While Ithy is designed to be a robust and user-friendly platform, you might occasionally encounter issues. This guide covers some common problems and provides practical solutions to get you back on track quickly.
Article Generation Problems
Symptom: The article generation process starts but doesn't complete, gets stuck on a certain percentage, or you receive an error message.
Possible Causes & Solutions:
Do Not Leave the Page: The most common cause is navigating away from the Ithy page or switching browser tabs while an article is generating. The notification "Your article will take 1 minute to generate. Don't leave this page until complete" is critical. Stay on the page until you see the "Article Ready" popup.
Check Article Credits/Limits: Go to your Account page and verify that you have remaining article credits for the month (for Free users) or haven't hit any unforeseen daily limits.
Temporary AI Model or Data Source Issues: The underlying AI models or external data sources Ithy uses can sometimes experience temporary disruptions.
Solution: Check the Ithy Discord for the most up-to-date site status. Or try submitting your query again after a short while (a few minutes to an hour).
Query Complexity or Content Policy: Very complex queries or prompts that might inadvertently touch on content policy restrictions of the AI models can sometimes lead to failure.
Solution: Try rephrasing your question to be simpler or clearer. If the topic is sensitive, ensure your phrasing is neutral.
Ithy does not censor responses. If one of AI models we use decides to censor a response, Ithy will fall back to a different model to pursue the truth. But if all the AI models we use refuse to respond, then Ithy cannot provide an answer, so try removing any potentially sensitive or policy-violating content
Break complex questions into smaller, more focused queries
Try again after a few minutes if it might be a temporary server issue
Browser Issues: An outdated browser, problematic extensions, or corrupted cache/cookies can interfere.
Solution:
Try a hard refresh of the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R).
Try generating the article in an incognito/private Browse window to rule out extension conflicts.
Clear your browser's cache and cookies for Ithy.com.
Ensure your browser is updated to the latest version.
Device or Network Issues:
Solution: Try using a different device or a different internet network to see if the issue persists. A weak or unstable internet connection can interrupt the process.
Fallback Failure: The message "Sorry, I am unable to process your response..." often indicates that all attempts by the primary AI and any fallback models have failed. This usually points to a more persistent issue with the query itself or backend systems for that specific type of query.
Images/Videos are Not Relevant
Ithy does not use AI to generate images or videos. Instead, we perform intelligent online searches to find the most relevant royalty-free media to include in your article. This may not be perfect, so you always have the option to disable images or videos in your Account settings.
If you decide to upload images as part of your question, please be aware that we respect your privacy and uploaded files are never saved. This means that even if you upload an image, it will never be included as part of your article.
Fast Research Mode Not Being Applied
Symptom: You intended to use "Fast Research" mode, but the article generation seems to be taking as long as "Deep Research" mode, or the output is more detailed than expected for Fast mode.
Possible Causes & Solutions:
Explicit Selection Required: You must explicitly click the "Fast" button before submitting your question. The button should change color (typically to gold) to indicate it's activated.
Default Mode: If you don't click either "Fast" or "Deep," the system may default to "Deep" mode. After you select a mode, your preference is saved for next time.
Interface Glitch: Rarely, the interface might not register the click.
Solution: Refresh the page, ensure the "Fast" button is visually confirmed as active (gold), and then resubmit your question.
Slow Article Generation
Symptom: Articles are taking significantly longer than the typical "1 minute" estimate to generate.
Possible Causes & Solutions:
"Deep Research" Mode: This mode is inherently more comprehensive and can take longer, especially for complex topics or if you are an Ithy Pro user leveraging enhanced "Pro Search" capabilities. This is expected behavior.
Complex Questions: Highly intricate questions require more processing time by the AI models.
High Platform Load: During peak usage times, there might be slightly longer processing queues.
Specific AI Models: Some advanced AI models, particularly those used for in-depth analysis, may naturally have longer response times.
Patience is Key: Wait for the "Article Ready" popup before navigating away. The generation time is an estimate.
Missing Features or Options
Symptom: You can't find certain features like PDF uploads, article downloads, folder creation/management, or your input character limit is lower than expected.
Possible Causes & Solutions:
Account Tier and Subscription Status: Many advanced features are exclusive to Ithy Pro subscribers.
Solution:
Check your current account tier (Free/Pro) on your Account page.
Verify your Ithy Pro subscription status (active, expired, or cancelled).
Features like higher limits (like >1,000 characters for input) are Pro benefits.
Feature Rollout: If it's a very new feature, ensure it has been fully rolled out to all users or your specific user tier. Rollouts typically take a few minutes after the initial announcement.
Login Problems
Symptom: Unable to sign in, not receiving the magic link email, or Google Sign-In fails.
Possible Causes & Solutions:
Email Sign-In (Magic Link):
Check Spam/Junk Folder: The magic link email might have been filtered into your spam or junk mail folder.
Correct Email Address: Ensure you entered the correct email address without typos.
Link Expired: Magic links are time-sensitive (often valid for 1 hour). If it has expired, you'll need to request a new one from the Sign In page.
Ensure you're clicking the most recent link if you've requested multiple
Email Provider Delays: Occasionally, email providers might have delays in delivering emails. Wait a few minutes.
Unsubscribed: If you have unsubscribed from Ithy emails, you may not receive an email sign-in link. Email wluk@ithy.com to resolve this.
Google Sign-In:
Ensure you are correctly signed into the Google account you intend to use with Ithy.
Check if pop-ups are blocked by your browser, as Google Sign-In might use a pop-up window.
Browser Cookies: Ensure cookies are enabled in your browser, as Ithy uses them for session management.
Turnstile Verification: If you're having trouble with the Turnstile (CAPTCHA-like) verification, ensure your browser isn't blocking scripts or try a different browser.
Content Not Appearing as Expected in Articles
Symptom: Certain visual elements like mind maps, FAQs, images, or YouTube video summaries are missing from your generated articles, even though you expected them.
Possible Causes & Solutions:
Check Visual Element Settings: Go to your Account page and review your custom settings (see Guide to Custom Settings). Ensure the toggles for the desired elements (e.g.,
image,faq,mindmap,youtube,radar) are enabled (set to 'True' or 'On').AI Discretion: Even if a visual element is enabled, the AI will only include it if it deems it relevant and appropriate for the specific topic of your query. Not all topics lend themselves to all visual elements.
Topic Specificity: Some elements like radar charts are best suited for comparative topics.
Explicitly request these elements in your query if they're important
Can I Choose My Own Models?
Ithy does not currently support the selection of individual models.
The biggest benefit of Ithy is that the models we choose are guaranteed to be the best, and we've extensively tested the exact set of models to make sure they work well together when blended.
While choosing individual models is a frequently requested feature, our tests have shown that user-selected models always underperform the set of models optimized by Ithy.
Do you offer an API?
Our API is currently in closed beta. Email wluk@ithy.com to join our API waitlist.
Limit Reached
Ithy has limits for free users. Limits reset every month. Your current limits are shown on the Ithy homepage, and in your Account page. The limit reset date can be found on the account page.
If you're a Ithy Pro subscriber and see the "Limit Reached" message, our system may have flagged your usage as extremely excessive. Please try again the next day, or email wluk@ithy.com if this is happening repeatedly.
I can't upload my file
Currently, Ithy only supports file uploads of PNG, JPEG, and PDF files. File uploads are only supported in Fast Research.
Support for more file types and file uploads for Deep Research is coming soon.
Email wluk@ithy.com with specific file types you'd like Ithy to support in the future, and we'll try our best to enable it.
Cannot Export PDFs or Folders
Symptom: Attempting to download an article as a PDF (
?pdf=true) or export a folder (/export/<folder_id>) results in an error or doesn't work.Possible Causes & Solutions:
PDF Export:
Resource Intensity: PDF generation can be resource-intensive. Temporary server load or the complexity of the article's HTML might cause it to fail. Try again later.
Try using the article page or raw HTML export (?raw=true), with your browser's built-in "Save as PDF" option, as an alternative
Folder Export (
/export/<folder_id>):Prerequisite Not Met: For a folder to be exportable this way, its owner must have viewed it at least once using its
/page/<folder_id>URL. This action registers it in the 'pages' collection, making it eligible for export. Ensure you have done this.Incorrect Folder ID: Double-check that you are using the correct
folder_idin the URL.
Contact Us
If you've tried these troubleshooting steps and are still experiencing issues, please refer to the Contact Us article for information on how to reach the Ithy support team. Providing specific details about the problem, your query, and any error messages you received will help them assist you more effectively.