Obvious/Help Center

Hosted App Not Loading

Published February 28, 2026 · Last updated March 5, 2026 · 3 min read

You registered a hosted app in Obvious, but the URL shows a blank page, a spinner that never finishes, or an error. Here's how to troubleshoot it.

Blank page or "site can't be reached"

What's happening: The app isn't running. Something went wrong when it tried to start.

Fix it:

  1. Open the project and ask the agent: "Is my hosted service running?"
  2. If it's down, ask: "Restart the hosted app" and include the port number you used when you set it up.
  3. Still won't start? Ask the agent to check the build logs for errors.
  4. Once the agent confirms the service is healthy, refresh the URL.

Spinner that won't finish

This is common after a URL hasn't been visited in a while.

What's happening: Obvious pauses apps that haven't been used recently. Visiting the URL wakes the app back up automatically — but if something goes wrong during startup, the page hangs.

Fix it:

  1. Wait 30 seconds and refresh. The first visit triggers the wake. A second refresh often catches it.
  2. Still loading? Open the project and ask the agent: "Check the health of my hosted service."
  3. If your app has a lot of dependencies, startup can exceed the time limit. Ask the agent to simplify the install setup to speed things up.

Port mismatch

What's happening: The port registered with Obvious doesn't match the port your app actually uses.

Fix it:

  1. Ask the agent: "What port is my hosted app registered on?" Compare it to the port in your project.
  2. Wrong port? Ask the agent to re-register with the correct one.
  3. If another process is using the port, ask the agent to stop it and restart your app.

App worked before but fails now

Your app ran fine, but after a period of inactivity it won't start.

What's happening: Obvious re-runs the setup command each time it wakes your app. If that command is missing a dependency, the app won't start.

Fix it:

  1. Ask the agent to show the startup logs. Look for messages about missing packages.
  2. Ask the agent to update the install command with all required dependencies.
  3. Restart the app. Future wake cycles use the corrected setup.

Still stuck?

Contact Obvious support at help@obvious.ai with your project name, port number, and what you see at the hosted URL.

Was this helpful?