Virgil troubleshooting - when something snags

Most Virgil snags are one of ten things. Each has a real fix, and the fix depends on whether it is Virgil's behavior, the AI app's behavior, or email's behavior.

"I paid, but no email arrived."
"A code never came - or it expired."
"Virgil isn't in the connector list."
"ChatGPT answered like it never met me."
"My AI answered without checking Virgil."
"Recall comes back empty."
"Virgil works in Claude but seems limited in ChatGPT."
"It asked me to sign in again" / "I landed on virgilknows.com."
"I lost my export passphrase."
"My chat crashed mid-conversation. Did Virgil lose what I told him?"

"I paid, but no email arrived."

This is usually email. The welcome email has the subject "Virgil is ready", comes from verify@mail.indistinct.ai, and usually lands within a couple of minutes. Check spam first - it hides there more than anywhere. Failed sends retry automatically for days, so the purchase is never lost. Still nothing? Write to that same address from the email you paid with.

"A code never came - or it expired."

There are two kinds of code, with different rules. The sign-up code lives in your welcome email, is single-use, lasts 7 days, and is needed only the first time you connect Virgil in your first app. If it is gone or lapsed, reply to the welcome email for a fresh one. Your record is untouched either way.

The 6-digit codes for reconnects, a second app, and import each last 10 minutes and work once. The export pickup code is different: it arrives when the export is created, works once, and expires with the export link within the hour - there is no "Send a new code" for it; for a fresh code, ask Virgil to export again. Code emails are capped at three per 15 minutes, so a burst of tries goes quiet on purpose. Wait a few minutes, use "Send a new code", and check that you are entering the exact email you confirmed with Virgil. Codes go only to your confirmed address. If you never confirmed, reply to any Virgil email for the link.

"Virgil isn't in the connector list."

This is per app. In Claude, connectors live under Customize: your name (bottom-left) → Settings → Customize → Connectors → "Add" → "Add custom connector". Once Virgil is added, toggle him on from "+" → Connectors in your next chat. Claude keeps him on across chats after that - one and done. See Connect Virgil to Claude.

In ChatGPT, he is not in a list until you create the plugin: Plugins (left sidebar) → "+" → "New Plugin". Then, at the beginning of each new chat, type @Virgil to invoke him - once per chat is enough. See Connect Virgil to ChatGPT.

In Grok, connectors live at grok.com/connectors as of this writing: "New Connector" → "Custom". See Connect Virgil to Grok. In every app, the address is the same: https://mcp.virgilknows.com/mcp.

"ChatGPT answered like it never met me."

You did not invoke Virgil in this chat. This is ChatGPT's behavior by design: your connection stays put, but Virgil has to be invoked once per chat. At the beginning of each new ChatGPT conversation, type @Virgil - you only need to do it once per chat, and in our testing he stays active for the rest of that conversation. Forget once and he just is not there that chat. (Prefer menus? "+" → Virgil does the same thing.) Related: the first message in a new ChatGPT chat takes a few seconds because ChatGPT is opening the connection, not because Virgil is slow. Once it is open, he is instant.

"My AI answered without checking Virgil."

First, make sure the instruction blurb is pasted. It tells your AI to check him before answering. In Claude, paste it at Settings → "Instructions for Claude". In ChatGPT, paste it at Personalization → Custom Instructions. The one-click copy lives at virgilknows.com/setup. In ChatGPT, also make sure you invoked him in this chat - type @Virgil at the start. In the moment, just say "ask Virgil". Keep one memory connector per chat - run two and saves scatter.

"Recall comes back empty."

Try three moves, in order. First, ask about a named subject: "What do you know about Sarah?" or ask about the project or company by name. A named person, company, or project is the most reliable way in. Second, ask one thing at a time. One clear question beats a stacked, multi-part one.

Third, if the record is simply young, fill it. The import at virgilknows.com/import brings over what your AIs already know. It takes about ten minutes, uses a paste, and can be run again without duplicates.

"Virgil works in Claude but seems limited in ChatGPT."

This is ChatGPT's behavior. ChatGPT keeps its own cached copy of what Virgil can do, and that copy can go stale. Go to Settings → Plugins → Virgil → the "..." menu → Reconnect, then start a new chat. Old chats keep the stale copy. It is the same Virgil and the same record underneath.

Both are normal. The connection renews about once a month for safety. Use your email and a fresh 6-digit code. The original sign-up code is never needed again. Landing back on virgilknows.com after a ChatGPT sign-in means the sign-in is finishing, not failing. The connection lives in your ChatGPT tab, so switch back to it.

"I lost my export passphrase."

Nothing about your record is lost - the passphrase guards the pickup, not the record. It is stored only as a hash, so Virgil can never show it back to you, and it is never typed in chat. On the export pickup page, use "Forgot your passphrase?": the reset goes to your confirmed email and completes after a deliberate 24-hour delay, with a note to your address at both ends - so a stolen inbox cannot quietly rotate it. Once the new passphrase is set, ask Virgil to export again and pick it up with the fresh one-time code.

"My chat crashed mid-conversation. Did Virgil lose what I told him?"

Almost never. Saves land on Virgil's side even when the chat dies mid-reply. The response gets lost, not the record. Open a fresh chat and ask him what he holds before re-telling him anything.

Still stuck?

Reply to any Virgil email. A person reads those.

More docs: Claude setup / ChatGPT setup / Grok setup / Main setup page / Fill your record