Troubleshooting

Dashboard Not Loading

Fix blank pages, login issues, missing data, and other problems with the TradingForge dashboard interface.

The TradingForge dashboard is a web interface served locally at http://localhost:3000. If the dashboard isn't loading correctly, doesn't respond, or shows incorrect data, one of the issues below is likely the cause.

Issue 1: Blank White Page or Stuck on "Loading..."

Symptom

The browser shows a blank white page or a loading spinner that never completes. The TradingForge console is running but the interface won't appear.

Fix

›Hard refresh the page: Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) to force the browser to reload without using cache. A normal refresh (F5) may load a stale cached version.
›Clear browser cache: Open browser settings and clear cached images and files. Then navigate back to http://localhost:3000.
›Try a different browser: Test in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. If one browser works and another doesn't, a browser extension is likely interfering.
›Check the browser console for errors: Press F12 to open Developer Tools and click the Console tab. Any JavaScript errors shown in red can help identify the problem — note them down if you need to contact support.

Issue 2: Login Page Doesn't Respond to Password

Symptom

You enter your password on the login screen and click Log In, but nothing happens, or you see an "incorrect password" error.

Fix

›Check Caps Lock: The password field is case-sensitive. Ensure Caps Lock is off before typing.
›Use the default password: The default password is tradingfuel (all lowercase). If you haven't changed it, this should work.
›If you changed the password and forgot it: Follow the password reset steps below.

Password Reset (If Locked Out)

This process requires stopping TradingForge and modifying a local config file. If you are not comfortable doing this, contact support at tfcontact@tradingforge.net for assistance.

Stop TradingForge

Close the TradingForge console window to shut down the server completely before making any file changes.

Navigate to the TradingForge data folder

Open File Explorer and navigate to the TradingForge configuration directory. This is typically located at %APPDATA%\TradingForge — paste this path into the File Explorer address bar and press Enter.

Locate and edit the auth config file

Find the settings or auth configuration file (it will contain a password hash field). Delete the password hash value or the entire file to reset it to the default state. If you are unsure which file to edit, contact support rather than guessing.

Restart TradingForge and log in with the default password

Start TradingForge again and navigate to http://localhost:3000. Log in using the default password tradingfuel.

Set a new password immediately

Go to Settings and change the password to something strong and unique. Do not leave the default password in place.

Issue 3: Dashboard Loads But Shows No Data

Symptom

The dashboard interface loads correctly but the portfolio balance shows zero, no trades appear, and the exchange status shows disconnected or unknown.

Fix

›Go to Settings → Exchange and verify that your API key and secret are configured correctly. If the exchange shows as disconnected, try saving the credentials again.
›Open the Activity log on the dashboard. Any API errors will be recorded there and will indicate the specific cause (wrong key, IP restriction, etc.). See the API Connection Errors article for fixes.
›Ensure the exchange API key has at least Read permission enabled so TradingForge can retrieve your balances and open orders.

Issue 4: Portfolio Values Show $0 or Incorrect Values

Symptom

You know you have a balance on the exchange, but the TradingForge dashboard shows $0 or a significantly wrong total.

Fix

›Restart TradingForge: Close the console window and reopen the application. The balance is fetched at startup and may not have loaded correctly on the first attempt.
›Check API Read permissions: Your exchange API key needs Read (or "Account Info") permission to retrieve balance data. Without it, the balance will appear as zero.
›Check the exchange directly: Log in to your exchange account and confirm the balance is visible there. If the exchange is having issues retrieving balance data via API, it will affect TradingForge too.

Issue 5: Page Refreshes Constantly or Shows Flickering

Symptom

The TradingForge dashboard appears to reload itself repeatedly, or elements on the page flash and flicker making it unusable.

Fix

›Try incognito mode with extensions disabled: Open an incognito or private window (which disables most extensions by default) and navigate to http://localhost:3000. If the problem disappears, a browser extension is causing the conflict. Common culprits are ad blockers, dark mode extensions, and script managers.
›Disable browser extensions one by one: In your browser's extensions settings, disable them one at a time and reload the dashboard to identify which one causes the problem.
›Try a different browser: Switch to a clean install of Chrome, Edge, or Firefox without any extensions to confirm the base application works correctly.

TradingForge uses real-time data updates via WebSocket connections. Some browser extensions that intercept network traffic (such as certain VPN extensions or script blockers) can interfere with these connections and cause display issues.

API Connection Errors

Trade Execution Issues