Errors & Solutions

Error: "Error on DB" during installation (often on Hostinger)

Why am I getting this? The installer could not connect to (or write to) the database with the details you entered. This is a credentials/permissions issue, not a script bug.

Solution — check each of these:

• The database, user, and password exist and are spelled correctly. On Hostinger (and cPanel) the real names are prefixed — e.g. u123456789_wadesk and u123456789_wauser — so use the full prefixed values, not the short ones.
• The database user has ALL PRIVILEGES on that database.
• The Host is correct. Try localhost first; if it fails, use the specific MySQL host Hostinger shows on the database page — some hosts require that instead of localhost.
• The database is empty (create the database and user only — do not add tables; the installer creates them).
• You are on MySQL 8 / MariaDB 10.6+ and the pdo_mysql extension is enabled.

See Creating the Database for step-by-step panel instructions, and the "Could not find driver" FAQ if the driver itself is missing.

Error: "AI provider returned no content — check API key + model id."

Why am I getting this issue? This is happening because your OpenAI API key has exceeded its current quota. The log shows a 429 – Insufficient Quota error, which means the AI provider is rejecting the request because the available credits or billing quota has been exhausted.

Solution:

• Check your OpenAI billing and quota at platform.openai.com and confirm the account still has available credits.
• Use an API key that has credits, or restore / top up the quota on the existing key.
• Make sure the model id configured in WaDesk is one your account is allowed to use.

Update the key under Admin → AI & API Keys. Once the quota is restored, the AI features will start working normally again — no reinstall needed.

Error: QR code generation failed

Why is the QR code not generating? The pairing QR is rendered by the Node helper service. Even when your Node.js setup has been completed and configured properly, the QR will not generate if the Node.js URL has not been updated in System Message Settings yet.

Solution:

1. Go to Admin → System Message Settings and set the Node.js URL — the address the Node bridge listens on, for example http://localhost:8888 or your server's bridge URL.
2. Confirm the Node helper service is running — see Starting the Node Helper Service.
3. Save the setting and try generating the QR code again.

Tip: The web installer's Node Bridge step normally writes this URL for you. You only need to set it manually here if it was left blank or later changed.

Error: QR scans but disconnects and gets stuck at 50% (device not linked)

Why does this happen? The QR code appears and you scan it, but the connection drops and stalls at 50%, so the device is never linked. This usually happens when multiple QR generation requests are made continuously — WhatsApp temporarily blocks or delays the linking process when there are too many connection attempts in a short period of time.

Solution:

1. Delete the current device / session from the system.
2. Wait a few minutes before generating a new QR code.
3. Generate a fresh QR code and scan it again.

After waiting a few minutes and reconnecting with a fresh session, the device usually links correctly.

Error: 503 (Service Unavailable)

A: A 503 error is not a code issue. It is usually caused by the server being busy, a request timeout, or a temporary server/DNS issue. Since the page works again after refreshing, that indicates the problem is coming from the server rather than the application code.

If it keeps happening, check your server's resources (CPU / RAM), any rate limits or firewall throttling, and confirm the status with your hosting provider.

How do I approve a manual payment?

A: You can approve manual payments from the Billing History section. Open Admin → Billing & Finance, find the pending manual payment in Billing History, and approve it.

How do I remove the "WaDesk" name / change the application name to my own brand?

A: The application name comes from the APP_NAME value in your .env file. To rebrand it:

1. Open the .env file in your project root (it is a hidden dotfile — see My .env file is missing if you cannot see it).
2. Change APP_NAME to your brand (wrap it in quotes if it contains spaces):

APP_NAME="Your Brand"

3. Save the file, then clear the cache so the change is read:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

Your brand name now shows across the app. Logos, colours, and other visual branding are set in the admin panel — see Admin → Appearance & Theme Colours.

Where do I edit the legal pages (Terms, Privacy Policy, etc.)?

A: Edit them from the admin panel: Admin Panel → Settings → Legal Pages. Update the content there and save — the changes appear on your public site immediately.