Data Not Populating: Ubuntu Silent App (XSI)

What to check, step by step, when Flowace isn’t tracking or no data is showing.

Use this guide when the Silent App on Ubuntu isn’t tracking, or no data is showing. Work top to bottom: check that the app is installed, then running, then mapped to a user. Most issues are fixed by Level 3.

Start here: three questions

Ask these three questions, in this order.

If all three are yes but there is still no data, go to Level 4 (Wayland and sync) and then Advanced.

Names to look for

The app shows under different names in the apps menu and process lists. Look for any of these.

Level 1: Verify it’s installed

Goal: confirm the app files are on the computer.

• Commands: open Terminal.

ls -l ~/.local/plugin/Plugin.AppImage
ls -l /usr/share/plugin/clientInfo.json

Level 2: Verify it’s running

Installed isn’t the same as running. Confirm the app is active right now.

• Commands (Terminal):

ps aux | grep -i plugin

Should show Plugin.AppImage / plugin-guardian.

systemctl status plugin-guardian

Should say active (running).
The guardian restarts the app on its own. If it’s dead, restart the service (see Advanced).

Level 3: Verify the device is mapped to a user

This is the most common reason for “no data” when the app is installed and running. The Silent App never asks for a login. Instead, the device must be mapped (linked) to an employee in the Flowace dashboard. No mapping means the app runs fine but no data appears.

Level 4: Display type, Wayland and data sync

Reach here only if it’s installed, running, and mapped, but data is still thin or missing.

Ubuntu display and Wayland

• Some Ubuntu machines use Wayland. On those, after install the user must log out of Ubuntu and log back in once to activate window tracking.
• Check which display server is in use (Terminal):

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

Prints wayland or x11.

• Wayland window-title tracking needs GNOME 45–48. Check the version:

gnome-shell --version

• On older GNOME (for example Ubuntu 22.04 with GNOME 42), Wayland tracking is limited. Write to support@flowace.ai.

Confirm data is syncing

• Leave the computer on and in use for about 5 minutes.
• Open your Flowace dashboard and find the user.
• You should see fresh activity and screenshots arriving.
• Still nothing after 5 minutes? Re-check the mapping and clientInfo.json (Level 3), then move to Advanced.

Advanced: logs, restart, reinstall and support

When the basic levels didn’t fix it, share the log output with support when you write in.

Read the logs

cat /var/log/plugin.log
cat /var/log/plugin/guardian.log

Force a restart

sudo systemctl restart plugin-guardian

• When in doubt, restart the computer. The app is set to start automatically on restart.

Reinstall (last resort)
Uninstall first, then run the install again from the Installation Guide.

sudo bash ~/.local/plugin/uninstall.sh

When to write to support
Write to support@flowace.ai with the logs, your workspace address and the Ubuntu version if:

• Data still doesn’t appear after mapping and the checks above pass.
• The install or uninstall command errors out and re-running doesn’t help.
• The machine is on an older or unsupported Ubuntu / GNOME version.

Reading command output: what good and bad look like

Match what you see to the examples. Copy a command, paste it into the Terminal app, press Enter. A line starting with $ is what you type. The lines under it are what the computer prints back.

Is it installed?

$ ls -l ~/.local/plugin/Plugin.AppImage
-rwxr-xr-x 1 user user 182000000 … Plugin.AppImage

Good: A line that starts with -rwx means it’s installed and runnable. The x means executable.

$ ls -l ~/.local/plugin/Plugin.AppImagels: cannot access …: No such file or directory

Not good: It’s not installed. If the file exists but has no x (it shows -rw-r--r--), make it runnable with the command below.

chmod +x ~/.local/plugin/Plugin.AppImage

Is it running?

$ ps aux | grep -i pluginuser 4521 2.1 1.3 … /home/user/.local/plugin/Plugin.AppImage
user 4600 0.0 0.0 … grep --color=auto -i plugin

Good: The first line, with Plugin.AppImage, means it’s running. Ignore the last line. That’s just your search command showing itself.

$ ps aux | grep -i plugin
user 4600 0.0 0.0 … grep --color=auto -i plugin

Not good: Only the grep line and nothing else means it’s not running.

$ systemctl status plugin-guardian
● plugin-guardian.service - Flowace guardian
Active: active (running) since …

Good: active (running) is good.

$ systemctl status plugin-guardian
Active: inactive (dead)

Not good: inactive (dead) means it’s stopped. Restart it (see Advanced). “Unit … could not be found” means it’s not installed. Press q to exit the screen.

Display type and GNOME version

$ echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
wayland

This machine uses Wayland. The “log out and back in once” step is required, and it needs GNOME 45–48. If it prints x11, no Wayland steps are needed.

$ gnome-shell --version
GNOME Shell 46.0

Good: 46 is within 45–48, so Wayland tracking works. Below 45 (for example 42.x) it’s limited. Write to support.

Is the device linked to a customer?

$ cat /usr/share/plugin/clientInfo.json

Check the customer address inside is correct. A wrong address sends data to the wrong place or nowhere.

Reading logs
Logs are text records of what the app did. Open them and copy the last 20–30 lines to support.

$ cat /var/log/plugin.log… [info] activity sent OK
… [error] no token -- retrying in 60s

sent OK lines mean data is uploading fine. no token / retrying means the device isn’t mapped to a user yet. Fix the mapping (Level 3).

FAQs

• Why is there no login screen?

The Silent App never asks for a login. The device is mapped to an employee in the Flowace dashboard instead.

• I fixed the mapping. Do I need to reinstall?

No. The app retries on its own about every 60 seconds, so data starts flowing once the mapping is done.

• How long until data shows after a fix?

Leave the computer on and in use for about 5 minutes, then check your Flowace dashboard.

• What should I send to support?

The logs, your workspace address and the Ubuntu version.

Related articles

• Troubleshooting on Linux/Ubuntu

Need more help? Reach out to support@flowace.ai and our team will be happy to assist.

© Flowace Technologies Pvt Ltd | flowace.ai

Updated on: 05/11/2026