Troubleshooting

Fixes for the most common problems.

macOS says Halo cannot be opened

Halo is not code-signed yet. Right-click Halo by Synquic in Applications and choose Open, or use System Settings, Privacy & Security, Open Anyway. See Install on Mac.

Windows protected your PC

Choose More info, then Run anyway. See Install on Windows.

I cannot open Halo on a new device

Sign in with your email and the 6-digit code, then approve the new device on a device that is already signed in. Both screens must show the same code. Codes expire after 10 minutes; choose Send a new code if you need another. With no signed-in device, choose Use recovery key and enter your recovery key. Without a signed-in device or the recovery key, your data cannot be recovered by anyone, including Synquic. See Your recovery key.

Halo asks me to unlock or approve this device

Halo opens without asking only when the key stored in the system keychain opens this device's vault. If that key is missing or does not match, approve the device from another signed-in device or use your recovery key. On a Mac with Touch ID, lock and auto-lock ask for Touch ID.

Changes from another device have not appeared

Open Settings, You and Halo and choose Sync now. Check that both devices are signed in to the same account.

The Halo menu does not appear in a sign-in field

• Check that Show the Halo menu in sign-in fields is on in Settings, Passwords and autofill.
• Halo offers logins only for the exact site they were saved for, so a login saved for login.example.com is not offered on example.com.
• Autofill is off in private and Tor windows and on tabs an AI agent is controlling.

Halo AI or voice does not answer

The model downloads after you first sign in and needs about 1.1 GB of free space (voice needs about 100 MB more). Check its status in Settings, On-device AI, where Download now or Retry download starts it again. A download that fails its checksum is deleted, never used.

My AI client cannot reach Halo

• Make sure Halo is open and you are signed in. A client using the stdio bridge reports Halo is not running. Open Halo by Synquic once and sign in, then try again.
• Restart the client after connecting: Claude Desktop needs a full quit and reopen.
• A 401 missing or wrong bearer token error means the token in the client's config is out of date. Choose Connect again in Settings, Agents.
• If a config file is not valid JSON, Halo will not change it. Fix or remove the file, then choose Connect again. Halo keeps a .halo-backup copy of every file it edits.
• Halo's MCP server uses port 9230 on 127.0.0.1. If another program uses that port, quit it and restart Halo.

An SSH host refuses to connect after a server change

Halo blocks a server whose host key changed since your first connection. This protects you from impostor servers. Confirm the new key with the server's administrator before you trust it.

A Tor window will not connect

The first Tor window downloads Tor from the Tor Project, which can take a minute. Some networks block Tor. If the signature or checksum check fails, Halo does not run the download; try again later.

Still stuck?

Email support@synquic.com with your operating system, Halo version and what you tried.