# Troubleshooting your node
Sometimes unexpected things can go wrong. The log is the best place to go to find out.
### Check your logs
If you are wondering what is going on with your node then you should check your logs. To view your logs you can use a few different commands.
#### View log in real time
`tail -f /home/coti/coti-node/logs/FullNode1.log`
#### Get last 100 lines of your log
```
tail -n 100 /home/coti/coti-node/logs/FullNode1.log
```
#### Looking for specific phrases like ERROR as you use the tail command above
To further narrow down your tail command above you may want to hunt for a word like ERROR or COTI FULL NODE IS UP or some other phrase.
To do that just add a pipe and a grep and the word to search for like so:
```
tail -n 100 /home/coti/coti-node/logs/FullNode1.log | grep "ERROR"
```
{% hint style="info" %}
When you use grep, and are looking for a phrase, there may be errors which dont contain the word ERROR so it is not fool proof in that way. Its a good skill to have though knowing how to grep your tail. That sounds a bit wrong eh haha.
{% endhint %}
#### Analyse log with a text editor
`nano /home/coti/coti-node/logs/FullNode1.log`
#### Example of what a working node looks like
If you somehow do not have a log from the above commands then your node may not even have produced a log yet. Something likely went wrong. The most common issues when users install the node is that they mix up their private key (64 characters long) with their secret key (8-15 characters long). Or, sometimes people use their mainnet keys instead of their testnet keys. Do not do this.
If all else fails run the [uninstall](https://cotidocs.geordier.co.uk/uninstalling-the-node) and then [install](https://cotidocs.geordier.co.uk/installing-the-node/installing-a-node) again and closely monitor the install script until you see the node behaving like the screenshot above or before that you may see a phrase COTI FULL NODE IS UP.
### Need help?
Checkout the [discord for node operators here](https://discord.gg/QwVgfAa) if you need any assistance.
---
# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://cotidocs.geordier.co.uk/troubleshooting/troubleshooting-your-node.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.