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Troubleshooting and FAQ

Fixes for the problems people run into most, and answers to common questions. If you are still stuck, email support@openintern.ai or hello@openintern.ai.

The pane

The pane is blank or says it can't connect

Store add-in: check your internet connection, close the pane and open it again from the Home tab. If it still fails, check that your network allows https://app.openintern.ai. The service can take a few seconds to start after a quiet period.

Local software: check the server is running with npx openintern status, and run npx openintern doctor if it is not. If Office shows its own "Add-in Error" page because the document opened before the server was up, start the server and reopen the pane from the ribbon. Don't click Retry on that page: it leaves a pane that is not connected.

OpenIntern doesn't appear in Office

In the local software, the add-in is listed under Home > Add-ins. If it is not there after installing, save your work and restart the Office app.

The pane reloaded by itself

This is expected in two cases. The pane checks for a new version of itself and reloads only when no task is running. And if Office stops answering the pane, for example after it sat in a background browser tab, the pane reloads to reconnect, but never while it is writing to your document. After a reload it reattaches to the document and picks up a task that was running.

The pane says it needs a newer version of Office

OpenIntern needs a current version of Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac, or Office on the web. Update Office and open the pane again.

There is no microphone button

Dictation appears only where Office's web view supports speech recognition. Office on the web usually does not give add-ins the microphone; when recognition is refused, the pane says so once and hides the button for the session.

Keys and providers

"Test connection" fails, or a task says the provider rejected the key

Check the key in your provider's console: that it is active, that billing is set up, and that your account can use the selected model. Paste the key again under Providers and choose Save. In the local software, a key set in the server's environment takes precedence over one entered in the pane, so check the environment too.

"Rate limited" or "quota exceeded"

These limits come from your AI provider. Wait a minute, or raise the limit in your provider's console. The store add-in's service also limits very high request rates, and the number of new sessions, from one network address. Many people behind one office address share those limits.

A provider is missing from the list

The store add-in lists only providers with a fixed public address. Azure OpenAI, Ollama, LM Studio and custom endpoints are available in the local software. See Supported providers.

Tasks and undo

A task stopped part-way

In the store add-in, sessions end after 30 minutes without activity and when the service is updated, which stops any task running at that moment. Look over the document, then run the task again. In the local software, a task that was running when the server stopped keeps its record of changes, so Undo changes still works. A change marked Check this may or may not have landed; look at the document before going on. See Interrupted tasks and recovery.

Undo didn't restore everything

Undo restores the cells, slides and paragraphs the task changed. It is not a byte-for-byte restore of the file, it won't overwrite edits you or a co-author made afterwards, and some changes, such as deleted sheets, cannot be undone. The answer says when a change could not be undone. In the local software, the checkpoint copy saved before the task's first change has the file as it was. See Undo.

The result is wrong

Say what is wrong in the same conversation and ask for a fix, or undo the task and ask again with more detail. AI output can be wrong; review figures, formulas and text before you rely on them. If the output is harmful or offensive, use Report on the answer, which opens an email to report@openintern.ai. Thumbs-up and thumbs-down ratings stay on your device and are not sent to us.

It can't see my other workbook

The store add-in works one document at a time: each Excel, PowerPoint or Word window has its own session. Paste or describe the figures you need, attach a copy of the file, or use the local software, which works across the documents you have open.

Office on the web

Office on the web supports fewer add-in operations than the desktop apps. OpenIntern works around the known gaps, but results can differ:

  • PowerPoint: some edits to existing slides are refused, such as adding a row or column to a table. OpenIntern then rebuilds the slide, or reports the change as skipped rather than leaving it half done.
  • Word: a caption's number is written as plain text, so Word won't renumber it if you add or remove captions. A table of contents OpenIntern inserted may not offer Update Table of Contents.
  • Excel: in Excel on the web, the Open OpenIntern button can be in the ribbon's overflow menu.

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost?

OpenIntern is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0. You pay your AI provider for what you use at its normal rates, or nothing with a local model in the local software.

Which model should I use?

Current models from OpenAI and Anthropic both do well in our tests. Other providers work through the same setup, with varying results. You can switch models from one request to the next.

Does it work on Windows or Office on the web?

The store add-in is built for Microsoft 365 on Windows and Mac and for Office on the web, and is in testing on Windows and the web. The local software runs on a Mac. iPad and phones are not supported.

Can it break my files?

It is built not to. Every change is recorded and can be undone, it asks before deleting anything, and in the local software a copy of the file is saved before the first change. Undo has limits, so keep your usual backups of files that matter.

Do you train AI models on my documents?

No. We don't use your documents, prompts or outputs to train models, and the add-in has no telemetry or analytics. Your AI provider handles what it receives under its own terms. See Privacy and data.

Do I need an account?

No. You add your own provider key in the pane. An optional free account is planned; see Accounts (coming).

Who makes OpenIntern?

Curious Expeditions LLC. OpenIntern is independent and is not affiliated with Microsoft, OpenAI or Anthropic.

Contact

When you write, tell us the app, your platform and Office version, the provider and model, and what happened. Never send your API key, and leave out confidential document content.