Troubleshooting

Most of the snags encountered with Simon fall into a handful of categories: the application that won’t start, the agent that doesn’t respond, a blocked document, a refused FEC import, or a posting that gets stuck. This page goes through them in that order.

One reflex before any file manipulation: quit Simon completely. And if the file already contains an accounting to keep, back up the data directory before touching it.

Simon won’t start

The application stays stuck on launch

On first start, Simon automatically initializes its local PostgreSQL database. If the initialization was interrupted, the application may stay stuck or display a database connection error.

Procedure:

1. Quit Simon completely.
2. Rename the PostgreSQL data directory to force a reinitialization.
3. Restart Simon.

On macOS:

mv ~/Library/Application\ Support/simon-agent/pg_data ~/Library/Application\ Support/simon-agent/pg_data.backup

On Linux:

mv ~/.local/share/simon-agent/pg_data ~/.local/share/simon-agent/pg_data.backup

On Windows, rename the following folder from the explorer:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\simon-agent\pg_data

On the next launch, Simon recreates a clean local database.

The database port is already in use

Simon uses port 5433 for its embedded database. If another application is already using this port, the database cannot start.

On macOS or Linux, identify the process:

lsof -i :5433

On Windows, use PowerShell:

netstat -ano | findstr :5433

Then close the application concerned, and restart Simon.

The agent doesn’t respond

Missing or refused API key

If the agent displays a missing, refused or unauthorized key error, open Simon’s settings and check the configured provider.

Check:

• the saved API key;
• the selected provider;
• the chosen model;
• any limits on your provider account.

After correction, run a simple request again in the agent.

Provider unreachable

A timeout or network error often indicates that Simon cannot reach the AI provider.

To check:

• the internet connection;
• the provider’s status;
• any proxy, VPN or firewall blocking outgoing calls;
• the validity of the API key.

Model unavailable

If the selected model is not recognized or is not available for your account, choose another model in Simon’s settings. Some models require specific access on the provider side.

A document is blocked

A blocked document is not necessarily in error. Simon suspends processing when a piece of information must be corrected, confirmed or completed.

To understand the block, open the document or ask the agent what is preventing it from continuing. Simon should indicate:

• the step concerned: upload, extraction, qualification, reconciliation or posting;
• the reason for the block;
• the expected action.

Inconsistent bank statement

The balance calculated from the operations does not match the expected balance.

Actions to take:

1. Open the statement in Simon.
2. Compare the extracted operations with the original PDF or CSV.
3. Check the opening and closing balances.
4. Correct the missing operation, the amount or the debit/credit direction.

Document already uploaded

Simon detects identical files to avoid duplicates.

If the document is genuinely already present, ignore it or delete the extra upload. If the upload is intentional, for example for another company or after correction, state the reason and confirm that Simon can continue.

Incomplete extraction

Simon did not manage to correctly read all the information in the document.

Actions to take:

1. Open the document.
2. Correct the extracted fields.
3. If the file is hard to read, upload a clearer version again.

VAT inconsistency

The net total, the VAT and the gross do not match up.

Check the gross, the net bases, the VAT rates and any lines without VAT. Correct the extracted amounts, then run the document validation again.

Missing bank reconciliation

Simon doesn’t find a bank payment matching the document.

Possible actions:

• import the bank statement for the period;
• check the date and the amount of the document;
• confirm that the document hasn’t been paid yet;
• confirm that the payment is outside the scope tracked in Simon.

FEC import

The FEC file is refused

A FEC can be refused if its structure does not match the expected format, if the period is not consistent with the file, or if some journal entries are unbalanced.

To check:

• the FEC does correspond to the company in the file;
• the exported period is the right one;
• the file comes from a final export of the old software or the firm;
• the journal entries are balanced in the source software.

If the problem comes from the file, correct the export at the source then run the import again.

Mappings are requested

During the migration, Simon may ask for a decision on a journal, an account, a third party, a bank or a fixed asset.

This is not an error: it is a validation step. Answer with the expected business meaning rather than with a technical detail. For example: “this account corresponds to the supplier Orange”, “this journal is the BNP bank journal”, or “this fixed asset is computer hardware”.

Posting

Unbalanced journal entry

A journal entry cannot be recorded if the total debit does not match the total credit.

Check the source document, the extracted amounts and any fees, discounts, roundings or VAT lines. Correct the document’s data, then run the posting again.

Missing account or third party

Some journal entries require an accounting account or an identified third party. This is frequent for suppliers, customers and entries on auxiliary accounts.

Actions to take:

1. Create or select the third party concerned.
2. Attach it to the document.
3. Check the proposed category or account.
4. Run the posting again.

Operation already recorded

If Simon indicates that an operation already exists, check the current state of the document before running it again. Most often, the action has already been done or a previous import created the same journal entry.

Getting help

If the problem persists, gather the useful information before asking for help:

• what you were doing at the time of the problem;
• the message displayed by Simon;
• the type of document concerned;
• the company and the period;
• if possible, a screenshot of the block screen.