Outpost does not start

If no window or console appears, you do not need the application to diagnose it.

1. Open the logs

Enter this in the Windows Explorer address bar:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\meinGPT Vault\logs

main-process.jsonl records startup before a window exists. The same folder holds vault-api.log, vault-ingest.log, and bridge-agent.log; an older rotation ends in .1. Copy the folder before reinstalling or changing files. Raw logs can contain file names and paths.

What else lives under meinGPT Vault — and which two folders sit outside it: Where the Outpost stores data.

2. Create a diagnostics bundle without a window

Open meinGPT Outpost - Collect diagnostics from the Windows Start menu. This entry starts neither a window nor the Python sidecar. The console prints the ZIP path; the file is stored here:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\meinGPT Vault\diagnostics

If this entry does not run either, preserve the logs and check your security product's quarantine first.

Likely causes — in this order

1. Antivirus or EDR: Defender, CrowdStrike, and similar products may block vault-server.exe or bridge-agent.exe, or hold the SQLite file metadata\metadata.sqlite3 open. Ask the security team to inspect quarantine and events; do not blindly exclude the entire folder.
2. Proxy or TLS inspection: A corporate proxy can stop the outbound tunnel at certificate validation. Once the window opens again, run the check under Connection. For a private CA, see Your own root certificate.
3. Outbound firewall: The Bridge host must be reachable outbound. The exact allowlist is under Connection → Network requirements; no inbound ports are required.
4. Local port blocked: The Outpost automatically falls back to a free loopback port. One occupied port is therefore not enough; look for rules or software that prevent local binding altogether.
5. Data folder moved: Do not move %LOCALAPPDATA%\meinGPT Vault onto SMB, a network drive, or a OneDrive-synced folder. SQLite and automatic recovery require a local disk.
6. Permissions: The Windows account running the Outpost needs read and write access to %LOCALAPPDATA%\meinGPT Vault.
7. Wrong system time: A badly skewed clock can make certificates, pairing, and tokens appear invalid. The connection check warns at two minutes.
8. Sleep or Windows Update: If the machine slept or restarted during indexing, wake or restart it and open the Outpost again; the run continues after recovery.

What to send support

Send the ZIP, the time of the failure, and a short description to enterprise@meingpt.com. It contains system and version details, redacted configuration, recovery state, and bounded log excerpts. It collects no document files or document content. Because it includes log excerpts, however, the current version may contain file names, paths, or search text; review the ZIP under your policy.