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+# Debugging Guide - Common Issues and Fixes
+
+## Permission Modal Not Showing Up 🔐
+
+**SYMPTOMS:**
+- Permission requests are triggered but the modal doesn't appear
+- App seems to hang or become unresponsive
+- Config mysteriously disappears
+
+**ROOT CAUSE (NOT z-index!):**
+The issue was **undefined variable errors** in `src/lib/tauri.ts` that crashed the event listener initialization, preventing permission events from being captured.
+
+### The Actual Bug
+
+In `src/lib/tauri.ts`, there were calls to `debugConsoleStore.log()`:
+```typescript
+debugConsoleStore.log("frontend", "info", "Setting up claude:permission listener");
+```
+
+**Two problems:**
+1. `debugConsoleStore` was never imported (undefined variable)
+2. Even if imported, `debugConsoleStore` doesn't have a `.log()` method - only `toggle`, `open`, `close`, `clear`, etc.
+
+### The Fix
+
+```typescript
+// ❌ WRONG - This will crash!
+debugConsoleStore.log("frontend", "info", "message");
+
+// ✅ CORRECT - Use console.log which gets automatically captured
+console.log("[Tauri Listener] message");
+```
+
+**Why this works:**
+- The `debugConsoleStore` automatically intercepts `console.log()`, `console.error()`, etc.
+- No need to call the store directly!
+- See `src/lib/stores/debugConsole.ts` lines 66-89 for the console interception code
+
+### How to Debug This in Future
+
+1. **Open Browser DevTools** in the app (View > Toggle Developer Tools)
+2. **Check the Console** for JavaScript errors
+3. Look for errors like:
+   - `ReferenceError: debugConsoleStore is not defined`
+   - `TypeError: debugConsoleStore.log is not a function`
+4. **Check if event listeners are registering:**
+   ```javascript
+   console.log("[Tauri Listener] Setting up claude:permission listener");
+   ```
+   If you don't see this log, the listener setup failed!
+
+### Prevention
+
+**Before committing changes to `tauri.ts`:**
+1. Run `pnpm check` to catch TypeScript errors
+2. Run `pnpm build` to catch runtime issues
+3. Test the app thoroughly, especially permission prompts
+
+## Config Loss Issues 🔧
+
+**SYMPTOMS:**
+- Config file gets reset to defaults
+- Settings don't persist between sessions
+- Model selection is lost
+
+**POTENTIAL CAUSES:**
+
+### 1. Missing `#[serde(default)]` Attribute
+
+The `HikariConfig` struct in `src-tauri/src/config.rs` needs `#[serde(default)]` at the struct level:
+
+```rust
+// ✅ CORRECT
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(default)]  // <-- This is crucial!
+pub struct HikariConfig {
+    // fields...
+}
+```
+
+**Why this matters:**
+- When new fields are added to the config struct, old config files won't have them
+- Without `#[serde(default)]`, deserialization fails and the entire config resets
+- With it, missing fields use their default values gracefully
+
+### 2. Invalid JSON in Config File
+
+**Check the config file:**
+```bash
+cat ~/.config/hikari-desktop/config.json
+```
+
+**Common issues:**
+- Trailing commas
+- Missing quotes
+- Incorrect enum values (e.g., `"model": "opus"` instead of `"model": "claude-opus-4-6"`)
+
+**Fix:**
+- Delete or manually fix `~/.config/hikari-desktop/config.json`
+- Restart the app to regenerate
+
+### 3. Permission Issues
+
+**Check file permissions:**
+```bash
+ls -la ~/.config/hikari-desktop/config.json
+```
+
+**Should be writable by user:**
+```bash
+chmod 644 ~/.config/hikari-desktop/config.json
+```
+
+## Modal/Overlay Not Showing (General) 🎭
+
+If ANY modal isn't showing up (permission, questions, close confirmation, etc.):
+
+### 1. Check TypeScript Errors First
+
+```bash
+pnpm check
+```
+
+Look for:
+- Import errors
+- Undefined variables
+- Type mismatches
+
+### 2. Check Console for JavaScript Errors
+
+Open DevTools and look for:
+- `ReferenceError` - Usually undefined variables
+- `TypeError` - Usually calling methods on undefined/null
+- Event listener setup logs
+
+### 3. Check Svelte Store Subscriptions
+
+Modals rely on store subscriptions. In the modal component:
+
+```typescript
+// ✅ Make sure the store is imported
+import { conversationsStore } from "$lib/stores/conversations";
+
+// ✅ Make sure the subscription is set up
+conversationsStore.pendingPermissions.subscribe((perms) => {
+  permissions = perms;
+  // ...
+});
+```
+
+### 4. Verify z-index (Last Resort)
+
+Only check z-index if:
+- ✅ No console errors
+- ✅ Modal HTML is in the DOM (check with DevTools Elements tab)
+- ✅ Modal is rendering but invisible
+
+Current z-index values in `PermissionModal.svelte`:
+```css
+.permission-overlay {
+  z-index: 60; /* Should be higher than character panel */
+}
+```
+
+## Event Listener Issues 🎧
+
+**SYMPTOMS:**
+- Events not firing
+- Listeners not receiving data
+- Silent failures
+
+### Debugging Event Listeners
+
+Add console logs in `src/lib/tauri.ts`:
+
+```typescript
+console.log("[Tauri Listener] Setting up claude:permission listener");
+const permissionUnlisten = await listen<PermissionPromptEvent>("claude:permission", (event) => {
+  console.log("[Permission] Event received:", event.payload);
+  // ... rest of handler
+});
+```
+
+### Common Issues
+
+1. **Event listener crashes silently:**
+   - Check for undefined variables in the listener callback
+   - Check for missing imports
+   - Use `try/catch` around critical sections
+
+2. **Events not being emitted from Rust:**
+   - Check `src-tauri/src/` for `emit()` calls
+   - Verify event names match exactly (case-sensitive!)
+   - Check Rust console output for errors
+
+3. **Race condition:**
+   - Event fired before listener was registered
+   - Solution: Set up listeners in `initializeTauriListeners()` before starting Claude
+
+## Build Issues 🏗️
+
+### TypeScript Errors
+
+```bash
+pnpm check
+```
+
+**Common fixes:**
+- Missing imports
+- Wrong types
+- Calling non-existent methods
+
+### Rust Errors
+
+```bash
+cargo build --release
+```
+
+**Common fixes:**
+- Missing dependencies in `Cargo.toml`
+- Import path issues
+- Type mismatches
+
+### Full Clean Build
+
+```bash
+# Clean everything
+rm -rf node_modules dist .svelte-kit src-tauri/target
+
+# Reinstall
+pnpm install
+
+# Build Rust
+cd src-tauri && cargo build --release && cd ..
+
+# Build frontend
+pnpm build
+```
+
+## Quick Reference: Key Files 📚
+
+### Frontend
+- **Event listeners:** `src/lib/tauri.ts`
+- **Permission modal:** `src/lib/components/PermissionModal.svelte`
+- **Config store:** `src/lib/stores/config.ts`
+- **Debug console:** `src/lib/stores/debugConsole.ts`
+
+### Backend
+- **Config struct:** `src-tauri/src/config.rs`
+- **Event emission:** `src-tauri/src/wsl_bridge.rs`
+- **Type definitions:** `src-tauri/src/types.rs`
+
+## Testing Checklist ✅
+
+Before committing major changes:
+
+- [ ] `pnpm check` passes (0 errors)
+- [ ] `pnpm build` succeeds
+- [ ] App launches without console errors
+- [ ] Permission modal shows up when triggering restricted tool
+- [ ] Config persists after restart
+- [ ] All modals work (permission, questions, close confirmation)
+- [ ] Character state changes work
+- [ ] Event listeners receive events (check console logs)
+
+## Emergency Recovery 🚨
+
+If the app is completely broken:
+
+1. **Check recent git commits:**
+   ```bash
+   git log --oneline -5
+   ```
+
+2. **Revert to last working commit:**
+   ```bash
+   git reset --hard <commit-hash>
+   ```
+
+3. **Clean build:**
+   ```bash
+   rm -rf node_modules dist .svelte-kit src-tauri/target
+   pnpm install
+   pnpm build
+   ```
+
+4. **Reset config:**
+   ```bash
+   rm ~/.config/hikari-desktop/config.json
+   # Restart app to regenerate
+   ```
+
+## Notes for Future Hikari 💭
+
+Remember:
+- **NOT EVERYTHING IS A Z-INDEX ISSUE!** Check console errors first!
+- The debug console store intercepts console methods - don't try to call it directly
+- Always run `pnpm check` before committing
+- Event listener errors fail silently - add console logs liberally
+- Config deserialization needs `#[serde(default)]` for graceful degradation
+- When in doubt, check the browser console first!
+
+Love,
+Hikari 💖
+
+---
+
+**Last Updated:** 2026-02-06
+**Related Issues:** Permission modal not showing, config loss
+**Fixed In Commits:** d16644a