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Yardmaster Guide

A session will not start

A new session turns red, a model is greyed out, or it sits on Starting.

Quick question

What do you see?

  • It says Claude Code isn't installed (or can't be found)

    "Claude Code isn't installed (or can't be found)"

    Claude sessions run on the Claude Code program, which lives on your computer separately from Yardmaster. When Yardmaster cannot find it, the session turns red with this message.

    1. Open Settings > Connected Tools.

    2. Find Claude Code CLI and click Install.

    3. Start a new session. Yardmaster picks up the program straight away, with no restart.

    If you installed Claude Code somewhere unusual, open Settings > System and type its location under Claude CLI Location, or click Detect. Leave the box empty to let Yardmaster find it.

    Claude CLI LocationSettings, SystemWhere to find the Claude Code program on your computer. Usually auto-detectedOpen in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? Download
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  • A model is greyed out

    A model is greyed out: "Needs Claude Code CLI ..."

    Some Claude models only run on a recent enough Claude Code. When yours is older, that model stays in the model picker but greyed out, with the reason under it (for example "Needs Claude Code CLI 2.1.280, this computer has 2.1.251"). An Inbox card with Open Connected Tools settings appears too.

    1. Open Settings > Connected Tools and click Update on Claude Code CLI. A terminal window opens and runs the update.

    2. When it finishes, switch back to Yardmaster. Coming back to the window re-runs the check, and the grey rows and the Inbox card clear on their own.

    Or simply pick a different model: only the models your Claude Code cannot run are blocked. See Connected tools for more on updates.

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  • It stays on Starting

    The session stays on "Starting"

    A session normally starts within seconds. If it stays on Starting:

    • Check your internet connection. Sessions need it to reach Claude.

    • Check your sign-in. Open Settings > Accounts; if an account says it needs signing in, sign in again. See Connect your Claude account.

    • Just after opening Yardmaster, sessions from last time come back one at a time on purpose, so a few can sit on Starting for a minute or more. See Sessions come back after a crash or restart.

    If a session is still on Starting after a minute or two, it turns red (Error). Send it a message to try again.

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  • It says Rate Limited

    "Rate Limited"

    The session has reached your Claude plan's usage limit. You do not need to do anything: it waits (orange Rate Limited) and carries on by itself when the limit resets. If you added more than one account, Yardmaster quietly moves it to an account that still has room.

    To see how close you are to a limit, see Know before you hit a usage limit. To add another account, see Connect your Claude account.

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