Troubleshooting

"Couldn't reach the MCP server", or sign-in fails

Claude and ChatGPT often show a generic connection error when sign-in is refused. Subtext refuses a connection when:

• There's no Subtext account for that Google address. Connecting never creates an account. Sign up in the app first.
• Your account hasn't finished onboarding. Open the app and complete the setup questions, then connect again.
• You signed in with a different Google account. Use the same Google account you use for the Subtext app. If your browser is signed in to several Google accounts, check which one you picked.
• Your Subtext account is already linked to a different Google identity. The first successful sign-in from Claude or ChatGPT ties your account to that Google identity, and Subtext won't re-link it to another one. Sign in with the original account, or contact us.

Also check that the URL is exactly https://mcp.subtext.wiki/mcp, with no extra path.

The assistant says it can't find something

An empty result means either the information isn't in your graph, or it's outside what this connection can see.

• Check the app. Search for it in Subtext. If it isn't there, tell the assistant and it can record it.
• Check the key's scope. If you connected with an access key, its scope may be Just me or Working context. Open the key on the Connections page and widen it if you want the assistant to see more.
• Check that the connection isn't paused (below).
• Check the connector is on. In Claude and ChatGPT, connectors are switched on per conversation from the tools menu in the message box.

"Context briefing is paused for this connection"

The access key has been paused. Open the Connections page, choose the key named in the message, and choose Resume. The next request works; you don't need to reconnect.

Writes are refused

The assistant relays the reason. The common ones:

• "this token can't make changes — it can only read your context": the key is Read only. Switch it to Read + write on the key's page.
• "'…' is outside this connection's scope": the page exists but this key's scope doesn't include it. Widen the scope, or make the change in the app.
• "this key's scope is too narrow to submit updates — only a full-scope key can": submitting new information can touch any page it mentions, so it needs a Full context key. Renaming and linking may still work.
• "You're going a bit fast — try again in Ns": a per-minute rate limit. Wait a moment and ask again.

The key stopped working

A client that was working and now fails to authenticate is usually using a key that was revoked. Revoked keys can't be restored. Create a new key on the Connections page and update your client's config with it. The key is shown only once, so copy it straight away.

If you've lost a key that's still active, you can't view it again. Make a new one and revoke the old one.

The assistant isn't following the skill

• In ChatGPT: ChatGPT doesn't load skills. It follows Subtext's server instructions and tool descriptions, which carry the core rules (brief first, read before asking, record durable facts, one attribution line). This is expected. See Connect ChatGPT.
• In Claude: check the skill is installed under Customize → Skills and turned on. If you uploaded it and it doesn't appear, make sure you uploaded subtext-skill.zip as downloaded, not an unzipped folder or the .md file. See The Subtext skill.
• In Claude Code: check ~/.claude/skills/subtext/SKILL.md exists and isn't empty, and start a new session.

The assistant doesn't call brief

Ask it directly: "Check Subtext for my brief first." If it still doesn't, check that the connector is switched on for the conversation and, in Claude, that the skill is installed.

Getting help

Email hello@josephmark.com.au with the client you're using (Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or other), how you connected (sign-in or access key), and the exact error message. Never include an access key in your email.