Troubleshooting Guide 🔍

This guide helps you resolve common issues when using get-cookie.

Common Issues

Permission Denied Errors

Error: Permission denied: /Users/username/Library/...

Solutions:

1. Check file permissions:

   ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/
   ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox/Profiles/
   ls -la ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/

2. Ensure your user has read access
3. Reset permissions if needed:

   chmod 700 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/

Keychain Access Denied

Error: Unable to access Chrome Safe Storage

Solutions:

1. Open Keychain Access.app
2. Search for "Chrome Safe Storage"
3. Update access permissions
4. Allow access when prompted

No Cookies Found

No cookies found for domain: example.com

Solutions:

1. Verify the domain is correct
2. Check if cookies exist in browser
3. Try using wildcard search:

   get-cookie % example.com

4. Check browser profile paths:

   get-cookie % example.com --dump-grouped

Browser-Specific Issues

Chrome

1. Profile Access

   • Ensure Chrome is not running
   • Check profile directory exists
   • Verify profile permissions

2. Encryption

   • Keychain access required
   • Safe Storage key must exist
   • Profile must be decryptable

Firefox

1. Profile Location

   • Check default profile exists
   • Verify sqlite database access
   • Test file permissions

2. Database Access

   • Database must not be locked
   • File must be readable
   • Check for corruption

Safari

1. Container Access

   • Verify container permissions
   • Check binary cookie file exists
   • Test file access rights

2. Binary Format

   • File must be valid format
   • Check for corruption
   • Verify Safari version

Debugging Steps

1. Enable Verbose Logging

   DEBUG=* get-cookie auth example.com

2. Check System Requirements

   # Check macOS version
   sw_vers
   
   # Check Node.js version
   node --version

3. Verify Installation

   # Check global installation
   which get-cookie
   
   # Check package version
   get-cookie --version

4. Test Basic Access

   # Test Chrome access
   ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Cookies
   
   # Test Firefox access
   ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox/Profiles/*/cookies.sqlite
   
   # Test Safari access
   ls -la ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Cookies/Cookies.binarycookies

Still Having Issues?

1. Check GitHub Issues

   • Search existing issues
   • Look for similar problems
   • Check closed issues too

2. Gather Debug Info

   # Get system info
   get-cookie --debug-info > debug.log

3. Report the Bug

   • Include debug.log
   • Describe exact steps
   • Share error messages

4. Get Support

   • Open GitHub issue
   • Provide reproduction steps
   • Include system details