Troubleshooting

Having issues? This page covers common problems and how to fix them.

Installation Issues

”Command not found” (Mac/Linux)

The executable needs to be run with ./ prefix:

# Wrong
kemono-scraper -s patreon -u 12345

# Correct
./kemono-scraper -s patreon -u 12345

“Permission denied” (Mac/Linux)

You need to make the file executable first:

chmod +x kemono-scraper-darwin-arm64

Replace the filename with your actual file.

Mac blocks the app (“unidentified developer”)

Solution:

1. Open System Preferences (or System Settings on newer Macs)
2. Go to Security & Privacy (or Privacy & Security)
3. Click the General tab
4. Near the bottom, you’ll see a message about the blocked app
5. Click Allow Anyway or Open Anyway
6. Try running the app again

Alternative: Right-click the app and select “Open” instead of double-clicking.

Windows Defender blocks the executable

Windows may flag unknown executables. To allow it:

1. Click More info on the warning
2. Click Run anyway

Or add an exception in Windows Defender settings.

---

Connection Issues

”Could not find a working API host”

Causes:

• The site is down or experiencing issues
• Your IP might be blocked
• Network connectivity problems

Solutions:

1. Try a different host:

   ./kemono-scraper -s patreon -u 12345 --host kemono.su

2. Wait and try again - The site might be temporarily down

3. Check if the site works in your browser - Visit kemono.cr directly

”Rate limited (429)”

You’re making too many requests. The scraper handles this automatically by waiting, but if it happens frequently:

1. Reduce concurrent downloads:

   ./kemono-scraper -s patreon -u 12345 -d 1

2. Wait a few minutes before running again

3. Consider using proxies for heavy usage

Downloads keep failing with timeout

Solutions:

1. Check your internet connection

2. Try reducing concurrent downloads:

   ./kemono-scraper -s patreon -u 12345 -d 1

3. The file might be corrupted on the server - It will eventually be blacklisted and skipped

---

Download Issues

”No posts found” (404)

Causes:

• Wrong service or user ID
• Creator doesn’t exist on Kemono/Coomer
• Using wrong host

Solutions:

1. Verify the creator exists - Visit the site in your browser

2. Check your command:

   # Make sure service and userId are correct
   ./kemono-scraper -s patreon -u 30037948

3. Use the right host:

   • Kemono (kemono.cr): patreon, fanbox, fantia, etc.
   • Coomer (coomer.st): onlyfans, fansly, candfans

Some files are being skipped

Files are skipped if:

1. They already exist - Check your download folder
2. They’re blacklisted - Previously failed 5+ times
3. Compressed version exists - .jxl or _av1.mp4 variant

To retry blacklisted files, delete blacklist.json from your download folder.

Downloads stuck at 0%

Causes:

• Server is slow or unresponsive
• Network issues
• File might not exist

Solutions:

1. Wait - The scraper has built-in timeout handling
2. Cancel and retry - Press Ctrl+C and run again
3. Check if site is working - Try accessing kemono.cr in your browser

Wrong files being downloaded

Make sure you have the correct user ID. Check the URL on Kemono/Coomer:

https://kemono.su/patreon/user/12345678
                              ^^^^^^^^
                              This is the user ID

---

Config File Issues

”Config file not found”

Check:

1. The file exists
2. You’re providing the correct path
3. You’re in the right directory

# Use full path if needed
./kemono-scraper -c /full/path/to/config.yaml

”YAML parsing error”

Common YAML mistakes:

1. Wrong indentation - Use spaces, not tabs:

   # Wrong (tabs)
   creators:
     - service: patreon  # Tab here!
   
   # Correct (spaces)
   creators:
     - service: patreon  # Spaces

2. Missing quotes on IDs:

   # Can cause issues
   userId: 12345678
   
   # Better
   userId: "12345678"

3. Special characters need quotes:

   # Might fail
   outputDir: C:\Downloads\stuff
   
   # Correct
   outputDir: "C:\\Downloads\\stuff"

“creators array required”

Your config file needs at least one creator:

creators:
  - service: patreon
    userId: "12345678"

---

Performance Issues

Downloads are very slow

This is often normal due to rate limiting. But you can try:

1. Use multiple proxies to distribute requests
2. Run during off-peak hours
3. Be patient - Large archives take time

Memory usage is high

Try reducing concurrent downloads:

./kemono-scraper -s patreon -u 12345 -d 1

Disk is filling up

Large creators can have hundreds of gigabytes of content. Monitor your disk space and consider:

1. Using --maxPosts to limit downloads
2. Downloading to an external drive
3. Compressing files after download to save 30-50% disk space

---

Still Having Issues?

If none of these solutions work:

1. Check the GitHub issues - Your problem might already be reported

2. Open a new issue with:

   • The exact command you ran
   • The complete error message
   • Your operating system
   • Any relevant logs

3. Include debug info by running with verbose output:

   DEBUG_PROXY=1 ./kemono-scraper -c config.yaml 2>&1 | tee debug.log