Common Issues

Solutions for the most common problems you might encounter while using Screvi

Article Fails to Save / "Error" Status

When saving an article, you might see it appear with an error status. This usually means Screvi couldn't extract the article content from the URL.

Common causes:

  • The site is behind a paywall. Screvi's server fetches the article from the URL, but paywalled sites block access to the full content.
  • The site blocks automated requests. Some websites (e.g. Bloomberg, certain news sites) actively block non-browser requests.
  • The page requires JavaScript to render. Some modern single-page apps don't serve readable HTML to Screvi's fetcher.

Solution: Save with HTML

Use the browser extension's "Save with HTML" option instead:

  1. Open the article in your browser (make sure you can see the full content; log in if it's paywalled)
  2. Click the Screvi extension icon
  3. If the regular save fails, the extension will offer a "Save with HTML" option
  4. This captures the page content directly from your browser, bypassing server-side restrictions

This works because the extension reads the page as your browser renders it, including any content you have access to through your login or subscription.

Kindle Import Not Finding All Books

Sometimes the Kindle import finishes but seems to be missing books.

Common causes:

  • You're on the wrong Amazon region. If you bought books on amazon.co.uk but you're importing from read.amazon.com, those books won't appear.
  • The import didn't scroll far enough. For very large libraries, the import needs time to scroll through all books. Don't close the tab.
  • Kindle Unlimited books returned. If you returned a Kindle Unlimited book, Amazon may remove access to those highlights.

Solutions:

  • Make sure you're on the correct regional Kindle notebook URL (e.g. read.amazon.co.uk/notebook for UK purchases)
  • Let the import run to completion. Don't navigate away or close the tab.
  • If you have books across multiple Amazon regions, run the import on each regional URL separately

Highlights Appearing as Duplicates

You imported the same source twice and now have duplicate highlights.

Why this happens:

Screvi deduplicates based on the source identifier (e.g. Kindle ASIN) and highlight content. Duplicates can appear if:

  • The highlight text has slight differences (extra spaces, different line breaks)
  • The import came from a different method (e.g. once via extension, once via My Clippings file) and the source wasn't matched

Solutions:

  • Sometimes duplicates are inevitable, especially when importing from multiple methods. Use "Move Highlights to Another Source" to consolidate them: open the duplicate source, tap the menu, and select "Move Highlights to Another Source". All highlights from the duplicate will be moved to the correct source, and the duplicate source will be deleted.
  • Use the AI Cleanup feature to normalize formatting, then re-import. Screvi's deduplication is more effective on cleaned-up text.
  • Delete the duplicate source from the Sources page and re-import using a single method.
  • You can also manually delete individual duplicate highlights.

Browser Extension Shows "Not Connected"

The extension icon shows a "Not connected" status and doesn't let you save articles or import highlights.

Solutions:

  1. Visit app.screvi.com/login and log in. The extension connects automatically when you log in to the web app in the same browser.
  2. Make sure the extension is enabled in your browser's extension settings (chrome://extensions or about:addons)
  3. Try disabling and re-enabling the extension
  4. As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall the extension, then log in again

Email Digest Not Arriving

You've configured a daily email digest but aren't receiving it.

Common causes:

  • Not enough content. The review system requires at least 3 sources and 20 highlights to activate. Email digests rely on the review system.
  • Wrong timezone. The email is sent at your configured time in your configured timezone. Double-check both in Preferences.
  • Spam filter. The email may be landing in spam or junk.

Solutions:

  • Check your spam/junk folder and mark Screvi emails as "not spam"
  • Go to Preferences and verify the time, timezone, and frequency are correct
  • Make sure you have at least 3 sources and 20 highlights
  • Check that email digests are toggled on

Mobile App Not Syncing

Changes you made on the web aren't showing in the mobile app, or vice versa.

Solutions:

  • Pull down to refresh on any screen in the mobile app
  • Check your internet connection
  • Go to Settings and verify you're logged in to the correct account
  • If you made changes offline, they're queued and will sync automatically when connectivity returns. This may take a moment.

iOS Share Extension Not Appearing

You installed the Screvi iOS app but can't find it in the share sheet.

Solutions:

  1. Open the share sheet in Safari or any app
  2. Scroll to the end of the app row and tap "More"
  3. Find Screvi in the list and toggle it on
  4. You can also reorder it to appear earlier in the list
  5. Make sure you've opened and logged into the main Screvi app at least once after installing

Kobo File Not Found

You connected your Kobo but can't find the KoboReader.sqlite file.

Why:

The file is inside a hidden folder called .kobo on your Kobo's drive. Hidden files are not shown by default on most operating systems.

Solutions:

  • macOS: In Finder, press Cmd + Shift + . to toggle hidden files, then navigate to the .kobo folder
  • Windows: In File Explorer, go to View > Show > Hidden items, then navigate to the .kobo folder
  • Linux: Press Ctrl + H in your file manager to show hidden files

The full path is: [Kobo Drive]/.kobo/KoboReader.sqlite

Article Content Looks Wrong or Incomplete

The saved article is missing content, has broken formatting, or shows navigation/menu text.

Why this happens:

Screvi extracts article content using a readability parser. Some websites have unusual HTML structures that make it hard to isolate the main content.

Solutions:

  • Use the "Save with HTML" option in the browser extension. This captures exactly what your browser renders, which is usually more complete.
  • For PDFs, use the dedicated PDF import (Integrations > PDF Import) instead of saving the PDF URL as an article
  • For YouTube videos, use the "Open in Screvi" button on YouTube rather than saving the URL manually

Spaced Repetition Review Not Available

The Review page says you need more content, or the "Start Review" button is disabled.

Requirements:

  • You need at least 3 sources and 20 highlights before the review system activates
  • This is intentional. The spaced repetition algorithm needs a minimum pool of highlights to create meaningful review sessions.

Solution:

Import more highlights. Check your current count on the Statistics page. Once you hit the threshold, the review system activates automatically.

Kindle Highlights Import Is Slow

The Kindle import seems to take a very long time.

Why:

The extension needs to scroll through your entire Kindle library on Amazon's website, loading each book's highlights one by one. If you have hundreds of books, this can take several minutes.

Tips:

  • Don't close or navigate away from the tab during import
  • Make sure your internet connection is stable
  • The first import takes the longest. Subsequent imports are incremental and only fetch new highlights.
  • You can enable background sync in the extension settings to run imports automatically every 24 hours without manual intervention

Still have questions?