Find the exact text you saw in the tables below. Parts that change from scan to scan are shown as [URL], [folder] or N. For fixes that need more than a line, see the Troubleshooting Guide.
1. Skipped pages
A skipped page is an address Octopus Scanner found but didn't test with axe-core. The HTML report lists each one with its reason and category, a JSON report includes them under skipped, and a CSV report adds a row for each one. Most skips protect the scan from duplicates, traps and files that aren't web pages. Each row says which setting lets the page in.
Skip categories
Every skipped page is put in one of these categories. In the HTML report, when there is more than one category, buttons above the list show only the pages in one category, with the number in each.
- Bot protection: The site's bot protection blocked the page, or showed a CAPTCHA or block page.
- HTTP error: The server returned an error, such as 404, 500 or
Access denied (HTTP 403). - Sign-in required: The page needs a sign-in, or redirected to a sign-in page.
- robots.txt: The site's robots.txt asks scanners not to visit the address.
- Excluded: The address matches an exclusion pattern, or is outside the website or folder being scanned.
- Redirect: The address redirects somewhere that isn't scanned, such as another website or a page already scanned.
- Caps and duplicates: A coverage cap, Smart Crawl, a duplicate or canonical page, a not-found page or Max Crawl Depth left the page out.
- Not a page: The address is a file, a download or a PDF sent to the PDF checks, or the server returned no content.
- Timeout or error: The page timed out, or another error stopped it being scanned.
- Other: Any other reason.
Skipped Pages (4)
All (4)HTTP error (1)robots.txt (2)Redirect (1)
https://www.example.com/cart: robots.txt Disallowed by robots.txtHide
https://www.example.com/checkout: robots.txt Disallowed by robots.txtHide
https://www.example.com/stockists: Redirect Redirects outside the scanned site (https://www.example.org/stockists)Hide
https://www.example.com/journal/old-recipes: HTTP error Skipped: HTTP Error 404 (Not Found)Hide
Text description: Skipped Pages section of a report, with 4 skipped pages
Example of the Skipped Pages section of a report, with 4 skipped pages. Category buttons read All (4), selected, HTTP error (1), robots.txt (2) and Redirect (1). The list shows: www.example.com/cart, robots.txt, Disallowed by robots.txt; www.example.com/checkout, robots.txt, Disallowed by robots.txt; www.example.com/stockists, Redirect, Redirects outside the scanned site (www.example.org/stockists); and www.example.com/journal/old-recipes, HTTP error, Skipped: HTTP Error 404 (Not Found). Each has a Hide button.
Address filters
| Reason | When it happens | How to include the page |
|---|---|---|
Skipped non-HTML asset | The address looks like a file or a system path rather than a page. See the full list of paths and endings. This applies to every address found by crawling, including the start address, but not to addresses you list in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds. | Turn on Skip Pre-Scan Content Check. |
Non-page meta resource (robots/ | The address is a known site file such as /robots.txt, /sitemap.xml, /llms.txt, /ads.txt, /manifest.json, /feed, /package.json or /.env, or it starts with /.well-known/, /cdn-cgi/, /__webpack, /_next/static/, /__next/static/ or /_nuxt/static/. | These files aren't web pages, so no setting includes them. |
URL matches an exclusion pattern. | The address matches a line in Exclude URL Patterns. | Remove or narrow the pattern. |
Disallowed by robots.txt | Respect robots.txt is on and the site's robots.txt disallows the address. This also applies to sitemap addresses, addresses you list and PDFs. | Turn off Respect robots.txt, but only if you have permission to scan those pages. |
Outside the scanned website. (with Parallel Processing) or Skipped: domain not in allowed origins | The address is on a different website from the start address. The www and non-www forms, and http and https, count as the same website. If a page redirects to another host, that host is only added to the scan when it's the same website, or when the start address itself redirects to another subdomain of it, such as example.com to shop.example.com. | Add a page from the other website to Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds and turn on Also Crawl Links Found On These Pages (Multi-Domain), or scan that website separately. |
Crawl depth limit (N) reached. | The page is more links away from the start page than Max Crawl Depth allows. With Parallel Processing these pages are left out without a skip entry. | Raise Max Crawl Depth, or leave it empty for unlimited depth. |
File outside scan root (root: [folder]). | In a local file scan, a linked file is outside the folder that holds the starting file. | Start the scan from a file in a higher folder, or move the files into the scan folder. |
Invalid file URL: [error] | A local file address couldn't be turned into a file path. | Check the path for typos and unusual characters. |
Smart Crawl, deduplication and coverage caps
These skips come from Enable Smart Crawl and Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. Both are on by default.
| Reason | When it happens | How to include the page |
|---|---|---|
Skipped by Smart Crawl (potential crawler trap). | The address looks like a crawler trap, such as a calendar or archive walker, a very deep or repetitive path or many query parameters. The start address and addresses you list are never treated as traps. | Turn off Enable Smart Crawl, or list the address in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds. |
Skipped by Smart Crawl: near-duplicate page structure and content — represented by [URL] | The page's structure and text are almost the same as a page already scanned. | Turn off Enable Smart Crawl or Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Canonical duplicate of [URL] (declared via rel=canonical). | The page declares a canonical address that has already been scanned. | Turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Canonical duplicate of [URL] (a version of this page was already scanned). | A version of this page, such as one with a filter in its address, declared this page as its canonical address and has already been scanned in its place. | Turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Duplicate content of [URL] (identical title, heading, and text). | The page's title, main heading and text match a page already scanned. | Turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Crawl limit reached | The page was found after the scan reached Max Crawl Size, after the list of pages waiting to be scanned was full, or after the scan finished early on its own, so it wasn't tested. | Increase Max Crawl Size to include more pages. |
Thin content page (no meaningful text or interactive elements) — axe scan skipped. | The page has no meaningful text or interactive elements. | Turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps or turn on Skip Pre-Scan Content Check. |
Pagination, filter or sort variant cap reached (N per base path). | More pagination, filter or sort versions of one page, such as ?page=2, ?sort=price or ?colour=red, were found than Pagination cap (per base path) allows. The default is 3. Other query strings don't count, and an address with a single number such as ?id=12, ?p=12, ?page_id=12 or ?post=12 is treated as a page of its own. | Raise the cap (up to 50) or turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Search-result variant cap reached (N per base path). | More search-result versions of one page were found (for example ?q=, ?s= or ?search=) than Search-query cap (per base path) allows. The default is 1. | Raise the cap (up to 20) or turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Path template cap reached (N pages per URL pattern). | Many addresses differ only by a number or ID, such as /orders/1042 and /orders/1043. Five are scanned by default, one for /page/N pagination, and up to 50 when the pages scanned so far have all been different. | Turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps, or list the pages you need in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds. |
Locale variant cap reached (N pages for / | A language or region section, such as /fr/ or /en-gb/, other than the start page's own has reached Locale variant cap (per locale). The default is 5. | Raise the cap or turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Section budget cap (N) reached for / | A top-level section of the site, such as /blog/, has reached Section budget cap (per top-level path). The default is 200. It rises automatically for sections whose pages are all different. | Raise the cap or turn off Apply Smart Dedup & Coverage Caps. |
Page responses
These checks run after a page loads. Most are part of the pre-scan content check, so Skip Pre-Scan Content Check turns them off.
| Reason | When it happens | How to include the page |
|---|---|---|
Skipped: HTTP Error N ([status text]) | The server returned an error, such as 404 or 500. A 401 error is listed under Sign-in required. | Fix or remove the broken link. To scan the error page anyway, turn on Skip Pre-Scan Content Check. |
Access denied (HTTP 403) | The server refused access to the page, with no sign of bot protection. The site may block automated tools, or the page may need a sign-in. | Open the page in a browser to check it loads. If it needs a sign-in, see Scanning Behind a Sign-In. If the site blocks automated tools, see pages that fail or are blocked. |
Sign-in required (HTTP 401): the server asked for a username and password. | The server asked for a username and password in the browser's own sign-in pop-up. | Put the username and password in the scan address. See Scanning Behind a Sign-In. |
No content (HTTP 204), so there is no page to scan. or No content (HTTP 205), so there is no page to scan. | The server answered without any content. | Nothing to do. There is no page at this address. |
Not modified (HTTP 304) and no saved copy was available, so there is no page to scan. | The server said the page hadn't changed, but the browser had no saved copy to show. | Scan again. |
Download, not a web page (Type: [content type]) | The address downloads a file instead of opening a page. A PDF download is sent to the PDF checks, on this page instead when Check PDFs is on. | Nothing to do. Files aren't web pages. |
Skipped non-HTML page (Type: [content type]) | The server says the address isn't HTML, for example an image or a download. | Turn on Skip Pre-Scan Content Check if the server reports the wrong type for a real page. |
Discovered as PDF (Content-Type: application/ | Check PDFs is on and the address is a PDF. It is checked in the PDF checks, on this page instead. | Nothing to do. The result appears with the PDF results. |
Skipped: 404-pattern template blocked (/ | Three addresses with the same pattern (differing only by a number or ID) returned 404 or looked like a not-found page, so further matches are skipped. The start address and addresses you list aren't affected. | Fix the links that produce the 404s, or list the pages you need in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds. |
Skipped soft-404 (page returned 200 but content indicates "not found") or Appears to be an error page (404 / | The page loaded but its title or heading says it wasn't found. The first one is scanned so the error page itself is checked. Later ones are skipped. | Fix the broken links. To scan every one, turn on Skip Pre-Scan Content Check. |
Skipped: Redirected to login/ or Redirected to [URL] (Login/ | The page redirected to a sign-in page. | Set up a sign-in so the scan can reach these pages. See Scanning Behind a Sign-In. |
Redirected to [URL] (Likely login or error page) | The page redirected to an address that looks like a sign-in or error page. | Check the link. If it needs a sign-in, see Scanning Behind a Sign-In. |
Skipped: redirects to already-scanned page ([URL]) | The address redirects to a page that has already been scanned. | Nothing to do. The destination page is already in the report. |
Redirects outside the scanned site ([URL]) | A page found by crawling redirected to a different website. Addresses you list in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds aren't affected. | List the address in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds, or scan that website separately. |
Skipped: redirects to an excluded or disallowed page ([URL]) | The page redirected to an address that matches Exclude URL Patterns or that robots.txt disallows. | Remove or narrow the pattern, or turn off Respect robots.txt, but only if you have permission to scan those pages. |
Not scanned: the scan was finished early. | You selected Finish Early & Scan while the page was waiting for its Crawl Delay. | Nothing to do. Scan again to include the page. |
Skipped: WAF/ | The site's bot protection blocked the page, for example with a 406 or 429 status, a 403 status from a bot protection service, a CAPTCHA or a block page. A plain 403 is listed as Access denied (HTTP 403) instead. | See pages that fail or are blocked in the Troubleshooting Guide. |
Skipped: Domain blocked by WAF/ | With Parallel Processing, after 50 blocks in a row on one website, every further address on it is skipped. | Slow the scan down and try again. See pages that fail or are blocked. |
The non-HTML asset filter
Unless Skip Pre-Scan Content Check is on, an address is skipped as Skipped non-HTML asset if its path starts with any of these:
/admin/,/administrator/,/wp-admin/,/wp-content/,/wp-json//api/,/_api//feed/,/rss/,/atom/- Browser names:
/chrome/,/safari/,/firefox/,/gecko/,/applewebkit/and/mozilla/. /cdn/,/cdn-cgi/,/js/scripttags,/n/a,/__webpack,/_next/static/,/_nuxt/static/- Some online-shop system paths:
/,trekkie_storefront_load_errors/ /andweb_pixels_manager_load/ /.online_store_buyer_site_abandonment/
The check isn't case-sensitive. Addresses found inside scripts and data files are checked more strictly, so code values such as /text/html or /v2/ API paths aren't crawled as pages, while real sections such as /video/ or /apps/ linked from the page itself are scanned.
It also skips paths that end in one of these file types: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, webp, svg, ico, avif, bmp, tiff, mp4, mp3, webm, ogg, wav, flac, zip, gz, tar, woff, woff2, ttf, eot, otf, js, mjs, cjs, css, map, json, xml, txt, csv, rss, atom, swf, dmg, exe, pkg and apk.
Sitemap filtering
Addresses removed from a sitemap don't appear as skipped pages. The Activity Log shows a count instead: Extracted N page URLs from: [URL] (filtered N non-page/. A sitemap address is removed if:
- It is on a different host from the sitemap or the start address. The www and non-www forms count as the same host.
- Its path starts with
/wp-json/,/wp-admin/,/wp-content/,/api/,/api-,/_api/,/admin/,/administrator/,/dev/,/staging/,/preview/,/_preview/,/config/,/_config/,/universal/,/_next/,/__webpack,/feed/,/rss/,/atom/,/cdn-cgi/,/cdn/shop/,/json/,/txt/,/xml/,/csv/,/n/a/or/amp/. - It ends in a file type such as json, xml, txt, csv, pdf, an image, a font, a video, js or css.
To scan one of these addresses, add it to Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds. If Respect robots.txt is on, sitemap addresses that robots.txt disallows are also removed, and the log shows Robots.txt pre-filter: removed N disallowed sitemap URL(s).
2. PDF checks
When Check PDFs is on, PDFs found during the crawl or listed in a sitemap are checked after all the pages have been scanned, including PDFs that download instead of opening in the browser. If you select Finish Early & Scan while pages are being scanned, the PDFs already found are still checked. If you select it during the PDF checks, the remaining PDFs are skipped. Each PDF gets thirteen checks, listed in the report's PDF Checks, Scan execution and scope section in Report Anatomy section:
| Check | Issue when it fails | Impact | WCAG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tags | PDF is not tagged | Serious | 1.3.1 Info and Relationships |
| Text layer | PDF has no text layer, so it looks like a scanned image | Critical | 1.1.1 Non-text Content, also 1.4.5 Images of Text (PDF technique PDF7) |
| Screen reader access | PDF security blocks screen readers, because the PDF is encrypted with content access for accessibility turned off | Critical | 1.3.1 Info and Relationships |
| Document title | PDF has no document title | Moderate | 2.4.2 Page Titled (PDF18) |
| Title shown in title bar | PDF title is not shown in the title bar | Minor | 2.4.2 Page Titled (PDF18) |
| Document language | PDF has no document language | Serious | 3.1.1 Language of Page (PDF16) |
| Image alternative text | PDF images have no alternative text, for images tagged as figures | Critical | 1.1.1 Non-text Content (PDF1) |
| Headings | PDF has no headings, for tagged PDFs of three or more pages | Moderate | 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (PDF9) |
| Table headers | PDF tables have no header cells | Serious | 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (PDF6) |
| Form field names | PDF form fields have no accessible name, because a field has no tooltip | Serious | 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (PDF12) |
| Links | PDF links are not tagged, for links that aren't in the tags and have no description | Moderate | 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (PDF11) |
| Tab order | PDF tab order does not follow the structure, on pages with links or form fields | Moderate | 2.4.3 Focus Order (PDF3) |
| Bookmarks | Long PDF has no bookmarks, for PDFs over 20 pages | Minor | 2.4.5 Multiple Ways (PDF2) |
Each check shows Pass, Issue found, Couldn't be checked or Not checked. An encrypted PDF, or one whose structure can't be read, shows Couldn't be checked with the reason, such as The PDF is encrypted, so this could not be checked. Not checked means the check doesn't apply: the title bar check when the PDF has no title, Image alternative text, Headings, Table headers, Links and Tab order when the PDF isn't tagged, Headings for PDFs of one or two pages, Bookmarks for PDFs of 20 pages or fewer and Table headers, Form field names, Links and Tab order when the PDF has no tables, form fields or links. These checks don't confirm that the tags, reading order, colour contrast or alternative text are correct.
A PDF that can't be checked at all appears in the PDF results with one of these messages:
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
PDF too large (>10MB) to scan safely. | A PDF on a website is larger than 10 MB. | Check it by hand in a PDF accessibility checker. |
Skipped: File too large (>20MB) | A local PDF is larger than 20 MB. | Check it by hand. |
Content-Type not 'application/ | The server didn't send the file as a PDF. A file sent as application/ is accepted only if its address ends in .pdf. | Ask the site owner to serve the file as application/pdf, or check it by hand. |
Download interrupted: [error] | The download stopped part-way. | Scan again, or check the file by hand. |
Failed PDF check (Status: N): [error] | The PDF couldn't be loaded or read, for example because the link is broken. | Open the link yourself to see whether it works. |
Not checked: links to files on this computer are only checked in local file scans. | A website linked to a PDF on your computer. Web scans never open files on your computer. | Nothing to do. To check a local PDF, scan it as a local file. |
The PDF took too long to download. | The PDF didn't finish downloading within 45 seconds. | Open the link yourself, or check the file by hand. |
The file did not contain PDF data. | The address was treated as a PDF, but the file it returned wasn't a PDF. | Open the link yourself to see what it returns, or check the file by hand. |
These PDFs are listed in Skipped Pages instead:
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Not checked: the browser stopped working during the PDF checks. | The browser closed unexpectedly while PDFs were being checked, so the rest weren't checked. The Activity Log also says so. | Scan again, or check those PDFs by hand. |
Not checked: memory was nearly full, so the scan stopped early. | Memory ran low during the crawl, so PDFs weren't checked, to leave room for the report. | Scan fewer pages, or check the PDFs in a separate scan. |
Not checked: the scan was finished early. | You selected Finish Early & Scan during the PDF checks, so the remaining PDFs weren't checked. | Scan again and let the PDF checks finish, or check those PDFs by hand. |
PDF check limit reached (500 PDFs per scan). | The scan had already checked 500 PDFs, the most it checks in one scan. | Scan the site in smaller sections, or check the rest by hand. |
If Respect robots.txt is on, PDFs that robots.txt disallows are skipped with Disallowed by robots.txt, and the Activity Log shows Skipping PDF (disallowed by robots.txt): [URL].
3. Activity Log messages
The Activity Log in the scanning interface shows each message as [time] [scan ID] [stage] message. It keeps the latest 200 entries. The same messages also appear in System Activity in the Octopus Server window, which you can export from Preferences > Data > Export Activity Logs.
Scans that stop making progress
With Parallel Processing, if no page finishes for 30 minutes, the scan ends early and builds a report from the pages scanned so far. The Activity Log shows The scan stopped making progress for 30 minutes, so it was ended early. The report includes the pages scanned so far. Pages not yet reached aren't listed as skipped, and the report header shows Scan stopped early.
If the browser stops working during a Parallel Processing scan and can't be restarted, the Activity Log shows The browser stopped working and couldn't be restarted, so the scan finished early with the pages already scanned. The report covers those pages and also shows Scan stopped early.
Connection and blocking
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Connection lost. The scan is paused and will continue automatically when the connection returns. | Octopus Scanner found that your internet connection has dropped. | Reconnect. The scan resumes by itself. |
Connection restored. The scan has resumed. | The connection is back and the scan has continued. | Nothing to do. |
Blocking detected (Status N) on [URL] | The site answered with a status that usually means bot protection: 406 or 429, a 403 from a bot protection service or a 503 from Cloudflare. A plain 403 isn't counted as blocking. | See pages that fail or are blocked. |
Blocking CAPTCHA detected on low-content page. | The page shows a CAPTCHA instead of content. | As above. The page is skipped. |
WAF Block Headline detected: "[headline]" | The page title or heading reads like a block page, such as "Access denied" or "Verify you are human". | As above. |
Suspected block: Empty body (N chars). | The page returned almost no content with an error status. | As above. |
Domain [site] blocked after N consecutive blocks. Skipping all future URLs from this domain. | With Parallel Processing, 50 pages in a row were blocked, so the rest of the website is skipped. | Turn off Parallel Processing, add a Crawl Delay and scan again. |
[task]: Attempt i/ | A step, such as loading a page, failed and will be tried again. | Nothing to do unless it keeps happening. |
[task]: All n attempts failed. Last error: [error] | Every retry failed. | Open the page yourself to check that it loads. See Pages fail, time out or are blocked. |
Refused fetch: [reason] | Octopus Scanner refused a background request, for example for robots.txt or a sitemap, because the address was unsafe. Reasons include private/, [host] resolves to private/, [host] is a local network name, DNS lookup failed for [host], scheme '[scheme]' not allowed, too many redirects and response body too large. Private and local addresses are allowed only when the start address is itself private or a local file. | See Refused fetch in the Troubleshooting Guide. |
Sign-in wasn't confirmed, so the scan continues without being signed in. or The sign-in window was closed before sign-in was confirmed, so the scan continues without being signed in. or Waiting for sign-in ended because you finished the scan early. | A Login URL scan didn't get Confirm Login is Complete, so it carries on signed out. | Scan again and select Confirm Login is Complete once you are signed in. See Scanning Behind a Sign-In. |
Blocked a request to a private network address ([host]). Scans that start on a public website do not load content from your local network. | The scanned site tried to load something from an address on your local network, such as a router or intranet page, and it was blocked. | Nothing to do. To scan a site on your local network, start the scan on its own address. |
Coverage and crawl limits
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Crawl limit of N pages reached — scan coverage may be incomplete. Increase Max Crawl Size for fuller coverage. | The scan reached Max Crawl Size and stopped finding new pages. | Raise Max Crawl Size if you need more pages. |
404-pattern cap reached for template / | Three addresses with the same pattern returned 404. | Fix the broken links. See the Skipped: 404-pattern template blocked row above. |
Soft-404 pattern cap reached for / | Three addresses with the same pattern looked like not-found pages. | As above. |
[URL] looks like a "page not found" page. Scanning it once so the error page itself is checked; similar pages will be skipped. | A page that loaded normally says it wasn't found. | Check where the link to it comes from. |
Auth-wall detected: [URL] redirected to a login page ([URL]). Pages behind this wall will not be scanned. | The page redirected to a page with a password field. | See Scanning Behind a Sign-In. |
Possible auth-wall: [URL] redirected to [URL]. Verify this page is accessible without login. | The page redirected to an address containing "login" or "signin", but no password field was found. | Open the page yourself to see whether it needs a sign-in. |
Skipped the sitemap [address] because it is larger than 20 MB. Pages are still found by crawling. | One sitemap file was too large to read safely, so it was left out. Other sitemaps are still read. | Split the sitemap into smaller files, or give a URL list instead. |
Sitemap index limit (500) reached. Not all sub-sitemaps have been processed — some pages may be missing from the scan. Consider providing a direct sitemap URL or URL list to ensure full coverage. | The sitemap points to more than 500 further sitemaps. | Enter a specific sitemap in Sitemap XML URL, or list the pages in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds. |
Skipping(disallowed by robots.txt): [URL] | robots.txt disallows the address. | See the Disallowed by robots.txt row above. |
The sitemaps are too large to read in full, so some pages may be missing from the scan. Provide a smaller sitemap or a list of Specific URLs for full coverage. | The site's sitemaps hold more addresses than the scanner reads, so it stopped reading them once it had enough to choose from. | Enter a smaller sitemap in Sitemap XML URL, or list the pages you need in Scan Specific URLs. |
Skipping path-template variant: [URL] ([n] pages already scanned matching / | Enough pages that differ only by a number or ID have already been scanned. See Path template cap reached. | Raise or turn off the cap, as described there, if you need every variant. |
robots.txt
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
robots.txt requests a Crawl-delay of Ns — applying Nms between requests. | Your Crawl Delay is 0, so the site's own Crawl-delay is used. | Nothing to do. Set your own Crawl Delay to override it. |
robots.txt requests a Crawl-delay of Ns — capping it at 30s between requests. | The site asks for more than 30 seconds between requests, so 30 seconds is used. | Nothing to do. |
No robots.txt found for [site] — proceeding without it. | The site has no robots.txt, including at its www or non-www address. | Nothing to do. |
Could not fetch robots.txt for [site] (status: N), proceeding without it. | The server refused the request for robots.txt or answered with an unexpected status, such as 403, so there are no rules to follow. | Nothing to do unless you need its rules. Check that the site is up. |
robots.txt for [site] returned a server error (status: N), so its pages are treated as off-limits, as robots.txt rules require. Turn off Respect robots.txt to scan them anyway. | The site's server failed when asked for robots.txt. The robots.txt rules say a crawler must then stay away from the whole site. | Try again later, or turn off Respect robots.txt if you have permission to scan the site. |
robots.txt for [site] couldn't be reached ([reason]), so its pages are treated as off-limits, as robots.txt rules require. Turn off Respect robots.txt to scan them anyway. | robots.txt didn't arrive, even after a second try, for example because it timed out. The robots.txt rules say a crawler must then stay away from the whole site. | Check that the site is up and try again later, or turn off Respect robots.txt if you have permission to scan it. If you use a proxy, see robots.txt or sitemaps fail while a proxy is set. |
Error fetching robots.txt for [site]: [error]. Proceeding without it. | robots.txt is on an address the scan isn't allowed to reach, such as one on your local network, so there are no rules to follow. | Nothing to do. |
robots.txt for [site] is very large, so only its first 512 KB of rules were used. | The site's robots.txt is unusually large, so only the start of it was read. | Nothing to do. If pages you expected are missing, check the site's robots.txt rules. |
Robots.txt pre-filter: removed N disallowed sitemap URL(s). | Sitemap addresses that robots.txt disallows were removed before scanning. | Nothing to do. |
Login URL is disallowed by robots.txt: [URL]. Proceeding anyway for authentication. | Your Login URL is disallowed, but it is still used so you can sign in. | Nothing to do. |
Page loading and scanning
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
The device "[name]" is not available, so this scan uses a standard desktop viewport. | The chosen device preset couldn't be found. | Choose another device in Device Preset. |
The wait condition ('[type]: [value]') failed. The element may not have appeared in time. Continuing scan anyway. | The Wait Before Scan condition wasn't met, for example the CSS selector never appeared. | Check the selector, or raise its timeout. |
Timed out waiting for content to render on [URL] or Timed out waiting for content to render on the page. | The page body didn't appear within 7 seconds. The scan continues. | Check the page in a browser. Use Wait Before Scan for slow pages. |
Iframe scan failed on [URL]; reported top-frame issues only. | Embedded frames didn't respond, so only the main page was tested. | See Content inside embedded frames. |
Cluster worker failed permanently for [URL]: [error] | With Parallel Processing, a page failed after all its retries. | The page is listed with its error in the report. Scan it again on its own if you need it. |
Stopped scanning [URL]: it took too long to load and scan. | The page didn't finish loading and being checked within the time allowed, so the scan moved on. | Check the page in a browser. Raise Crawl Page Timeout for slow pages. |
This site's security policy blocked the Interactive Mode panel, so the policy has been relaxed for this session and the page reloaded. | In Interactive Mode, the site's security policy stopped the scanning panel from appearing, so it was allowed for this session only. | Nothing to do. |
Report size and memory
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Issue limit reached. Disabling new screenshots to save resources. | The scan has found more than 150,000 issue instances. Screenshots stop for the rest of the scan. | Nothing to do. Earlier screenshots are kept. |
High screenshot count detected (N). Images will be saved to a separate folder to improve report performance. or Screenshots are too large to embed in the report. Images will be saved to a separate folder to improve report performance. | There are more than 400 screenshots, or more than 100 MB of them, so they are saved beside the report. See Screenshots. | Keep the folder with the report when you share it. |
Switching to CSV: issue count (N) is too large for a safe HTML report. | There are too many issue instances for an HTML report, so a CSV report is made instead. | See A CSV report was produced instead of HTML. |
⚠️ Low RAM: Node heap is N% full (NMB of NMB). This machine has NGB RAM. Generating CSV instead — open the CSV in a spreadsheet or re-run on a machine with more RAM for a full HTML report. | There isn't enough free memory to build the HTML report. | Open the CSV, or scan fewer pages, or use a computer with more RAM. |
Data too large for HTML. Switching to CSV report. Reason: [reason] | The results are too large to build an HTML report. | As above. |
HTML report failed. Attempting to create a streaming CSV report as a fallback. | The HTML report couldn't be built, so a CSV report is made instead. Other messages in this group start with HTML build aborted or HTML aggregation aborted and end with Generating a streaming CSV instead. | As above. |
Memory is nearly full, so the scan stopped finding new pages and the report is being built from the pages scanned so far. | Memory ran low during the crawl. PDF checks are skipped, and the report header shows Scan stopped early. | Scan fewer pages, or use a computer with more RAM. |
The HTML report was too large to build, usually because of a very large number of embedded screenshots. A CSV report was generated instead. Try Screenshot Mode Per Issue Type or fewer pages for an HTML report. | The HTML report couldn't be built, so a CSV report was made instead. | Scan again with Per Issue Type screenshots or fewer pages. |
Local LLM Review
These messages appear only when Local LLM Review is turned on. The review runs after scanning finishes and before the report is built.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Local LLM review (experimental) started using [model]. | Scanning has finished and the review has started with the model you chose. | Nothing to do. The report is built when the review finishes. |
Local LLM review: checking findings N of N | The model is giving a second opinion on axe-core findings, one request at a time. | Nothing to do. To make this step shorter, lower Findings Checked Per Issue Type. |
Local LLM review: page N of N | The model is looking for issues axe-core can't detect on each reviewed page. | Nothing to do. To make this step shorter, lower Max Pages To Review or turn off Include Screenshots. |
Local LLM review of [rule]: N of N checked instances confirmed. Overall: likely valid. or …, N likely false alarms. Overall: … | The model's second opinion on one axe-core rule, after checking its instances. "(needs review)" after the rule name means the items were in Needs Review. | Nothing to do. Check any likely false alarms yourself before removing them. |
Local LLM review of [page]: no issues found. | The model looked for issues axe-core can't detect on this page and found none. | Nothing to do. |
Local LLM review of [page]: suggested N possible issues ([categories]). | The model suggested issues on this page, listed by check, such as Alt Text Quality. | Review each suggestion in the report's LLM Review section, then approve or remove it. |
Local LLM review couldn't check [page]: the server didn't give a usable answer. | The model's reply couldn't be read, so this page has no LLM suggestions. | Nothing to do for this scan. If it happens often, try a different model. |
Local LLM review skipped [finding or page]: [reason]. Moving on. | The server didn't reply within Timeout Per Request, or the request failed, so that finding or page was skipped and the review carried on. | Check the LLM server is running and not busy with other work. |
Local LLM review of [rule]: couldn't check its instance, so it is reported as axe-core found it. or …any of its N instances… | Every request for this rule was skipped, so the report shows it without an LLM opinion. | Nothing to do. Check the issue yourself as usual. |
Local LLM review: N requests were skipped because the server didn't reply in time. | Some requests timed out during the review. | Check the server isn't busy, raise Timeout Per Request under Limits, turn off screenshots or choose a faster model. |
Local LLM review finished: N findings checked (N confirmed, N likely false alarms); N pages reviewed, N new issues suggested for your review. Model [model], took [time]. | The review is complete. "; N requests failed" is added when some requests failed. Its results are in the tickets and in the LLM Review section of the report. | Nothing to do. |
… On a Mac, if Octopus Scanner was recently updated or reinstalled, macOS may be blocking it. Check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network … | Added to a Local LLM Review connection error on a Mac when the connection to a server on your local network was blocked or refused. | Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and turn on Octopus Scanner. |
Local LLM review stopped: [reason] | The review couldn't continue, for example because 2 requests in a row got no reply, or the server refused the request. The scan still produces its report, with anything the review checked before it stopped. | Check that the server is running, select Test Connection and raise Timeout Per Request if the model is slow. See Connecting Octopus Scanner. |
4. Interface messages
These messages appear in the scanning interface, next to a field, in a pop-up or in the Activity Log.
Settings that need fixing before a scan
Website URL or local file pathwww.example.com
Enter a Website URL starting with http:// or https://, or a local file path.
Start Scan
Text description: Website URL field showing an error message
Example of the Website URL or local file path field containing www.example.com, outlined in red, with the message Enter a Website URL starting with http:// or https://, or a local file path. Below is the Start Scan button.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Enter a Website URL starting with http:// | Website URL or local file path is empty or not a web address or file path. | Enter an address that starts with http://, https:// or file:///, or a file path. |
To record a journey, first enter a Website URL starting with http:// | Recording a journey needs a website address first. | Enter a web address, then select Record Journey again. |
This line isn't a web address or file path: [line]. Enter one address per line, each starting with http:// | A line in Scan Specific URLs / Add Crawl Seeds isn't a valid address. The first one is shown. | Fix or remove that line. |
Enter a Login URL starting with http:// | Login URL isn't a web address. | Enter the full address of the sign-in page, or clear the field. |
Enter a Sitemap XML URL starting with http:// | Sitemap XML URL isn't a web address. | Enter the full address of the sitemap, or clear the field. |
Enter a Proxy Server URL starting with http:// | Proxy Server URL isn't in a supported form. | Enter the proxy address as shown, or clear the field. |
Messages that start Enter a, Enter an or Enter 1 or more and name a setting, such as Enter a Max Crawl Depth of 0 or more, as a whole number., Enter a Concurrency of 1 or more, as a whole number., Enter an Axe Timeout of at least 1,000 milliseconds (1 second), as a whole number. or Enter a Pagination cap (per base path) from 1 to 50, as a whole number. | A number setting is out of range, or isn't a whole number where one is needed. Each message names the setting and the values it accepts. Most fields under Crawl Options, Scan Behaviour, Advanced Options and Backend Fine-Tuning are checked this way. | Enter a value in the range shown, or clear the field to use the default. |
Tick at least one Axe Tag, or choose rules under Run ONLY These Rules. | No standards are ticked and no rules are listed, so there is nothing to test. | Tick at least one standard, or add rules to Run ONLY These Rules. |
Enter a Timeout of 1 millisecond or more, as a whole number. | Wait Before Scan is set to Timeout without a whole number of 1 or more. | Enter a number of milliseconds. |
Enter a CSS Selector to wait for, such as main. | Wait Before Scan is set to wait for a selector, but CSS Selector is empty. | Enter a selector, such as main. |
Select a device, or choose a different Emulation Mode. | The device preset mode is chosen without a device. | Choose a device in Device Preset. |
Enter a width of at least 1 pixel, as a whole number. or Enter a height of at least 1 pixel, as a whole number. | A custom device width or height is missing or invalid. | Enter a whole number of 1 or more. |
Enter a width of 8,000 pixels or less. or Enter a height of 8,000 pixels or less. | A custom device width or height is larger than the scanner allows. | Enter a smaller size. |
Enter a scale factor between 0.5 and 5. | Scale Factor is out of range. | Enter a number from 0.5 to 5, or clear the field. |
Enter this sensitive value. It is not saved, so it is needed before each scan. | A journey step uses a sensitive value, such as a password, which is never stored. | Type the value again. See A scan won't start. |
User journey errors
These appear next to the field in the step that needs fixing when you select Start Scan. Only The journey doesn't scan any pages appears in a pop-up. The step number counts from 1, and the step is named by its action, such as Click Element or Type in Element.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
User Journey Error: The journey doesn't scan any pages. Add a Scan Page step where you want a page tested. | The journey never tests a page. | Add a Scan Page step where you want a page tested. |
User Journey Error: Step N (Go to URL) needs an address starting with http:// | A Go to URL step has no valid address. | Enter a full address in that step. |
User Journey Error: Step N ([action]) needs the CSS selector of the element to use. | A Click Element, Type in Element, Select Option or Wait for Element step has no selector. | Enter the selector of the element. |
User Journey Error: Step N (Type in Element) needs the text to type. or User Journey Error: Step N (Select Option) needs the option to choose. | A Type in Element or Select Option step has no text or option. | Enter the text to type, or the option to select. |
User Journey Error: Step N (Press Key) needs a key, such as Enter or Tab. | A Press Key step has no key. | Enter a key name. |
Scan errors
When a scan fails, the interface replaces the technical error with a plain explanation.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
The website address could not be found. Please check the URL for typos. | The address doesn't exist, or your network can't look it up. | Check the spelling and your connection. |
The connection timed out. The website may be slow, offline, or blocking automated requests. | The site didn't answer in time. | Open the site in a browser. If it works there, see Pages fail, time out or are blocked. |
A security certificate error occurred. The website may have an invalid SSL certificate. | The site's HTTPS certificate is invalid or expired. | Ask the site owner to fix the certificate. |
Octopus Scanner's engine didn't respond. If it has stopped, select Restart Scanner in the Octopus Server window, then start the scan again. | The interface can't reach the Octopus Server window's engine. Other actions show the same message ending then try again. | Check that Octopus Scanner is running. If the Octopus Server window shows Restart Scanner, select it, then try again. See The scanner has stopped. |
Google Chrome is needed to scan websites. Install it from google.com/ | Chrome isn't installed where Octopus Scanner looks for it. | Install Chrome. See Google Chrome is installed but not found. |
The page navigated away or closed unexpectedly during the scan. This can happen on sites with aggressive redirects. | The page changed while it was being tested. | See Execution context was destroyed. |
A technical error occurred: [error] | Any other error. The original text is shown. | Check the logs, then report a bug if it keeps happening. |
The scan hasn't started yet, so it can't be paused. Try again in a moment. | You selected Pause before the engine had started the scan. | Wait a moment and select it again. |
Octopus Scanner's engine restarted. Reload this page, then try again. | The engine restarted while the interface was open, so the interface's session is no longer valid. | Reload the interface. |
Too many requests were sent in a short time. Wait a moment, then try again. | The interface sent the engine too many requests at once. | Wait a few seconds and start the scan again. |
The private network check could not start, so the scan was stopped to keep your local network safe. Try the scan again. or The private network check could not start for your proxy, so the scan was stopped to keep your local network safe. Check the Proxy Server URL and try again. | The check that keeps scanned sites away from your local network couldn't start, so the scan didn't run without it. | Try again. If you use a proxy, check Proxy Server URL. |
Network file paths aren't supported. Copy the files to this computer and scan them from there. | A local file scan pointed at a shared network folder. | Copy the files to a folder on this computer and scan them there. |
Session data is being cleared. Try again in a moment. | Clear Session is still removing saved session data. | Wait a moment, then try again. |
No pages could be scanned
When a scan ends without scanning any page, the result reads No Pages Could Be Scanned, with one of these explanations.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
The site blocked automated scanning (bot protection). See Skipped Pages in the report. | The site's bot protection blocked the pages. | See pages that fail or are blocked. |
The site's robots.txt asks scanners not to visit this address, so it was skipped. If you have permission to scan the site, turn off Respect robots.txt in Crawl Options and scan again. | The address you entered is disallowed by the site's robots.txt. | Turn off Respect robots.txt, but only if you have permission to scan the site. |
The site needs a sign-in. Use Login URL or a User Journey to scan pages behind it. | The pages need a sign-in, or redirected to a sign-in page. | See Scanning Behind a Sign-In. |
The site refused access (HTTP 403). It may block automated tools, or the page may need signing in. See Skipped Pages in the report. | Every page was refused with Access denied (HTTP 403). | Open the site in a browser. If it needs a sign-in, see Scanning Behind a Sign-In. Otherwise, see pages that fail or are blocked. |
Octopus couldn't load any pages from this address. Check the address is correct and the site is reachable, then try again. | Any other reason, for example the address is wrong or the site is down. | Check the address and open it in a browser. The report's Skipped Pages and error sections give the reason for each page. |
Connection to the engine
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Connection stalled. Reconnecting in Ns (attempt n/ | The interface lost its live link to the scan and is trying again. The wait doubles each time. | Wait. The scan carries on in the engine. |
Connection stalled. Please refresh the page or start a new scan. | All five attempts failed. | Refresh the page. See The interface stops updating. |
Connection to the engine lost. If the Octopus Server window shows Restart Scanner, select it, then refresh this page. | The interface can no longer reach the engine. | If the Octopus Server window shows Restart Scanner, select it. Then refresh the page, or select Open Interface. |
Reconnected to the scan that was already running. | The connection to this window's own scan was lost, and starting a scan again reconnected to it instead of starting a second one. | Nothing. The scan continues here. |
A scan is already running in another window. Showing its progress here. | Only one scan runs at a time. This window now shows the running scan. | Wait for it to finish, or stop it. See A scan is already running in another window. |
Configurations and setup
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Default configuration "[name]" loaded automatically. | Your default configuration was applied when the interface opened. | Nothing to do. |
Your default config "[name]" was saved in a different version and may not load correctly. Please re-save it. | The default was saved by another version of Octopus Scanner. | Check the settings, then save the configuration again. |
Configuration "[name]" loaded. It was saved with a different version ([version]), so some settings may not apply correctly. | The configuration comes from another version. | Check the settings, then save it again. |
Configuration imported. It was exported from a different version ([version]), so some settings may not apply correctly. | The imported file comes from another version. | Check the settings, then select Save to keep them. |
Enter a name to save this configuration as. or This name can't be used. Enter a different name. | The name to save under is missing or not allowed. | Enter a different name. |
Setup Dismissed: Continue with the setup using the Setup button under Customise Scan. | You closed the setup walkthrough before finishing it. | Select Customise Scan, then Setup, to finish it later. |
This file isn't an Octopus Scanner configuration, so nothing was changed. | The file you imported is JSON but doesn't contain any Octopus Scanner settings. | Choose a file saved with Export Current or a report's Export Settings. |
Pause failed: [reason] or Resume failed: [reason] | The engine couldn't pause or resume the scan, for example during the Local LLM Review. | Wait for that step to finish, then try again. |
5. Octopus Server window messages
These messages appear in System Activity, in the status strip under it, or in a dialog in the Octopus Server window. Where the wording differs between macOS and Windows, both are shown.
Starting the engine
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Installing system files... or Updating system files... (Windows) | The app is unpacking its files on first launch or after an update. | Wait for it to finish. |
Could not clear existing data folder ([error]). Files may mix versions — close any windows showing [folder] and restart. (Windows) | Old files couldn't be removed before the new ones were unpacked. | Close any File Explorer windows showing that folder, then restart Octopus Scanner. |
Executables not found. (macOS) or Executables missing after extraction. (Windows) | Files the engine needs are missing. | Reinstall Octopus Scanner. See the Install Guide. |
Install error: [error] (Windows) | Unpacking the app's files failed. | Reinstall Octopus Scanner. |
Auth Failed. (macOS) or Decryption failed. (Windows) | The engine's files couldn't be opened, usually because they are damaged. | Reinstall Octopus Scanner. See Application Integrity Error. |
Another program is already using port [port] on this computer's IPv6 address, so the interface could be intercepted. Exiting. | Another program holds the Server Port on the IPv6 loopback address, so the engine stopped rather than let that program receive the interface's requests. | Close the other program, or choose a different Server Port. See The scanner hasn't started. |
Launch Error: [error] (macOS) or Launch error: [error] (Windows) | The engine couldn't be started. | Restart the app. If it keeps happening, reinstall it. |
The engine closed before it finished starting: [error] (macOS) | The engine stopped during startup. | Check System Activity for the cause, then restart the app. |
Scanner has not reported interface readiness after 60s — check logs for startup errors. | The engine started but the interface hasn't become ready. | Check System Activity. See The scanner hasn't started. |
Process crashed. Dump saved to CRASH_[date]_[time].txt. (macOS) | The engine stopped with an error. Its recent log lines were saved in a crash file. | Attach the file to a bug report. See Report a bug. |
⚠️ Crash loop detected: Node exited 3 times in under 60 s. Check the logs, or reinstall if this keeps happening. and the status Crash loop — stopped (Windows) | The engine failed three times within a minute, so the app stopped restarting it. | See Crash loop — stopped. |
Component update check did not finish in time; continuing without it. | The startup check for component updates took too long, so the app started without it. | Nothing to do. It runs again next time. |
| The scanner has stopped (macOS), and Scanner Stopped beside the System Activity heading | The engine stopped after it had started, for example because it crashed. | Select Restart Scanner. See The scanner has stopped. |
Restarting the scanner..., then The scanner has restarted. | You selected Restart Scanner and the engine started again. | Nothing to do. Select Open Interface if the interface doesn't open on its own. |
An update is still installing. Try again when it finishes. | You selected Reset Data or Revert, or on Windows started another component update, while a component update was installing. | Wait for the update to finish, then try again. |
The scanner could not restart. The activity log shows why. | The engine failed to start again. | Read the earlier lines in System Activity for the reason, then quit and reopen Octopus Scanner. |
The scanner stopped unexpectedly (code [N]). Restarting it. (Windows) | The engine stopped after it had started, so the app is starting it again. | Nothing to do. If it keeps happening, see The scanner has stopped. |
The scanner stopped unexpectedly 3 times in 10 minutes, so it wasn't restarted automatically. Use Restart Scanner to try again. (Windows) | The engine keeps stopping, so the app has stopped restarting it by itself. | Select Restart Scanner. If it keeps happening, see The scanner has stopped. |
Started at login before the network was ready, so updates weren't checked. They're checked the next time Octopus Scanner opens. (Windows) | Octopus Scanner started at login before your computer was online, so it started the engine without checking for updates. | Nothing to do. |
The scanner couldn't be restarted automatically right now. Use Restart Scanner to start it again. (Windows) | The engine stopped, but something else was in progress, so the app didn't restart it. | Select Restart Scanner. |
| The Octopus Scanner window stopped working (Windows) | The window showing the scanning interface stopped responding. Any scan keeps running. | Select the option to open the interface in your web browser, or close the window and open it again. |
Server port
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Closing a previous Octopus engine still using port N... | An earlier Octopus engine was still running on the port, so it is being closed. | Nothing to do. |
Port N is in use by another app, so Octopus is using port N instead. | Another app holds your Server Port, so a free port up to 20 higher is used for this session. Your setting doesn't change. | Nothing to do, unless you want a fixed port. |
No free port found between N and N. Trying N anyway. | None of the next 20 ports was free. | Change Server Port in Preferences > Options > Advanced, then restart. |
The server port is already in use | Shown on the startup notice when the engine couldn't open its port. | As above. |
Scans and reports
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
[Crawler] [host] is on your local network, so the browser is kept on [address] for this scan. | The scan starts on an internal site by name, so the scanning browser uses the address that name had at the start for the whole scan. | Nothing. If the site moves to a new address, start the scan again. |
⚠️ Low RAM — CSV report generated | There wasn't enough memory for an HTML report, so a CSV report was made. | See A CSV report was produced instead of HTML. |
⚠️ Report size limit hit — CSV generated | There were too many issue instances for an HTML report. | As above. |
Scan cancelled after [time] or Scan cancelled | The scan was stopped before it finished. | Nothing to do. Start a new scan when you're ready. |
| Quit Octopus Scanner?, Quit while a scan is running? or Quit while an update is installing?, plus Quit Application? on macOS | Confirms that you want to quit while the engine is running. The text explains the effect, for example A scan is N% complete. Quitting now discards it. Completed reports will remain in your reports folder. During an update: A component update is still installing. Quitting now stops it, and the update will not be applied. | Select Quit to quit, or Cancel to keep going. |
Updates and component safety
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Malicious Component Found: A component Octopus Scanner uses has been reported as malicious. The scanner has been stopped so it cannot run. | The Component Safety Check found a component reported as malicious on osv.dev. | Follow the screen. Select Remove Engine Update or Revert and Restart if offered. |
Scanner stopped: [component] reported as malicious. or The scanner was not started because a component has been reported as malicious. | The engine is blocked until the component is removed. | As above. |
Component safety check: no malicious components remain. The scanner can start again. | The problem component has gone. | Nothing to do. |
[component] is reported as malicious on osv.dev. Nothing was installed and your current components are unchanged. | A Dependency Patching update was stopped before installing. | Nothing to do. |
Messages ending The update was discarded and nothing changed. | A dependency patch failed one of its checks, such as a missing or invalid registry signature, so it wasn't applied. | See A patch was discarded. |
The updated Node runtime failed to start twice and has been discarded. The bundled runtime will be used. | An updated Node runtime didn't work, so the one that ships with the app is used again. | Nothing to do. |
Download failed. Please try again or skip. | An engine update download failed. | Try again later, or select Skip. |
Couldn't check for the update: The update information couldn't be downloaded or verified, so nothing was downloaded. Check your internet connection, then try again. You can continue with this version for now. (Windows) | After you selected Download Update, the signed release information couldn't be downloaded or verified, so nothing was downloaded. | Check your connection, then select Try Again, or select Continue to keep using this version. See Couldn't check for the update. |
Version [version] is listed on the website, but its signed Windows download couldn't be verified yet, so it isn't offered in the app. (Windows) or the same message with Mac (macOS) | A new version is listed, but its signed download for your system couldn't be checked, for example because it is still being published. | Nothing to do. It is offered once it can be verified. You can also download it from the Download page. |
Version [version] is available. It's offered the next time you open Octopus Scanner yourself. (Windows) | Octopus Scanner started at login, so the update notice is saved for later. | Nothing to do. |
Engine and component updates aren't offered while version [version] is waiting to be installed. They're checked again when the new version opens, so only versions newer than the ones it includes are offered. | You downloaded a new version of Octopus Scanner, so notices for engine and component updates wait until it opens. | Finish installing the new version. |
The update couldn't be downloaded and verified in the app, so the download page was opened in your browser. (macOS) | The signed update information couldn't be fetched or checked, so the app opened the download page instead. | Download the new version from the page that opened. |
This patch fixes [N] security advisories ([advisories]). The fix takes effect when Octopus Scanner restarts. | Dependency Patching installed versions that are no longer affected by these advisories. | Restart Octopus Scanner to start using them. |
[N] advisories still apply after this patch: [components]. A fixed version may not be published yet or may still be in the waiting period. It may also need a component you didn't select or a bigger update than your update settings allow. | Some installed components still have a high or critical security advisory after patching. | Check whether a fix is available on the advisory's osv.dev page. You can keep scanning. |
The advisory for axe-core still applies. Dependency Patching doesn't change axe-core; its fix comes through the accessibility engine update. | The axe-core advisory isn't affected by Dependency Patching. | Install the engine update when Engine Update Available offers one. |
Wait for the Node.js update to finish, then update dependencies. or Wait for the dependency update to finish, then update the Node.js runtime. (macOS) | A dependency patch and a Node.js update can't run at the same time. | Wait for the running update to finish, then start the other one. |
Files and settings
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Could not change Open At Login: [error] | The system refused the change to Open At Login. | On macOS, check System Settings > General > Login Items. On Windows, check Task Manager > Startup apps. |
Could not save the logs: [error] | Exporting the activity logs failed. | Choose a different folder and try again. |
Download failed: [file] could not be saved. [error] (macOS) | A file couldn't be saved where you chose. | Choose a different folder and try again. |
Settings couldn't be read ([error]), so some settings use their defaults for this session. Your saved settings are left unchanged. (Windows) | Windows refused access to the app's saved settings, so the app is using its defaults without overwriting what was saved. | Restart Octopus Scanner. If it keeps happening, use Reset Data. |
6. Related guides
For problems these messages point to, see the Troubleshooting Guide. For what a report contains, see Report File Formats and Report Anatomy.
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