Checking Your Setup: The Dashboard Welcome Tab

Understanding the System State Progress Bar

Estimated reading: 0 minutes 6 views

The Progress Bar at the top of the Dashboard is your quick-reference system health indicator. Let’s understand what each stage means and how to interpret it.

Stage 1: Uninstalled (always green)

This stage is green as soon as you import the GameCatalyst package into Unity. It simply confirms the package files are present.

Stage 2: Installed

This stage turns green after you click the Install button and the central installation completes successfully. It means:

The Central Installation Directory (CID) exists on your machine
Python servers are deployed
Databases are created
Configuration files are in place

If this stage is gray, you need to run the installer from the Controls tab.

Stage 3: Discovery

This stage turns green when the Discovery Server is running. The Discovery Server is the central registry that tracks all your Unity projects and manages connections. If this stage is gray:

Click the Start button in the Controls tab
Check the Activity Log for error messages
Verify Python is installed and on your PATH

Stage 4: Unity Instance

This stage turns green when the Unity Instance Server connects to your current Unity project. This means GameCatalyst can communicate with Unity and execute commands. If this stage is gray:

Ensure the Discovery stage is green first
Click Start if you haven’t already
Check the Triangle Trifecta — all three dots should be green

Stage 5: AI Client

This stage turns green when an AI client connects and selects your project. It has three colors:

Green — AI is actively working on this project
Yellow — AI is connected but working on a different project (“Away”)
Gray — No AI client is connected

This stage won’t turn green until you connect an AI client (covered in the next chapter).

Troubleshooting tip: If any stage is stuck gray, check the Activity Log in the Controls tab for error messages. Common issues include Python not being on PATH or firewall blocking local connections.

What to do when a stage is not green:

If the Installed stage is gray, you need to run the installer from the Controls tab. If the Discovery stage is gray, click Start in Controls. If Unity Instance is gray, make sure Start was clicked and check the Activity Log for errors. If AI Client is gray, your AI client is not connected yet — follow the connection instructions in the next chapter.

The yellow AI Client state:

Yellow means an AI client is connected to GameCatalyst but has selected a different project or has not selected any project yet. This is the “Away” state. Once the AI selects your specific project, the stage turns green. This distinction is helpful when you have multiple Unity Editor instances open with different projects.