Troubleshooting & FAQ

Quick fixes for the things people hit most. If none of these solve it, export your logs (Settings → Diagnostics → Export logs, or the tray’s Report a problem…) and share them on Discord.

Installing & opening

macOS says the app is “damaged” or from an “unidentified developer.” Expected: the demo isn’t notarized yet. Right-click the app → Open → Open. If there’s no Open option, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. If it insists it’s “damaged,” clear the quarantine flag:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Screen Pet Engine Demo.app"

Windows SmartScreen blocked it (“Windows protected your PC”). Expected for an unsigned demo. Click More info → Run anyway.

I launched it again and nothing happened. Only one copy runs at a time. Starting a second one just reveals the existing Library window: look for the app in your menu bar / tray.

Pets

My pet won’t turn on: the Live toggle is greyed out. The pet needs a valid, saved behavior graph. Open it in the editor, connect Start → an action with a sprite assigned, fix anything in the Problems drawer, and Save. The toggle unlocks once the graph is valid.

I turned a pet on but I can’t see it. Check, in order:

• Is Hide All Pets on in the tray menu? Toggle it off.
• Is a fullscreen app running? Pets auto-hide during fullscreen and return when you exit (you can disable this in Settings → General).
• Is Focus Mode on? On Windows a hovered pet hides; on macOS it fades. Move your cursor away, or turn Focus Mode off.
• The pet spawns at the bottom of the screen: glance along the Dock/taskbar.

I can’t drag my pet. Focus Mode makes pets click-through, which disables dragging. Turn it off (tray menu or Settings → Focus Mode).

All my pets disappeared when I opened a game/video. That’s the fullscreen auto-hide feature: they come back when you leave fullscreen. Turn it off in Settings → General → Hide during fullscreen apps.

An object wandered off-screen. Select it in the Library and click Reset position in the detail panel.

Importing art

The Importer rejected a frame (“size mismatch”). Every frame in one animation must be the same dimensions as the first. Re-export the odd frame at the matching size, or start the sprite from the correct-sized frames.

My PNG sequence is in the wrong order. Frames order by natural filename order (frame2 before frame10). Rename your files so the numbers sort correctly, or reorder frames in the Importer’s tray.

A GIF import is slow. Large GIFs take a moment: watch the progress bar, and use Cancel (or Esc) if you change your mind.

Something’s wrong / performance

The app froze or a pet is stuck. Export your logs (Settings → Diagnostics) for a report, then Quit from the tray and relaunch. Live pets restart cleanly.

Things feel heavy with lots of pets. Each live pet is its own window and animation loop. Turn a few off, or use Hide All Pets when you need the resources back.

Data & privacy

Does the app send my data anywhere? No. Everything you make stays on your computer. Exporting logs only writes a file locally; nothing is uploaded, and you choose what to share. The log export can optionally redact your account name from the file.

How do I send logs for a bug report? Use Settings → Diagnostics → Export logs (or the tray’s Report a problem…). It gathers the right files into a .zip and lets you choose where to save it, so you never have to hunt for anything by hand.

FAQ

Can I share a pet I made with a friend? Yes. Open it in its editor and Export it as a bundle (.spe for pets, .speo for objects); your friend adds it with the Library’s Import button.

Can I change the theme to light mode? Not yet: the app is dark-themed. You can change the accent color in Settings → Appearance.

How do I rename a pet? Open it in the editor and change the name in its Pet settings, then save. (There’s no rename button on the Library card.)

Which version am I running? See Settings → About. Include it when you report a problem.