Scient Connect troubleshooting

A Scient Connect connection goes through four parts, in this order:

1. This device reaches Scient Connect over the internet.
2. Scient Connect checks your sign-in and the computer’s link.
3. The computer’s tunnel (cloudflared on that computer) carries the request to it.
4. Scient on that computer answers.

When a connection fails, open Settings → Environments, find the computer, and select Details. The first part marked as failed is the cause. Find its section below.

To see the computer’s side, run scient connect status on it, or open Settings → Sharing & access there. Both check the computer’s Scient Connect address from that computer and say why it fails. They cannot test another device’s network; for a problem on one device, use Details on that device.

The computer’s tunnel is offline

Scient Connect could not reach the computer’s tunnel. One of these is true:

• The computer is asleep, turned off, or offline.
• Scient is not running on it. A computer is reachable only while the desktop app or scient serve runs.
• Its network blocks the tunnel. See Port 7844 is blocked on the computer.

Fix:

1. Make sure the computer is awake and Scient runs on it.
2. On that computer, run scient connect status. It names the problem on that side.
3. If the computer was offline for a long time, Scient Connect removed its tunnel. Start Scient there and update it; it gets a new tunnel at the same address.

Port 7844 is blocked on the computer

The tunnel connects out to Cloudflare on port 7844, over TCP and UDP. When the computer’s network blocks that port, the tunnel cannot start, while ordinary web traffic still works, so the computer looks online.

Common causes:

• A Tailscale exit node. All traffic goes through the exit node, and that network blocks port 7844. Turn the exit node off with tailscale set --exit-node=, or allow outbound port 7844 on its network.
• A VPN. Work VPNs often block unknown ports. Ask for port 7844 to be allowed, or use a direct route (below).
• A firewall or strict network. Allow outbound TCP and UDP port 7844.

If you cannot unblock the port, connect without Scient Connect: when both devices are on the same Tailscale network, add the computer’s Tailscale address as a direct route. See Reach one machine several ways.

The tunnel works, but Scient does not answer

The tunnel is up but cannot reach Scient on the computer. Common causes:

• Scient on that computer stopped, crashed, or is still starting.
• Scient restarted on a different port, and the tunnel still points at the old one.
• A server started with --host listens only on one address. The tunnel sends requests to 127.0.0.1, so the server must listen there too.

Fix: restart Scient on that computer, then run scient connect status there.

The Scient Connect address does not resolve or answer

The computer’s Scient Connect address did not resolve, refused the connection, failed the secure (TLS) connection, or did not answer in time.

Fix:

1. Make sure the computer is awake and online.
2. On that computer, run scient connect status.
3. If the check fails only there, check that computer’s DNS, VPN or proxy.

This device can’t reach Scient Connect

The problem is on this device’s network, not on the computer. This device could not reach Scient Connect, or it reached Scient Connect but not the computer’s tunnel address.

Fix:

1. Check this device’s internet connection. On a captive or dead Wi-Fi network the device can look online and still reach nothing.
2. A VPN, firewall, ad blocker or DNS filter on this device can block Scient Connect. Turn it off for a moment to test.
3. Try another network, or add a direct route to the computer, such as its Tailscale address. See Reach one machine several ways.

Sign-in, account, or link problems

This device’s Scient Connect sign-in is not ready yet, or Scient Connect has no active link between your account and the computer.

• The computer is linked to a different account. Sign in with the same account on both. On the computer, run scient connect logout, then scient connect.
• Scient Connect is off on the computer. There, open Settings → Sharing & access and turn on Scient Connect, or run scient connect.
• The computer was linked, but its server did not apply the link yet. Restart Scient there: quit and reopen the desktop app, or stop scient serve and run it again.
• This device’s sign-in expired, or the computer no longer accepts this device. Sign out of Scient Connect and sign in again.
• This device is still loading its sign-in. Wait a moment; Scient retries on its own. If it keeps waiting, reload or restart Scient on this device.
• Your account has as many computers as it can hold. Remove one you no longer use in Settings → Sharing & access, then restart Scient on the computer you want to add.

The clock is off

Scient Connect signs requests with short-lived proofs. When the clock on this device or the computer is a few minutes wrong, Scient Connect rejects them. Turn on automatic date and time on both, then retry.

The computer runs an older Scient

This device needs a newer Scient on the computer. Update Scient there.

Scient Connect returned an error

After you fix a permanent rejection, restart Scient on the computer.

Report a problem

If none of this helps, open an issue on GitHub. Include:

• The text from Copy diagnostics in the computer’s Details.
• The output of scient connect status on the computer.
• The trace ID, if one is shown.
• If the tunnel dropped earlier, the computer’s tunnel log, relay-client.ndjson in the logs folder (~/.scient-next/userdata/logs by default). It records when the tunnel connected, warned, exited and restarted, with the tunnel token removed.