Configuration Logs

Logs & Diagnostics

FindRomCover uses Serilog for structured logging. Logs are written to rolling files and can be viewed live inside the application.

The log window

Open the log window with Settings > Show/Hide Log Window. It shows a live stream of log entries with:

• timestamp
• severity level
• message
• optional exception details

The window is the fastest way to understand what the application is doing and why an operation failed. It can stay open while you work.

Log files

File	Contents
app<yyyyMMdd>.log	Full application log, rolling daily, 7 files retained
ApiLogError.txt	Reports queued for the automatic bug-report API; an accepted report is removed after a successful send
UserLogError.txt	Simplified error list intended for user reference
InternalLog.txt	Internal diagnostics from the error logger

All four are written to the per-user data folder (the same folder as Settings.dat) — see Data Storage for the location on each operating system. They are never written next to the executable.

Severity levels

Only the levels below exist; there is no Verbose level. The minimum level is Debug.

Level	Meaning	Examples
Debug	Fine-grained diagnostics	File watcher events, conversion skips
Information	Normal operations	Application start, settings saved
Warning	Recoverable problems	AI request failure, file disappeared after wait, access denied on the watched folder
Error	Failed operations	Image conversion failure, API errors, unhandled dispatcher exceptions
Fatal	Application cannot continue	Startup failure, unhandled AppDomain exception

What is logged

• Application startup, shutdown, and version information.
• Folder scans and missing-cover counts.
• Image conversions, retries, and watcher activity.
• API errors with provider messages (never API keys).
• AI request failures as warnings.
• Unhandled exceptions from the UI thread, background tasks, and the application domain.

What is not logged

• API keys. Secret values are masked or omitted from every log entry.
• Image contents. Only filenames and paths are logged.
• Settings database contents.

The error reporting pipeline

Events at Warning level and above are collected and can be sent to the Pure Logic Code bug-report API, which helps the developer fix problems. Two categories are never forwarded:

• Transient warnings logged through LogService.WarningTransient — expected environmental failures such as network errors, the update check, the screenshot folder fallback, settings and AI cache I/O, and secret encryption.
• Watcher errors logged through LogService.ErrorWatcher — per-file image-folder watcher failures such as corrupt or locked images.

These entries stay in the local log file and log window but do not create automatic reports. Reports contain the exception, a stack trace, and environment information — no personal files or images.

See Bug Reports for the full trigger rules and payload, and Privacy for every network request the application makes.

Reading a log entry

Typical entry:

2026-09-20 18:35:12.481 [Warning] AI batch fill: item 'Some Game (USA)' failed.
System.Net.Http.HttpRequestException: Connection refused

The timestamp and level tell you when and how serious the problem is; the message usually names the exact operation and item.

Sharing logs when reporting an issue

1. Reproduce the problem.
2. Open the log window and note the error entries.
3. Attach the rolling app<yyyyMMdd>.log (or the relevant part) to your GitHub issue.
4. Remove any information you do not want to share — logs contain file paths.

Troubleshooting logging itself

Symptom	Solution
No log files	The per-user data folder could not be created; check permissions for your user profile
Log window is empty	Logging initializes on startup; restart the application
Log grows very large	Files roll over automatically and 7 files are retained

Related pages

• Bug Reports
• Privacy
• Troubleshooting
• AI Troubleshooting
• Data Storage