# CADABRA will not load, connect, or sign in

> What to check when the CADABRA icon is missing from SOLIDWORKS, the panel cannot reach the service, sign-in fails, or requests are being declined.

URL: https://cadabrai.com/docs/troubleshooting/cadabra-issues/
Updated: 2026-08-15

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- [Getting started](https://cadabrai.com/docs/getting-started/) [Install](https://cadabrai.com/docs/getting-started/install/)
- [Your First Prompt](https://cadabrai.com/docs/getting-started/first-prompt/)
- [How It Works](https://cadabrai.com/docs/getting-started/how-it-works/)

- [All Five Modes](https://cadabrai.com/docs/modes/all-modes/)
- [Agent Mode](https://cadabrai.com/docs/modes/agent-mode/)
- [Ask Mode](https://cadabrai.com/docs/modes/ask-mode/)
- [Drawings Mode](https://cadabrai.com/docs/modes/drawings-mode/)

- [Writing Prompts](https://cadabrai.com/docs/prompts/writing-prompts/)
- [Prompt Library](https://cadabrai.com/docs/prompts/prompt-library/)

- [Drawing Standards](https://cadabrai.com/docs/standards/drawing-standards/)
- [Components and Fasteners](https://cadabrai.com/docs/standards/libraries-and-plm/)

- [Plans and Limits](https://cadabrai.com/docs/account/plans-and-limits/)
- [Preferences](https://cadabrai.com/docs/account/preferences/)
- [Billing](https://cadabrai.com/docs/account/billing/)

- [Data Handling](https://cadabrai.com/docs/security/data-handling/)

- [CADABRA Issues](https://cadabrai.com/docs/troubleshooting/cadabra-issues/)
- [SOLIDWORKS Errors](https://cadabrai.com/docs/troubleshooting/solidworks-errors/)

# CADABRA itself is not working

What to check when the CADABRA icon is missing from SOLIDWORKS, the panel cannot reach the service, sign-in fails, or requests are being declined.

## The CADABRA icon is not in SOLIDWORKS

Almost always the add-in is installed but not enabled.

1. In SOLIDWORKS, open **Tools** then **Add-Ins**.
2. Scroll to **Other Add-Ins** and confirm CADABRA is listed. Tick the first column to load it now, and the second to load it every session.
3. If it is not listed at all, the installer did not complete. Close SOLIDWORKS entirely and run the installer again: it cannot register the add-in while SOLIDWORKS is open.

## The panel opens but cannot reach CADABRA

CADABRA needs outbound internet access.

- Confirm you are signed in. Signing out in another place signs you out here too.
- On a corporate network, a proxy or firewall may be blocking the connection.
- If your organization requires an allowlist, [ask us](https://cadabrai.com/contact/) for the exact hosts rather than guessing.

## Requests are being declined

Usually the monthly allowance is exhausted. Check the [Usage page](https://cadabrai.com/dashboard/usage): it shows what you have used and when it resets.

On a paid plan you can buy extra usage for the current period from [Billing](https://cadabrai.com/dashboard/billing). See [plans and limits](https://cadabrai.com/docs/account/plans-and-limits/).

## It did something I did not expect

Undo it. Everything CADABRA does is a normal SOLIDWORKS operation, so the normal undo applies, and the feature tree shows exactly what was added or changed.

Then look at the instruction. An unexpected result is usually an ambiguous reference or a missing number. [Writing prompts](https://cadabrai.com/docs/prompts/writing-prompts/) covers the grammar; if the instruction was unambiguous and the result was still wrong, [tell us](https://cadabrai.com/contact/) and include the prompt.

Keeping **Auto-apply agent changes** off means you see proposed changes before they touch the model.

On this page

- [The CADABRA icon is not in SOLIDWORKS](#no-icon)
- [The panel opens but cannot reach CADABRA](#no-connection)
- [Requests are being declined](#declined)
- [It did something I did not expect](#unexpected-edit)