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Troubleshooting · 5 min read

Fix a sign-in loop

Find out whether the problem is account creation, the sign-in return, or Build’s session verification.

Applies to Build 1.1.0 · Updated September 15, 2026

Download this guide (.md)

Start with the exact failure

Record the visible message and the steps that lead to it. For example, “The External Account was not found” followed by a return to Sign in tells us login failed, but does not establish the cause.

Keep your existing installation and data. Repeatedly changing keys, resetting databases, or switching modes makes it harder to identify what failed.

Check the running installation

  1. Confirm the folder and command that started the app.
  2. Confirm which configuration file the running process actually reads. The Agency wizard’s saved file does not automatically change a local server.
  3. Use the same exact origin throughout the test. localhost and 127.0.0.1 are different origins; ports matter too.
  4. Privately verify the Clerk keys and issuer belong to the same application and environment, and CLERK_AUTHORIZED_PARTIES contains the exact app origin.

If the sign-in form never loads

Build 1.1.0 fixes a hosted setup issue where the page’s security policy blocked the Clerk sign-in script. Upgrade the matching frontend and Worker together, then reload the page.

If the problem continues, ask your coding assistant to check the browser Console for a Content Security Policy error and verify the configured Clerk issuer. Keep browser security enabled. A blocked script, a rejected account, and a failed session check need different fixes.

Check the account and sign-in method

Verify that the account exists inside the Clerk application connected to this Build installation. An account used to manage the Clerk dashboard is not automatically an application user.

If this is a new application account, complete sign-up using an enabled method. Check the intended sign-in method is enabled before assuming Google sign-in will work. Complete any required email verification.

Check what happens after sign-in

  1. Watch whether the identity provider returns you to the intended Build URL.
  2. Check whether the app’s /api/auth/profile request succeeds in the browser Network panel.
  3. If it fails, have your coding assistant inspect the callback/session handling and backend verification using the actual error.
  4. If it succeeds but Agency settings is missing, check the Build admin ID and active deployment settings. If the workspace is missing, check invitation redemption and membership.
A missing administrator ID does not by itself explain an external-account sign-in error. Treat successful login and administrator authorization as separate milestones.

Send support a useful summary

A short screen recording can help. Hide API keys, passwords, account tokens, cookies, and private client data. Do not send a complete environment file or network export.

Copy and adapt this prompt
Build ZIP/version:
Operating system:
Personal or Agency:
Who needs access (me / team / clients):
Command used to start the app:
Local or hosted URL:
Exact visible error:
Steps that reproduce it:
Does /api/auth/profile succeed? (status and redacted error only):
What changed immediately before the issue:

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