Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF · warning · Error

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Error message

This tool requires an account. Sign in to Stirling Cloud or connect to a self-hosted server to use it.

What it means

Thrown by operationRouter.getBaseUrl in local-only mode when the requested tool endpoint is not supported by the bundled local backend (endpointAvailabilityService.isEndpointSupportedLocally returns false). The app first dispatches an appConfig:navigate event to open connection settings, then throws this localized 'toolUnavailable' message telling the user they must sign in to use the tool.

Source

Thrown at frontend/editor/src/desktop/services/operationRouter.ts:165

    // Local-only mode: route everything to local backend; open settings if tool unavailable
    if (mode === "local") {
      if (operation && this.isToolEndpoint(operation)) {
        const endpointName = this.extractEndpointName(operation);
        const backendUrl = tauriBackendService.getBackendUrl();
        if (backendUrl) {
          const supportedLocally =
            await endpointAvailabilityService.isEndpointSupportedLocally(
              endpointName,
              backendUrl,
            );
          if (!supportedLocally) {
            // Open the connection settings so the user can sign in
            window.dispatchEvent(
              new CustomEvent("appConfig:navigate", {
                detail: { key: "connectionMode" },
              }),
            );
            throw new Error(
              i18n.t(
                "localMode.toolUnavailable",
                "This tool requires an account. Sign in to Stirling Cloud or connect to a self-hosted server to use it.",
              ),
            );
          }
        }
      }
      const backendUrl = tauriBackendService.getBackendUrl();
      if (!backendUrl) {
        throw new Error(
          "Backend URL not available - backend may still be starting",
        );
      }
      return backendUrl.replace(/\/$/, "");
    }

    // Always route team endpoints to SaaS backend (existing logic)

View on GitHub (pinned to 9ef20dcab8)

Solutions

1. Sign in to Stirling Cloud or connect to a self-hosted server (the connection-settings panel was already opened for you) and retry the tool.
2. If self-hosting, ensure that server has the tool enabled and its dependencies installed.
3. For local use, install a backend build that includes the required capability.
4. Hide/disable tools the local backend cannot serve (consume endpointAvailabilityService in the UI).

Example fix

// before: tool button fires immediately
onClick={() => runTool(endpoint)}

// after: gate the button on local capability
const canRunLocal = mode !== 'local' || await endpointAvailabilityService.isEndpointSupportedLocally(name, backendUrl);
<button disabled={!canRunLocal} onClick={() => runTool(endpoint)} />

const mode = await connectionModeService.getCurrentMode();
const canRunLocal = mode !== 'local'
  || await endpointAvailabilityService.isEndpointSupportedLocally(endpointName, backendUrl);
if (!canRunLocal) { /* hide/disable the tool, prompt sign-in */ return; }

function isToolUnavailable(e: unknown): e is Error {
  return e instanceof Error && /requires an account/.test(e.message);
}

try { await runOperation(endpoint); }
catch (e) {
  if (isToolUnavailable(e)) { /* connection settings already opened; prompt sign-in */ return; }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: User is in local-only mode (signed out / chose local) and triggers a tool the local backend cannot serve — e.g. a tool requiring a server-only feature, OCR model, or proprietary capability absent from the bundled backend.

Common situations: Local-only desktop user clicks a premium/server-only tool; the bundled backend lacks the endpoint or a heavy dependency (LibreOffice, OCR languages); the local backend is a stripped build.

Related errors

• Backend URL not available - backend may still be starting
• Unsupported conversion format
• Sign up failed
• Failed to save authentication token
• Cannot connect to server. Please check the server URL and en

AI-assisted analysis of Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF@9ef20dcab8 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/37a40f2e1773a7e4. Report an issue: GitHub.