Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Extension Not Blocking Trackers

Symptoms: Statistics show 0 blocked requests

Solutions:

1. Check extension is enabled (green status in popup)
2. Increase detection sensitivity to “High”
3. Enable debug logging and check console
4. Verify you’re visiting sites with tracking
5. Clear browser cache and restart

Debug Steps:

// In browser console
console.log('Nixxer enabled:', await browser.runtime.sendMessage({type: 'GET_STATS'}));

Website Functionality Broken

Symptoms: Forms don’t submit, analytics dashboards broken

Solutions:

1. Lower detection sensitivity to “Medium” or “Low”
2. Disable self-hosted tracking detection
3. Check if site domain is in detected list incorrectly
4. Temporarily disable extension for testing

Note: v1.2+ should rarely break websites due to improved domain classification.

High Memory Usage

Symptoms: Browser slowdown, extension errors

Solutions:

1. Reduce max stored domains in settings
2. Enable automatic cleanup
3. Clear extension data in options
4. Check for zombie cookie accumulation

Memory Management:

// Check storage usage
browser.storage.local.getBytesInUse().then(bytes => 
  console.log('Storage usage:', bytes, 'bytes')
);

Export Files Empty

Symptoms: Generated blocklists contain no domains

Causes:

• No third-party trackers detected yet
• All detections are self-hosted (browser-only blocking)
• Storage corruption

Solutions:

1. Visit more websites with tracking
2. Check detected domains list in options
3. Verify export format compatibility
4. Re-scan with higher sensitivity

Performance Issues

Symptoms: Slow page loading, high CPU usage

Solutions:

1. Lower detection sensitivity
2. Disable debug logging
3. Reduce max stored domains
4. Clear old detection data

Performance Monitoring:

// View performance stats (debug mode)
browser.runtime.sendMessage({type: 'GET_STATS'}).then(stats => 
  console.log('Performance:', stats.performance)
);

Error Recovery

Storage Corruption

// Emergency reset
browser.storage.local.clear().then(() => {
  console.log('Extension data cleared');
  location.reload();
});

API Failures

• Extension includes automatic retry logic
• Exponential backoff for transient failures
• Graceful degradation when APIs unavailable
• User notification for persistent failures

Critical Errors

Critical errors are logged and can be viewed:

1. Open options page
2. Check browser console for detailed logs
3. Export settings before reset if needed
4. Use “Clear All Data” as last resort

Browser Compatibility

Firefox Requirements

• Firefox 88+ (Manifest V2)
• WebRequest API permissions
• Storage API access
• Cookies API permissions

Known Limitations

• Chrome/Edge not supported (different manifest version)
• Some private browsing restrictions
• Corporate firewall interference
• Ad-blocker conflicts possible