Beta lets you try new features earlier, but it may be unstable. To return to stable, select Stable (latest). When an update is found, it is downloaded automatically and applied by restarting automatically as soon as the download completes.