Error

What it means

How to fix

"You do not have edit permission." (toast)

You have view-only access, or you opened a published or embedded link.

Open the project itself, and ask the project owner for Edit access.

"You must be in a project to draw something." or "You can't draw in a space." (toast)

Spaces don't hold drawn geometries.

Open or create a project to draw.

"You are trying to draw on an invisible layer. Click on another layer, or make this layer visible." (toast)

The active drawing layer is hidden, so Giraffe discards the new shape.

Show the layer with its eye, or set a different drawing layer as active, then draw again.

"You are trying to draw on a locked layer. Unlock the layer or its group to draw on it." (toast, Giraffe 6)

The active drawing layer, or its group, is locked.

Unlock the layer or group with its padlock, then draw again.

"Changes can't be made until this project has synced with the server." (toast, Giraffe 6)

The project is still loading from the server.

Wait a few seconds, then try again.

"Couldn't load this project from the server. Refresh the page to make changes." (toast, Giraffe 6)

The project didn't sync with the server.

Refresh the page.

"Can't save your changes right now. You appear to be offline." (toast)

You lost your connection. Your edits are kept on this device.

Check your connection. Your edits sync automatically when it returns.

"Nothing to paste" (toast, Giraffe 6)

The clipboard doesn't hold any Giraffe geometries.

Copy the geometries in Giraffe with Cmd/Ctrl+C, then paste again.

"Cannot paste: Too many sections in project" or "Too much data in project" (toast)

Pasting would push the project past its size limit.

Paste fewer geometries, or delete geometries you don't need. Learn more ways to improve project performance.

"Bake failed. No features to bake." or "Bake failed. Nothing to bake." (toast)

Nothing was selected to bake.

Select at least one geometry, then bake again.

"Bake failed. Try baking fewer features." (toast)

You tried to bake 250 or more geometries at once.

Bake in batches of fewer than 250.

"No usage fills to place." (toast, Giraffe 6)

The selected geometries have no usage fills to bake.

Select geometries that have usage fills, then bake again.

"Cannot paste: (error text)" (toast)

The pasted content could not be used.

Copy valid geometries and try again.

"Error creating feature: [error message]" (toast)

Creating a geometry failed.

Try again.

"Error updating feature: [error message]" (toast)

Changing a geometry failed and was undone.

Try again with different values.

"Error: Could not paste. Check your browser permissions for this site." (toast)

The browser blocked reading your clipboard.

Allow clipboard access for this site.

"Invalid geometry" (toast)

You drew, imported or saved a geometry that has an invalid shape.

Fix or redraw the geometry.

Error

What it means

How to fix

"Self-intersecting polygons are not allowed"

The shape's edges cross each other.

Redraw the shape so its edges don't cross.

"This polygon is too thin to be valid"

The shape is a sliver with almost no area.

Redraw it wider, or delete it.

"This polygon is too big to be valid"

The shape covers too large an area.

Draw a smaller shape, or split it into several.

"This polygon has too many vertices to be valid"

The shape has too many points.

Simplify the shape or redraw it with fewer points.

"This polygon has overlapping vertices"

Two points sit on top of each other.

Delete the duplicate point in Vertex Edit, or redraw the shape.

"This polygon has invalid holes", "Polygon hole N has zero area", or "...must be wound in the opposite direction to the outer ring"

A hole cut in the shape is broken.

Delete the hole and cut it again.

Error

What it means

How to fix

"Your geometry is too far from the project origin to give accurate measurements." (bottom bar)

Some geometries are far from the project, so measurements may be off.

Click the warning to select those geometries, then move them closer or delete them.

"You are drawing over too large an area for accurate measurements." (bottom bar)

Your geometries, or the project boundary, cover too large an area.

Click the warning to select the geometries causing it. If none are selected, the project boundary is too large. Split a very large project into smaller ones.

"Section Error: [detail]" (bottom bar)

A geometry failed to process. The detail says why.

Click it to select the failing geometry. If it has a flow, troubleshoot the flow.

"Engine Error" (bottom bar, red)

The engine that builds your model hit a problem.

Refresh the page. If it keeps happening, contact support.

"Engine Status" (bottom bar, pale yellow)

The engine is still working on a request.

Wait for it to finish. Pausing the engine hides these messages, so click Resume Engine to see current errors.

Error

What it means

How to fix

"New shape(s) created on INVISIBLE layer" (toast)

Imported geometries went onto a hidden drawing layer.

Click the layer's eye in the Layer Palette to show it.

"Cannot paste features on a locked layer" (toast)

The active drawing layer is locked.

Unlock the layer with its padlock, then paste again.

A message saying the layer has features derived from other layers

The drawing layer holds geometries generated by blocks or flows. The toast names the layers that block the delete.

Delete or edit the source geometries first, then delete the layer.

"[layer]-copy already exists" (toast, Giraffe 6)

A layer with the duplicate's name already exists.

Rename or delete the existing copy, then duplicate again.

"Can't hide the active layer" or "Can't lock the active draw layer" (tooltip, Giraffe 6)

You can't lock the active drawing layer, or a group that holds it. In Giraffe 6, you can't hide it either.

Set a different drawing layer as active first.

Message

What triggers it

What to do

""[group name]" is reserved and can't be used as a group name"

You renamed a group to a name the app reserves.

Pick a different group name.

"A group named "[group name]" already exists"

You renamed a group to a name another group already uses.

Pick a different group name.

"Can't draw on hidden layer '[layer name]'. Show it first."

You tried to draw on a hidden layer.

Show the layer, then draw.

"Cannot align edges that are perpendicular to each other"

You picked a target edge at a right angle to the edges you are moving.

Pick a target edge that runs the same direction.

"Cannot duplicate features on a locked layer"

You tried to duplicate geometries on a locked layer.

Unlock the layer first.

"Cannot edit project grid while editing a block."

You chose Edit Grid while you were editing inside a block.

Finish or exit the block, then edit the grid.

"Cannot move edges that are perpendicular to each other"

You picked edges to move that are at right angles to each other.

Pick edges that run the same direction.

"Changing the simplify tolerance may require Sides to be reconfigured."

You changed the simplify tolerance on an envelope.

Check the Sides settings and reset them if needed.

"Copied to clipboard."

You copied geometry data from the right-click menu.

None

"Difference produced no geometry"

You ran subtract and nothing was left.

Select different geometries.

"Features grouped"

You grouped the selected geometries.

None

"Features ungrouped"

You ungrouped the selected geometries.

None

"Invalid Properties"

You saved geometry properties in the JSON editor and the text was not valid JSON.

Fix the JSON and save again.

"Mirror line must have exactly 2 points"

You used the mirror tool with a line that does not have exactly 2 points.

Draw a mirror line with 2 points.

"New shape(s) created on layer [layer name]"

Imported geometries were added to a layer.

None

"No features to bake."

You ran Bake and nothing in the selection could be baked.

Select geometries that can be baked.

"No grouped features are selected"

You tried to ungroup. None of the selected geometries were in a group.

Select grouped geometries first.

"Nothing selected"

You tried to copy with no geometries selected.

Select geometries first.

"Only one cutter line is allowed"

You selected more than one cutter line.

Select just one cutter line.

"Only points and polygons can be drawn on the project boundary"

You tried to draw a line on the project boundary.

Draw a point or polygon instead.

"Reference point is too close to the base point"

You picked a scale reference point too close to the base point.

Pick a point farther away.

"Scale factor must be greater than zero / New length is too small"

You confirmed a scale with a zero, negative, or too small scale factor or length.

Enter a larger scale factor or length.

"Select a polygon to offset split"

You started offset split with no polygon selected.

Select a polygon first.

"Select fewer than [N] child features to edit them individually / Select fewer than [N] features to edit them individually"

You selected too many geometries to edit one by one.

Select fewer geometries.

"Select multiple features to add them to a group"

You tried to group. Fewer than two geometries were selected.

Select two or more geometries, then group.

"Selection has no common intersection"

You ran intersect on geometries that do not overlap.

Select geometries that overlap.

"Split feature successfully"

You split a geometry with the push pull tool.

None

"Splitting Line is self-intersecting, unable to split"

You tried to split with a line that crosses itself.

Use a line that does not cross itself.

"That cut would leave a sliver too thin to keep, so this shape was left whole"

You cut a shape and the cut would leave a piece too thin to keep.

Cut in a different place.

"That feature is no longer available, so the shape was not added"

You drew a shape on a geometry that was removed.

Pick a geometry that still exists and draw again.

"That line does not run into the target, even where the target is extended"

You tried to extend a line to a target it cannot reach.

Pick a target the line can reach.

"The boundary edit was closed, so the shape was not added"

You finished a shape after the boundary edit had closed.

Reopen boundary edit and draw again.

"Union produced no geometry"

You merged geometries and nothing came out.

Select different geometries.

"Grid origin is too far from map center to display grid."

You moved the map so the grid origin is over 100 km from the map center while the grid is on.

Pan back toward the grid origin or move the grid origin.

"The grid is not defined yet. Draw the project boundary, or press spacebar then 'edit grid'."

You tried to toggle the grid before a grid exists.

Draw the project boundary or edit the grid.

"The grid is on. You can edit the grid by pressing space and typing 'grid'."

You turned the grid on with the hotkey.

None