> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cortex.foundation/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Report a bug
> File a bug from inside Cortex: where the dialog lives, what to write, screenshot limits, what is sent, and where other reports go.
Cortex takes bug reports in the product. A signed-in account opens a dialog, writes what happened,
attaches a screenshot or two, and sends it. The report stays inside Cortex; nothing is copied to a
public issue tracker, and there is no form to fill in somewhere else.
This page covers what to check before you file, the three places the dialog opens from, what to
write in each field, the screenshot rules, what Cortex sends along with your words, and where a
documentation problem or a security finding goes instead.
Reporting a bug needs an account. A guest has no **Report a bug** control and the request is
refused, so sign in first.
## Before you file
Two minutes of checking often saves the round trip.
If everything is failing at once rather than one action, look at
[System status](/reference/status) or [status.cortex.foundation](https://status.cortex.foundation)
before writing anything. A maintenance window shows its own screen, titled **Cortex is taking a
short break**, with a **Time remaining** countdown.
Most failures carry a short heading and a stable code. **Not included in your plan**, **You have
used this plan limit** and **Please sign in again** are expected answers, not bugs.
[Troubleshooting](/getting-started/troubleshooting) lists what each message means, and the
[problem catalog](/problems) has a page per code.
When a failure was on Cortex's side, the card shows a reference id and asks you to quote it.
Paste it into your report; it is the fastest way for the team to find your request.
## Open the dialog
There are three entry points, and they all open the same **Report a bug** dialog:
| Where | How to get there |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sidebar footer | The **Report a bug** control beside **Settings** |
| Settings | **Settings** and then **General**, at the **Report a bug** row |
| The **Beta Pro offer** banner | A **Report a bug** button on the banner, while that banner is on screen |
The first two are permanent. The banner is dismissible, and dismissing it does not take the other
two away.
## Fill in the report
The dialog opens with a single line of intent, "Tell us what went wrong. We read every report",
and three fields.
A short summary, up to 200 characters. One sentence naming the thing that broke beats a
paragraph.
Up to 8,000 characters for the steps you took, what you expected, and what you saw instead. The
field's own prompt asks for exactly those three. Add the reference id here if you have one.
Pick a surface: **Not sure**, **Cortex Chat**, **Cortex Code** or **Cortex Bot**. **Not sure**
is a real answer, so use it rather than guessing.
Choose **Send report**. On success the dialog shows **Report sent** with "Thank you. We will
look at this", and a **Done** button. **Cancel** closes without sending.
## Screenshots
Screenshots are optional and usually worth adding. You can drop files onto the dialog, paste them
from the clipboard, or use **Add screenshots**. Each thumbnail has a remove control if you change
your mind.
| Rule | Value |
| ------- | --------------------- |
| Formats | PNG, JPEG or WebP |
| Count | Up to five per report |
| Size | 4 MB each |
A file in another format is refused with "Screenshots must be PNG, JPEG or WebP", and an oversized
one with "Each screenshot can be at most 4 MB". Shrink or re-save the image and try again.
## What is sent
Your report carries the title, the description, the surface you picked if you picked one, your
screenshots, and the page you were on, which Cortex attaches for you. That is all. Reports stay
inside Cortex and reach the team, the title and description are encrypted at rest, and nothing is
forwarded to a public tracker.
Cortex does not publish a mailbox for bug reports. The dialog is the channel, which is also why a
guest cannot file one: a report needs an account to come back to.
## When a report will not send
| What you see | Meaning | Do this |
| ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| No **Report a bug** control at all | You are browsing as a guest | Sign in, then try again |
| **Please sign in again** | The session expired while the dialog was open | Sign in again; you return to where you were |
| **Too many requests** | You are over the hourly ceiling of five reports or fifteen screenshot uploads | Wait for the window to clear, then send the rest. See [rate\_limited](/problems/rate_limited) |
| "Screenshots must be PNG, JPEG or WebP." | One attachment is not an accepted image | Convert or drop that file |
| "Each screenshot can be at most 4 MB." | One attachment is too large | Re-save it smaller |
## Reports that belong somewhere else
Documentation lives in its own public repository. A page that is wrong, stale or missing belongs
there rather than in the product dialog.
A suspected vulnerability is not a bug report. Cortex Bounty has its own intake and its own
scoring.
## Related
* [Troubleshooting](/getting-started/troubleshooting) for what a message in the product means.
* [Problem catalog](/problems) for the code on a failure card.
* [System status](/reference/status) for outages and maintenance windows.
* [Frequently asked questions](/getting-started/faq) for the short answers.
* [File a report](/bounty/report) for security findings.