Projects troubleshooting

Start here when a project is not behaving. Each section names the symptom, the cause and the fix.

I cannot find a project

The projects list is empty

Cause. Your role’s supervision scope reaches no project. A scoped role sees only projects it manages or is staffed on.Fix. Ask a project manager to add you in Settings → Group, or ask an admin to widen your role’s scope at Settings → Roles. See /projects/project-visibility.

A project I created has disappeared

Cause. It was archived or deleted, or you are looking at the Active view.Fix. Switch the dropdown beside New project to All. Archived rows carry an Archived chip; trashed rows show a Trash chip.

A link says the project is gone

Cause. It was permanently deleted, or it is outside your reach. TimeTracker gives the same answer for both, so a stray link cannot be used to probe what exists.Fix. Ask to be added to the project, or check Settings → Trash.

Projects is missing from the sidebar

Cause. The Projects & tasks app is switched off. That hides Projects, Clients and Tasks together.Fix. An owner or admin turns it back on in Settings → Apps. Nothing was deleted.

A new project vanished right after I created it

Cause. It had no manager and no members, so a scoped role could not see it.Fix. Whoever creates a project becomes its manager by default. Check Settings → General and set a manager if it is blank.

Budget and money problems

The Budget column reads 'No budget set' but a budget exists

Cause. It is a money budget, which is measured against cost, and your role cannot see cost. The figures were never sent.Fix. Ask an admin for rate.viewCost or time.viewCost. An hours budget would have shown.

There is no Budget card in Settings → Finance

Cause. One of three things: the Budgets & profitability app is off, you lack budget.manage, or your plan does not include budgets.Fix. Check Settings → Apps, then your role, then your plan. See /concepts/plans-and-features.

The Resets control is missing on a retainer budget

Cause. Resets only appears when the project’s saved billing method is Retainer. Changing the dropdown does not reveal it until you save.Fix. Set the billing method to Retainer, click Save billing method, then reopen the budget card.

Spend is lower than the hours I know were logged

Cause. Only approved time counts toward spend and margin.Fix. Read the awaiting-approval caption on Overview, then clear the queue. See /approvals/overview.

Margin looks too good to be true

Cause. Some people have no cost rate, so their hours cost nothing.Fix. Set cost rates at Settings → Rates. See /rates/cost-rates.

The Overview tab is completely blank

Cause. The Budgets & profitability app is off. Both panels on Overview are budget surfaces.Fix. Turn it on in Settings → Apps.

Section problems

'A project keeps at least one section.'

You tried to delete the last section. Add another one first.

'A project keeps at least one Done section, so finished work has somewhere to land.'

You tried to delete or demote the only Done stage. Completion counts, recurring tasks and dependency gating all need one. Create another Done section first.

'A project keeps at least one section that isn't Done, so new work has somewhere to start.'

You tried to delete or promote the only open stage. An unchecked task needs somewhere to return to. Create another non-Done section first.

'This section still has tasks. Choose where they should move before deleting it.'

The section is not empty. Pick a target in the Move tasks to dropdown in the delete modal. The Delete button stays disabled until you do.

'Pick a different section for these tasks to move to.'

You chose the section you are deleting as the destination. Pick another one.

There is no three-dot menu on a section header

You lack project.manage. Section structure is a management action.

Project key problems

'Another project already uses that key.'

Project keys are unique across the workspace. Pick a different two to five letter key.

'Use 2–5 letters (A–Z), e.g. CL.'

The key must be 2 to 5 uppercase letters. Digits, spaces and symbols are stripped as you type, so a too-short key is the usual cause.

Old tasks kept the old prefix after I changed the key

That is intended. Changing the key prefixes new task numbers only. Task ids already stamped never change, so an id in an email or a commit message keeps working. See /tasks/task-numbers.

Delete and archive problems

'…still has 412 time entries, 3 invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead.'

Cause. Time entries, invoices and expenses block a permanent delete. A system of record does not orphan them to make a delete succeed.Fix. Restore the project and archive it. Archiving preserves everything and keeps it reportable.

The Delete permanently button stays disabled

What you typed does not match the project name. Use the copy button beside the name in the modal, then paste it into the field.

Delete permanently is not in the Actions menu

I restored a project but still cannot find it

Restoring always returns a project to Active. Switch the list back from Archived or Trash to Active.

A trashed project disappeared for good

The retention window elapsed and the purge ran. The default is 30 days – see /settings/trash.

Members and access problems

A teammate cannot see a project I can see

They are not on its roster and their role is scoped to their own projects. Add them in Settings → Group.

There is no Add member button

You lack project.manage. Ask an admin or the project manager.

The Cost column is missing from the roster

You lack rate.viewCost. The column is omitted entirely – header included – rather than blanked.

A project rate cell is plain text and will not open

You lack rate.manage. You can read the value but not change it.

A client contact suddenly lost a project

The project was moved to a different client, which re-derives portal access at once. Move it back, or grant access under the new client. See /clients/client-projects.

A control disappeared while I was working

Capabilities are checked live. Someone changed your role. Reload the page to confirm.

Saving problems

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Enter a project name.”	The name is blank	Type a name
”Keep the name to 200 characters or fewer.”	The name is too long	Shorten it
”We couldn’t save these changes. You may lack permission, or the project key is already in use.”	A duplicate key, or a missing capability	Change the key, then check your role
”We couldn’t create this project. You may lack permission, or a field is invalid.”	The server refused the create	Check every field, confirm you hold `project.manage`
”Project created – the icon couldn’t be saved.”	The project exists, the image did not upload	Open Settings → General and upload again
”Use a PNG, JPG, GIF, or WebP image.”	Unsupported format. SVG is not accepted.	Convert the file
”Image must be under 5 MB.”	The file is too large	Resize it
”We couldn’t save the budget. Check the amount and try again.”	A bad amount, or the plan does not include budgets	Enter a plain number, then check your plan
”A margin floor is a percentage from 0 to 100.”	The margin floor is out of range	Enter 0 to 100, or leave it blank
”We couldn’t update the team. You may lack permission.”	The roster write was refused	Confirm `project.manage`, then retry
”We couldn’t save that rate. Check the amount and try again.”	The rate is not a plain number	Enter something like `70` or `70.50`

Still stuck

Access and permission errors

Every “Forbidden” message, decoded.

I cannot see a feature

App off, plan locked, or capability missing.

Missing or wrong hours

When the numbers do not add up.

Contact support

Get a human.

Projects overview

How the project list works.

Project visibility

Why you see what you see.

Project permissions

Which capability governs what.

Project sections

The rules behind the section errors.

Delete a project

Why a delete gets refused.

​I cannot find a project

​Budget and money problems

​Section problems

​Project key problems

​Delete and archive problems

​Members and access problems

​Saving problems

​Still stuck