Frequently Asked Questions

In no particular order, here are the answers to some common questions and some common troubleshooting tasks:

My Mark 2 device isn't responding to "Hey Mycroft"

The default wake word for Neon releases is "Hey Neon".

There is a problem with Neon after changing configuration

If Neon is still listening, you can ask "Hey Neon, update configuration" to get default core and skill configuration as you would during an updated.

How can I change WiFi Networks on my Mark 2

You can swipe down from the top of the screen to open a menu. The Wireless option will let you select how to configure/manage your networks.

Network/Internet checks aren't working

Some routers/firewalls block or forward traffic that can cause Neon's network checks to fail. DNS addresses can be specified in configuration to resolve this. Add the following to ~/.config/neon/neon.yaml to specify network test endpoints:

network_tests:
  dns_primary: 1.1.1.1
  # Change this to the DNS server used by your router
  web_url: "http://nmcheck.gnome.org/check_network_status.txt"
  # Change this to a URL that can be accessed from your network

Neon won't load after installing an alpha update

Sometimes alpha releases include changes to the update process that require a second update to fully apply. If Neon doesn't appear to be fully loaded or something isn't working as expected, try asking Neon to "update configuration". If that doesn't work, ask Neon to "check for updates" and run the update again.

My Mark 2 screen is blank after restarting or installing an update

There is an apparent bug in the production Mark2 display's driver that can cause the display to not initialize.

If this happens, you can try pressing the action button and asking Neon to shut down, or open an SSH connection to the device and sudo shutdown now to power off the Mark2. Starting in 2024, Neon OS releases include a check for this and the LED ring will light up yellow before the device shuts down when this happens.

After the device is shut down, unplug it and plug it back in to turn it back on.

How can I restore Neon to a default state

Neon can be restored by going to Settings -> Factory Settings and selecting Factory Reset. This will remove any configuration changes and restore Neon to the version that was originally shipped.

If you are using a Mark2, you can also reset by holding the vol - and Action buttons when the LED ring lights up green on boot or red on shutdown. The LED ring will light up white to confirm the reset and indicate you can release the buttons.

What is a Skill ID vs a Package Name vs a Class Name

Skills can be identified differently in different contexts. The definitions here will use the About Skill as an example.

Skill ID

A skill ID is used to identify a globally unique skill, and generally follows the format of <skill_name>.<skill_author>. For most skills, this is specified in setup.py. For older skills without a setup.py the skill ID is specified as the directory containing the skill's __init__.py; tools like msm and osm install skills to directories matching the usual format, using information from a git URL or skill.json.

Package name

A skill package may be created with an arbitrary package name in setup.py. This identifier is used for installing the skill or listing it as a dependency like other Python packages. If the skill is uploaded to PyPI, then it may be installed by package name using pip (i.e. pip install neon-skill-about). Older skills that are not packaged will not have a package name.

Skill Class

A skill class generally has a descriptive name and is capitalized according to Python standards. This class is referenced in the setup.py entrypoint but is otherwise not referenced directly.