# The engine is not running, or is restarting

The desktop app is a window over a separate engine process; a banner tells you when the engine stops, restarts or fails, and offers "Restart the engine" and "Open log folder".

*https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/engine-not-running-or-restarting — last checked 2026-09-30*

## Steps

1. Read the banner at the top of the window. "NeuralVault’s engine stopped unexpectedly and is restarting." means it is restarting on its own.
2. Wait. When it recovers the banner says "The engine restarted. Anything that was running was stopped. Your notes and chats are untouched." Dismiss it with the X.
3. If the banner says "NeuralVault’s engine is not running.", press "Restart the engine".
4. If the restart fails the banner says so and offers "Open log folder" so you can see why. The log folder is also reachable from the bug report panel.
5. To check the engine, open Settings, then Account, then About. The Sidecar row shows a version when the engine is connected and "Not connected" when it never answered.

## How to tell it worked

The banner goes away, and Settings, About shows a version on the Sidecar row.

## If it does not work

**The banner says the engine could not be restarted.**

Try once more, or open the log folder to see why. If it keeps failing, report it from the bug report panel and quote the message.

**You cannot sign in because the engine is down.**

The engine banner is also on the sign-in screen, so you can restart it there.

**The Sidecar row says "Version not reported" rather than "Not connected".**

The engine answered but did not name a version. That points to a stale engine file rather than a broken install. Mention it in your report.

## Related guides

- [Read the About screen and the build code](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/about-screen-and-build-code)
- [Report a bug from the app](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/report-a-bug-from-the-app)
- [Chat will not answer: what to check](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/model-not-answering)

## Still stuck

Bug reports belong in the app, in Settings, About. Those carry no contact details, so they
get fixed rather than answered. To get a reply, email us instead: that route targets two
business days. https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/contact