What goes wrong most often, what it actually means, and what to do about it. Most of these are configuration or load order, not faults — and the server console usually names the cause in a [qs-dancemachine] line. Read it before opening a ticket.
Installation and Access#
The resource does not start
Dance Machine requires OneSync, ox_lib and oxmysql, and refuses to start without them. Enable OneSync in txAdmin or with set onesync on, and make sure both libraries are ensured above it.
No machine appears, or the cabinet is invisible
A fresh server has no machines — place the first one with
/dancecreator.dancemachine-assetsmust be running, ensured beforeqs-dancemachine.Config.MachineModelmust be a model that is streamed:qs_arcade_dance_machine_02(the default) orqs_arcade_dance_machine_01.Cabinets are only spawned within
Config.StreamDistance(60 m) of the player.Cabinets placed by Arcade Creator are only visible to players inside that arcade.
"Model could not be loaded. Check Config.MachineModel."
Shown when you press Select to place a machine. The cabinet model did not load within three seconds: dancemachine-assets is not running, or Config.MachineModel names a model your server does not stream.
"You don't have permission to use /dancecreator."
Both /dancecreator and /dancemusic show this message. Your account lacks the ACE in Config.Creator.permission / Config.Music.permission — command.dancecreator by default. Nine times out of ten the add_principal line uses an identifier from a different account than the one in game, or server.cfg was edited without restarting. Running the same add_ace / add_principal lines in the server console applies them at once.
The console says framework: standalone, but I run ESX, QBCore or Qbox
Your framework starts after Dance Machine, and detection only sees what is already running. Until you fix it, games are free and scores are saved under the FiveM license instead of the character. Move its ensure above ensure qs-dancemachine, or set Config.Framework by hand.
There is no prompt or target option on the machine
With Config.UseTarget = true the machine has no proximity prompt at all, so ox_target must be running. With it false, the prompt shows within Config.InteractDistance (2.2 m) of the machine's centre — walk right up to it. The prompt also hides while you are already playing.
Songs and Charts#
A new song does not appear in the Music Manager
The songs/ folder is read once, when the resource starts — restart it after adding files and check the Loaded N song(s) line. The file must be .mp3, .ogg or .wav, either directly in songs/ or one folder deep (songs/my_track/song.mp3). Deeper folders are not searched.
A song is in the Music Manager but not on the machines
It has not been generated — the list marks it not generated. Only songs with a chart are offered to players. Select it and press Generate. If every shipped song shows this, database/sql.sql was never imported: import it, or generate them one by one.
"The audio file could not be read. Restart the resource…"
The game only serves files that existed when the resource started, so a file copied in afterwards cannot be fetched until the next restart. A file whose name had spaces, accents or symbols is renamed when the resource stops — give it one more restart and generate it again.
The analysis refuses a song
Message | Means |
|---|---|
The audio file is corrupt or not a supported format | The file could not be decoded. Re-export it as a standard MP3, OGG or WAV. |
The audio file is too short to analyze | There is not enough music to build a chart. |
The audio file is silent | The decoded track has no sound. |
No clear beat was found in this track | Ambient or spoken audio. Use a song with stronger percussion. |
The tempo of this track could not be tracked | The tempo wanders too much. Use a song with a steadier beat. |
This track has too few usable beats | Not enough hits survived to fill a difficulty. |
Another player is analyzing this song | Another admin is generating it. The lock clears when they finish, or after three minutes. |
WARN: skipped N remote song(s) from dance_songs
The database holds songs that point at a web address or a YouTube link, usually from an older version. Only files inside songs/ can be played. Download the audio you have rights to into the folder, restart and generate it.
WARN: cannot scan songs/ - falling back to the dance_songs table only
Your host does not let the resource read its own songs/ folder. Songs already in the database still load — their files must still be in the folder — but new files cannot be discovered. Ask your host to allow file access for the resource.
WARN: stored beatmap is invalid, it will be regenerated
A chart in dance_songs is damaged, usually by a hand edit. The song goes back to not generated: open it in the Music Manager and press Generate.
Notes feel early or late
Config.Gameplay.audioOffsetMs compensates for audio latency and applies to every player. The default is -90; make it more negative if hits register late, less negative if they register early, in steps of 10–20 ms. Wireless headphones add their own delay that no setting can remove.
The menu preview starts at the wrong part of the song
The preview starts at the song's Start, which is also where play begins. Move it in the Music Manager and press Save Changes.
Playing#
Duo and Versus show FREE PAD and cannot be picked
Both need a 2 Players machine that allows them, and a second player standing at the song menu of that machine. A 1-player machine never offers them.
"Wait for the other player to finish their selection."
On a two-pad machine only one player can be past the track list at a time, so two invitations never cross. Wait until they start or go back.
"You do not have enough money to play."
The machine charges its price in cash or from the bank, as set in the creator. In Duo and Versus both players pay, and if either is short the game does not start and nobody is charged.
"The game session has ended."
An admin saved, moved or deleted the machine while it was in use, or the arcade that owns it removed it. The players are released; they can start again.
My score was not saved
A run that was quit is never saved. Otherwise the server rejected the results: every note must be judged, the score must be one the chart can give, and the song must run for most of its length. Turn Config.Debug.enabled on and a rejected results line in the server console shows which number did not match.
The menu closes by itself
The player moved more than Config.Gameplay.autoCloseDistance plus two metres from the machine — 6 m by default — and the menu was closed so they are not left stuck in it.
The sky flickers or the time jumps while dancing
A weather or time-sync resource the script does not know about is fighting over the clock. Add its pause and resume to client/custom/main.lua — see Integrations — or set Config.DanceStage.forceNight = false.
My HUD stays on screen during the song
The game's own HUD is hidden, and so is qs-interface. Any other HUD needs its hide/show export added to SetCustomHud in client/custom/main.lua.
Error Keys#
The server answers refusals with locale keys rather than sentences, so they read in the server's language. The ones you are most likely to meet:
Key | Means |
|---|---|
| Every pad of the machine is taken. |
| The player is not close enough to the machine, or the machine no longer exists for them. |
| The player — or, in two-player modes, either player — cannot pay the price. |
| The machine does not allow that mode. |
| The other player is busy — playing, or already invited. |
| The song or that difficulty has no chart, or the player was not on the song menu. |
| The machine was edited or removed while in use. |
| The partner left, said no, or let the invitation expire. |
| The player lacks the ACE for the creator or the Music Manager. |
| The song is no longer loaded — restart after removing files — or its id has invalid characters. |
Still stuck? Open a ticket and include the
[qs-dancemachine]lines from your server console, your framework and its version, and a screenshot of the F8 console for anything about the interface or the songs.



