---
title: "Installation troubleshooting"
description: "Diagnose common Management and Runner startup issues after installation."
section: "Setup"
updated: 2026-07-10
tags: ["installation","setup","troubleshooting","runner"]
source: "/user-guide/installation-troubleshooting"
---

# Installation troubleshooting

Diagnose common Management and Runner startup issues after installation.

Use these checks after Standalone or Distributed setup has started but the UI,
Runner registration, or Runner readiness does not behave as expected.

## Management does not open

On the Management or Standalone host:

```bash
docker compose --project-directory . \
  -f deploy/cloud/control-plane.yml \
  ps
docker logs drowai-backend --tail=200
docker logs drowai-frontend --tail=200
```

For Standalone, replace the Compose file with
`deploy/compose/standalone.yml`.

## Runner stays at zero registered

On the Runner host:

```bash
docker compose logs runner --tail=300
```

- `Connection refused` means the Runner cannot reach the configured Management
  URL or port.
- HTTP `403` during first enrollment usually means the one-time enrollment is
  invalid, expired, or already used. Download a fresh package.
- A log saying stored credentials were found means `/var/lib/drowai` contains a
  previous registration. Keep it for a normal restart, or use the explicit
  Runner reset procedure when moving the host to another Management install.

## Runner is registered but not ready

Check `docker compose logs runner --tail=300` for repeated reconnect messages.
Confirm that the Management URL is reachable from the Runner host and that no
firewall or reverse proxy blocks WebSocket upgrades. The UI reports readiness
from the live Runner connection, not merely from the existence of a Runner Site
record.