Desktop Agent Troubleshooting & FAQ

Table of Contents

1. General Troubleshooting Steps
2. Verifying the Agent Installation
3. Not Getting Activities
4. How to Find Logs
5. Agent Blocked by Antivirus, Firewall or Endpoint Protection
6. Agent Does Not Auto Update
   
7. Uninstalling the Agent
   
8. Need more Help?

General Troubleshooting Steps

Supported Operating Systems

The Produce8 Agent is currently supported on:

• Windows 11
• macOS 15 (Sequoia)

How do I start the Desktop Agent?

The Agent should start automatically after installation—especially if deployed via an RMM. If not, you can attempt to launch the Agent manually:

On macOS:

1. Open Finder and navigate to Applications.
   
   
2. Double-click on Produce8-Agent.
3. Look for the purple diamond to appear in the top menu bar to confirm it's running.
   
   

Windows

1. Open Task Manager
2. Under processes you should see two instances of the Produce8 Agent running
3. Under services you should see Produce8-Agent Updater Service

Verifying the Agent Installation (Windows & mac)

Windows:

• Install directory:
  • C:\Program Files\Produce8-Agent\Produce8-Agent.exe
• Updater directory:
  • C:\ProgramData\Produce8-Agent-Updater\Produce8-Agent-Updater.exe
• Task Manager →
  • Services: Produce8-Agent-Updater
  • Processes: Produce8-Agent

macOS:

• Install directory:
  • /Applications/Produce8-Agent.app
• Updater directory:
  • /Library/Produce8-Agent-Updater/Produce8-Agent-Updater
• Activity Monitor →
  • Processes:
    • Produce8-Agent-Updater
    •  jarlauncher
  • Purple diamond icon in menu bar

This becomes your source of truth.

This confirms the Agent is installed and running correctly.

Verifying the Desktop App (Optional)

The Desktop App is only required if users need to:

• Claim an Anonymous profile (becoming an Active User)
• Sign into Produce8 directly from their device

If your deployment uses only Anonymous Users only, the Desktop App is not required.

Windows

• Installed at:
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Produce8\Produce8.exe
• Verify running via Task Manager 
  • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
  • Select the Processes tab
  • Look for a process named Produce8
  • If present, the Desktop App is running correctly
  • If not running, open it from the Start Menu by searching "Produce8 Desktop"

macOS

• Installed at:
  • /Applications/Produce8.app

• Verify it running via Activity Monitor
  • Press Command (⌘) + Space and search Activity Monitor
  • Open Activity Monitor
  • Look for a process named Produce8
  • If present, the Desktop App is running
  • If not, open it from Applications → Produce8 Desktop

 

I Am Not Getting Web-Connect (URL/Browser) Activities

1. Confirm how the browser extension was installed — (RMM or manual)
2. Check the installed version:
   • In Chrome, navigate to to:
     • chrome://extensions/
     
     
3. To confirm if the extension is detecting websites, on the extensions page, enable Developer mode (if not already enabled). 
4. Click on Service Worker
5. A new window will open, navigate to a website (ie. Gmail).
   The URL should appear in the ServiceWorker window, as shown below.
   
   
6. Toggle the extension off and back on
7. Fully close all browser windows and restart the browser
8. Ensure you are using the same browser where the extension was installed

If the issue persists after completing the steps above:

1. Uninstall and reinstall the extension
2. Restart the browser again

Still no activity?

Collect extension logs and include them when contacting Support, or schedule a troubleshooting call so we can assist with log review.

1. In Chrome, navigate to:
   1. chrome://serviceworker-internals/
2. Locate the extension's ID and copy the logs.

I Am Not Getting Desktop Activities

1. Confirm the Agent is installed.
2. Confirm the Agent is running:
   1. macOS: purple diamond in menu bar
   2. Windows: Produce8-Agent in Task Manager
   3. If it's not running, start the Agent manually
3. Confirm the apps are approved and Automatically Follow Apps for Users is enabled for your account
4. Confirm the type of user:
   1. Anonymous user: Desktop App is not required
   2. Active user: Desktop App is installed and signed in
5. If unresolved send logs to Support. 

How to Find Agent Logs

macOS:

• Main Agent log:
  • /Users/<YOUR USER>/Library/Logs/Produce8-Agent/p8-main.log

To find the log file:

1. Open Finder.
   
   
2. Inside the sidebar, click on Documents.
3. In the  path at the bottom of the Finder window, click your user name.
   1. If you don't see the path bar, go to View > Show Path Bar.
      
      

4. The Library folder is hidden by default. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + Period (.) to reveal files and folders.

5. Open the Library folder.
   
   
6. Navigate to Library > Logs > Produce8-Agent and open the file named p8-main.log
   
   
   

Additional Logs:

1. Open your Finder and navigate to your mac's hard disk (usually labeled Macintosh HD).
2. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + Period (.) to reveal hidden files and folders.

Once visible, you can navigate to the following locations:

1. mac Install logs: /private/var/log/install.log
2. Produce8 Updater Install logs: /private/var/log/updater_install.log
3. Produce Updater logs: /Library/Logs/Produce8-Agent/p8-updater.log

Windows

Method 1: Direct File Path Access

1. Copy one of the following paths:
   • Log file:
     
     • C:\Users\<yourUserName>\AppData\Local\Produce8-Agent\Logs\
   • Database file:
     • C:\Users\<yourUserName>\AppData\Roaming\Produce8-Agent\p8-main.db
2. Open File Explorer (press the Windows key and search "File Explorer").
   
   
3. Click into the address, paste the copied path, and replace <yourUserName> with your actual Windows username.
   
   
4. Press Enter to navigate.
   • If the folder is empty, the Agent may not be running.

Method 2: Manual Navigation

1. Open File Explorer.
   
   
2. Navigate to:  C: → Users → Your username
   
   
3. If the AppData folder is hidden: 
   • Press Windows + R, type control folders, go to the View tab, and select Show hidden files, folders, and drives. 
4. Then navigate to:
   • Log file: AppData > Local > Produce8-Agent > Logs
   • Database file: AppData > Roaming > Produce8-Agent

Agent Blocked by Antivirus, Firewall, or Endpoint Protection?

Sometimes the Produce8 Agent may not install properly or collect data if your system's antivirus, firewall, or endpoint protection software is blocking it. 

If you suspect this is happening:

1. Check that the Agent is running
2. Check your antivirus quarantine or block list for:
   • Produce8-Agent.exe
   • jna*.dll (used temporarily during installation)
3. If found, mark the files as safe/allowed
4. Reinstall the Agent if needed

⚠️ Important:

Platform specific steps can be found in the Antivirus & Endpoint Protection Software section of the Knowledge Base for detailed tool-specific guidance, including:

• ThreatLocker (Windows)
• SentinelOne (Windows)
• Windows Defender (Windows 11)
• macOS Firewall (macOS 15)
• BitDefender (Windows)

→ Antivirus & Endpoint Protection Software

Agent Does Not Auto Update

If your Desktop Agent is not updating automatically, follow these steps:

1. Confirm the installed version
   1. Auto-update is available only after version 0.0619
2. Check that the updater service is running
   • Windows:
     • Open Task Manager → Services tab
     • Look for Produce8-Agent-Updater with status Running
   • macOS:
     1. Open Activity Monitor
     2. Look for Produce8-Agent-Updater in the process list
3. Redeploy or reinstall the latest version
   • Windows:
     • ARM64: Download Link 
     • X64: Download Link
   • macOS:
     
     • ARM64: Download Link
     • X64: Download Link
4. Verify the updater service after redeploy
   
   After installation, confirm the Produce8-Agent-Updater service is running again (Step 2)
5. Collect logs if the issue persists
   
   If the Agent still does not update after redeploying, send logs to Support for review: 
   1. Windows:
      C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Produce8-Agent\Logs\p8-updater.log
   2. macOS:
      /Library/Logs/Produce8-Agent/p8-updater.log

 

Uninstalling the Agent

If you need to completely remove the Produce8 Agent from a device, follow these steps:

macOS

1. Open Finder > Applications.

2. Locate the app called Produce8-Agent.

3. Right-click on the app and select Move to Trash.
   

4. To remove user files associated with the Agent:

   1. Open Finder → Macintosh HD.
      

   2. Navigate to: Users > <your user> > Library > Application Support.

   3. Note: The Library folder is hidden by default — press Command (⌘) + Shift + Period (.) to reveal it.

   4. Delete the folder named Produce8-Agent.

5. Optional: To delete Agent Logs, navigate to: Library > Logs and remove the Produce8-Agent folder.

mac Uninstall Script:

You can also use the uninstall script to remove the Agent and user-related files:

→ Github repository

Windows

1. Open Settings.

2. Search for Apps and Features → search for agent under App List.

3. Click the context menu (three dots) → select Uninstall.

4. To remove user files associated with the Agent:
   1. Delete the folder at: 
      C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Produce8-Agent
   2. Note: AppData is hidden by default — in File Explorer, go to Folder Options → enable Show hidden files, folders, and drives. 

5. Optional: To delete Agent Logs, remove:
   C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Produce8-Agent.

Windows Uninstall Script:

Run the uninstall script to remove the Agent (user files must still be deleted manually):

→ Github repository

 

Need More Help?

If you’re still experiencing issues:

• Collect logs
• Contact the Produce8 Support team
• Or schedule a troubleshooting call