Troubleshooting

Start with the machine's status text and its ? help. Check ingredients → output space → power → connections in that order. Change one thing, then check the status again.

Installation and missing help

Symptom	Check	What to do
The mod will not load	Minecraft, NeoForge, Java, and the downloaded mod version	Match the release requirements in Getting started. The recorded 0.6.0 release targets Java 25, Minecraft 26.3, and NeoForge 26.3.0.6-beta.
Duplicate mod error	More than one Hard Hoof bundle, or bundle plus separate modules	Keep the intended bundle; remove duplicate Hard Hoof jars from that instance.
Recipe browser missing	JEI installed and enabled	HOOF IT! includes JEI. A manual mod installation needs its matching JEI build added separately.
H does nothing	Another screen open, or key conflict	Close the current screen; check the Hard Hoof radial-menu binding in Controls.
Guide search finds nothing	Search words and active category	Clear the category with All topics, then try one distinctive word. See Field guide.
Guide and screen disagree	Installed version versus development documentation	Use the machine's status and JEI for the installed build; check release changes before updating.

Crafting and the first machines

Symptom	Check	What to do
Workshop will not place	Three clear, supported spaces	Place at the intended center with both wing spaces available.
Workshop has no result	Exact JEI category, pattern, and blank cells	Use the 5 × 3 workshop recipe, not the ordinary crafting grid.
Workshop result will not shift-click	Room for the full output	Free inventory space or take the result normally.
Former waits for ingredients	Selected product and full batch	A gear needs four iron ingots; wire uses copper. Match the selected product.
Former stops with fuel remaining	Output space	Clear room for the whole batch. Fuel can remain stored while idle.
Former slots disappeared	Side configuration open	Return to the Forming view.
Hopper does not move an item	Connected face mode and slot validity	Configure the former's input/output face. An Output face permits extraction; the former does not push items into a chest.

Detailed walkthroughs: Former, Workshop, Machine interfaces.

Electricity and water

Symptom	Check	What to do
Lab or Terminal has no power	Rear terminal and generator fuel	Connect copper wire to the machine's back. The Coal Generator supplies from any face.
Machine ran briefly, then stopped	Stored joules versus live supply	A buffer runs down. Restore generator fuel and the supply route.
Adding machines makes the line struggle	Total draw and cable capacity	Compare demand with generation and the cable's gauge. Follow Electricity and wiring.
Data Cable does not power a machine	Cable type	Supply DC power separately with copper wire.
A frame output will not power a machine	Signal versus power terminal	The frame's front is a control signal. Use a generator connection for machine power.
Pump stops drawing water	Water remaining at the intake and whether its area is loaded	A small pool can run dry. Check the intake water, keep the intake loaded, and inspect downstream storage and flow. Stored machine water can continue supplying work after intake stops.

Small Electronics Lab

Symptom	Check	What to do
Cannot find Gates or PCB drawing pages	Old instructions	Use the current blueprint list. Gate drawing is an older workflow.
Missing parts despite carrying them	Parts slots inside the lab	Move components from your inventory into the lab's parts slots.
Chemistry does not start	Salt, iron ingot, water bucket, and output space	Load all three; replace an empty bucket with a full water bucket.
Chemistry waits while a board is running	Job priority	Ready etching jobs take priority. Allow the etch batch to finish or remove an etching input.
Etchant exists but etching is still missing it	Chemistry output versus etching input	Move the produced etchant into the etching input.
Blueprint cannot be selected	Personal research	Logic, Power, and 256 B are starter designs. Bigger chips require their listed research.
Salvage does nothing	Return space in the parts slots	Make room for all recovered components.

Use Small Electronics Lab for exact costs and the first Logic Board walkthrough.

Terminal and microcontrollers

Symptom	Check	What to do
Terminal is offline	Rear power, stored charge, master switch	Restore supply and turn it on before opening the desktop.
Login or setup covers the desktop	First boot or configured account lock	Complete setup, or sign in with the account configured on that computer.
Program cannot find a device	Device power, adjacency, Data Cable, and Terminal face	Connect to a non-screen face and inspect the Devices app. See Data bus.
A device reports offline	Whether the device's area is loaded	Return to the device and check its power. An offline error is different from a missing cable.
Cannot save a ROM example	File is under /rom	Save your own copy under /home or on a writable disk.
No disk in the drive	Bay and path	Bay 1 is /disk; bay 2 is /disk2. A microcontroller is a programming target, not a file disk.
Disk full	df and the selected drive	Save to a drive with space, or copy files you need elsewhere before clearing space.
Blank chip does nothing in a frame	Whether a program was burned onto it	Insert it in a Terminal bay and run burn to inspect chips; burn your saved program, then move it back.
Programmed chips ignored	Legacy board slot	Remove the old board to enable the chip chain.
Chip stops with a fault	Frame status and program	Chips run once each tick; remove waits and reduce work that exceeds the instruction budget.

Continue with Terminal, Drives, or Microcontroller Frame.

Worlds and gateways

Symptom	Check	What to do
Dimension Creator screen has no creation buttons	Computer controls	Connect a Terminal and use the Worlds app. The block screen reports state.
World creation is slow	Energy requirement and supplied watts	Keep it powered. Larger worlds require more energy and can take much longer.
Gateway says no frame	Gateway construction and facing	Compare the built frame with the Gateway guide.
Gateway is idle or blocked	Target world and doorway space	Select a created world in Worlds and inspect the reported obstruction.
Portal travel behaves differently while riding	Travel path limitations	Try crossing on foot. Some cases use the fallback transition described in Portals.
Operator portal commands are refused	Server permission	These tools require operator permission; survival world travel uses the creator and gateway.

Useful details when reporting a problem

Record the Hard Hoof, Minecraft, and NeoForge versions; single-player or server; the machine name; its exact status or error; and the smallest steps that reproduce the issue. A screenshot of the open machine and its connections helps distinguish recipe and wiring problems. Keep your world and files while investigating.