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Troubleshoot signing in

NetRoll signs you in with a single-use emailed link and has no passwords, so nearly every sign-in problem is an email problem. Fixes are grouped by what you see.

No email arrives

Symptoms: You requested a link and nothing shows up, with no error on screen.

Cause: Requesting a link always reports success — the app doesn't reveal whether an address has an account. So a silent non-arrival is either delivery or configuration.

Fix:

  1. Check spam and any quarantine.
  2. Confirm you typed the address correctly, then request again.
  3. If you're on a self-hosted instance, check the instance's SMTP settings and sender domain. See troubleshooting self-hosting.
  4. In local development, look in Mailpit at http://localhost:8025 rather than a real inbox.

Verify: The email arrives and the link signs you in.

Symptoms: Following the link gives a message that it's no longer valid.

Cause: Magic links are single-use and short-lived. Opening one twice, or opening an old one after requesting a newer one, both hit this.

Fix:

  1. Request a fresh link.
  2. Open the newest email — earlier links stop being useful once you've requested another.
  3. Open it in the same browser you requested it from.

Verify: The new link signs you in and you stay signed in after a reload.

Requests are rejected with a rate-limit error

Symptoms: Requesting a link returns HTTP 429 or a "too many requests" message.

Cause: Magic-link requests for one email address are rate-limited to blunt abuse.

Fix:

  1. Stop requesting. Each attempt keeps the window busy.
  2. Wait for the window to reset.
  3. Check your inbox in the meantime — an earlier link may already be there and still valid.

Verify: A later request succeeds and the email arrives.

You're signed in but actions are blocked

Symptoms: You can browse, but creating a net or checking in is refused or routes you elsewhere.

Cause: Three different gates look similar from the outside: consent not recorded, no callsign reserved, or an account cap reached.

Fix:

  1. Accept the terms if you're prompted. Gated actions stay blocked until consent is recorded.
  2. Reserve a callsign. Self-check-in and net ownership both require one.
  3. If net creation specifically is refused, you may be at the instance's cap on active nets — the default is 7. Archive a net you no longer run.

Verify: The action you wanted is available.

An email change didn't take effect

Symptoms: You requested a new identifying email and your account still shows the old one.

Cause: The change requires you to prove control of the new address. Until you open the link sent there, the old email remains in effect.

Fix:

  1. Check the inbox of the new address, including spam.
  2. Open the link there.
  3. Sign in again — completing the change invalidates existing sessions on purpose.

If the change was rejected outright, the new address is already used by another account. Email identity is unique per instance.

Verify: Your profile shows the new address, and a fresh magic link sent to it signs you in.

Get help

File an issue at github.com/nkbooth/netroll/issues with the instance you're using and what you saw.

If you're the operator of a self-hosted instance, check the app logs first — mail failures are logged, and the credentials themselves never are.