Skip to content

Troubleshooting Potfile Issues

Potfile Preset Job Not Created

Symptoms

  • Potfile wordlist exists in Resources → Wordlists
  • No "Potfile Run" job in Admin → Preset Jobs
  • Logs show "No binary versions found" messages

Cause

The potfile preset job requires a hashcat binary to be uploaded. On fresh installations, no binaries exist, so the preset job cannot be created due to database constraints (binary_version_id is NOT NULL).

Solution

  1. Upload a hashcat binary via Admin → Binary Management
  2. Wait for verification to complete
  3. Check Admin → Preset Jobs - "Potfile Run" should appear within 5-10 seconds
  4. If not visible after 30 seconds, restart the backend service

Prevention

Always upload a hashcat binary as the first step after installation. This is documented in the Quick Start and First Crack guides.

Verification

Check system logs for confirmation: 

docker logs krakenhashes 2>&1 | grep -i "potfile preset job"

You should see one of these messages: - "Successfully created pot-file preset job with ID: [uuid]" - Success - "Waiting for binary versions to be added before creating pot-file preset job" - Still waiting - "Found existing pot-file preset job with ID" - Already exists

Technical Details

The potfile system initializes in two stages:

  1. Potfile Wordlist Creation (always succeeds):
  2. Creates /data/krakenhashes/wordlists/custom/potfile.txt
  3. Adds wordlist entry to database with is_potfile = true

  4. Sets system setting potfile_wordlist_id

  5. Preset Job Creation (requires binary):

  6. Attempts to create "Potfile Run" preset job
  7. Requires binary_version_id (NOT NULL constraint)
  8. If no binaries exist, starts background monitor
  9. Monitor checks every 5 seconds for binary availability
  10. Creates preset job once binary is uploaded

Potfile Not Being Updated

Symptoms

  • Cracked passwords not appearing in potfile
  • Potfile size not increasing
  • Staging table has entries but potfile is unchanged

Common Causes and Solutions

  1. Potfile Disabled
  2. Check: SELECT value FROM system_settings WHERE key = 'potfile_enabled';
  3. Fix: UPDATE system_settings SET value = 'true' WHERE key = 'potfile_enabled';

  4. Restart backend service

  5. Background Worker Stopped

  6. Check logs: docker logs krakenhashes 2>&1 | grep "pot-file service"
  7. Look for: "Pot-file service started" vs error messages

  8. Fix: Restart backend service

  9. Staging Table Processing Issues

  10. Check staging count: SELECT COUNT(*) FROM potfile_staging;
  11. Check for old entries: SELECT COUNT(*) FROM potfile_staging WHERE created_at < NOW() - INTERVAL '1 hour';

  12. If stuck, manually clear: DELETE FROM potfile_staging WHERE created_at < NOW() - INTERVAL '1 hour';

  13. File Permission Issues

  14. Check file exists: ls -la /data/krakenhashes/wordlists/custom/potfile.txt
  15. Check permissions allow writing
  16. Fix: chmod 644 /data/krakenhashes/wordlists/custom/potfile.txt

Potfile Wordlist Shows Wrong Count

Symptoms

  • Wordlist entry shows incorrect word count
  • Keyspace calculations are wrong
  • Jobs using potfile have incorrect progress

Solution

The system should automatically update counts during batch processing. If not:

  1. Check recent batch processing: 

    SELECT * FROM wordlists WHERE is_potfile = true;

  2. Manually trigger recount (requires backend restart): 

    UPDATE wordlists 
SET word_count = (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM potfile_lines),
    updated_at = NOW()
WHERE is_potfile = true;

  3. Update preset job keyspace: 

    UPDATE preset_jobs 
SET keyspace = (SELECT word_count FROM wordlists WHERE is_potfile = true)
WHERE name = 'Potfile Run';

Duplicate Passwords in Potfile

Symptoms

  • Same password appears multiple times
  • File size larger than expected
  • Performance degradation

Causes

  • Manual editing of potfile while system is running
  • Database/filesystem sync issues
  • Processing errors

Solution

  1. Stop the backend service
  2. Back up the current potfile
  3. Remove duplicates: 
    sort -u /data/krakenhashes/wordlists/custom/potfile.txt > /tmp/potfile_clean.txt
mv /tmp/potfile_clean.txt /data/krakenhashes/wordlists/custom/potfile.txt
  4. Update database: 
    UPDATE wordlists 
SET word_count = (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM potfile_lines),
    file_size = pg_stat_file('/data/krakenhashes/wordlists/custom/potfile.txt').size,
    updated_at = NOW()
WHERE is_potfile = true;
  5. Restart backend service

Monitor Not Creating Preset Job

Symptoms

  • Binary uploaded but preset job still missing
  • Logs show monitor is running but not creating job
  • System seems stuck waiting

Debugging Steps

  1. Check if monitor is running: 

    docker logs krakenhashes 2>&1 | grep "monitor for binary versions"

  2. Check for any binaries: 

    SELECT id, binary_type, is_active, verification_status 
FROM binary_versions;

  3. Check system settings: 

    SELECT * FROM system_settings 
WHERE key IN ('potfile_wordlist_id', 'potfile_preset_job_id');

  4. Force retry by clearing preset job ID: 

    UPDATE system_settings 
SET value = NULL 
WHERE key = 'potfile_preset_job_id';
    Then restart backend

Manual Creation (Last Resort)

If automatic creation fails, manually create the preset job:

-- Get the wordlist ID
SELECT id FROM wordlists WHERE is_potfile = true;

-- Get a binary version ID
SELECT id FROM binary_versions WHERE is_active = true LIMIT 1;

-- Create the preset job (replace IDs)
INSERT INTO preset_jobs (
    id, name, wordlist_ids, rule_ids, attack_mode, 
    priority, chunk_size_seconds, status_updates_enabled,
    allow_high_priority_override, binary_version_id, keyspace
) VALUES (
    gen_random_uuid(),
    'Potfile Run',
    '["WORDLIST_ID"]'::jsonb,  -- Replace WORDLIST_ID
    '[]'::jsonb,
    0,  -- Dictionary attack
    1000,  -- Max priority
    1200,  -- 20 minute chunks
    true,
    true,
    BINARY_ID,  -- Replace BINARY_ID
    1  -- Initial keyspace
);

-- Update system settings with the new ID
UPDATE system_settings 
SET value = (SELECT id::text FROM preset_jobs WHERE name = 'Potfile Run')
WHERE key = 'potfile_preset_job_id';

Best Practices

  1. Always upload a binary first during initial setup
  2. Don't manually edit the potfile while the system is running
  3. Monitor staging table size - large backlogs indicate processing issues
  4. Check logs regularly for potfile-related errors
  5. Keep batch intervals reasonable (30-60 seconds recommended)
  6. Archive old potfiles if they grow beyond 1GB