Troubleshooting

Start with the one-line Activity footer. It reports recent connection, launch and shutdown events.

Mac does not start when power arrives

Check whether Start Mac when power is connected says this Mac supports the feature and whether its checkbox is on. The earlier “restart after power failure” behavior is not the same.

Mac starts, but Show Central does not open

Check the Automatic login after power-on panel in Power & Schedule. If automatic login is off, macOS waits for an account password. If FileVault is on, automatic login is unavailable and a person must unlock the Mac. If macOS automatically signs in to a different account, enable Show Central’s login item while signed in to that account. See Power & Schedule.

Schedule did not change

After changing an enable switch, day, or time, press Apply Schedule and complete macOS authorization. For shutdown, make sure Show Central is open in a logged-in session at the scheduled time. Disarming triggers does not disable the schedule.

Launch cue did not open

Confirm that the chosen app or file still exists at its saved path, then run the launch sequence manually. Delays are waits before individual cues, not absolute clock times. Launching Show Central at login does not automatically run the sequence.

OSC does not trigger

Turn OSC on; verify the Activity footer says it is listening. Check the UDP port, exact OSC address and token, and Local Network approval. Use a trusted show LAN. Then check that shutdown is armed; an unarmed trigger must not shut down the Mac.

MIDI does not trigger

Press Refresh, choose the correct source, channel, Note On or CC type, and number. Try MIDI Learn to capture one message. Confirm that MIDI is on and shutdown is armed. A controller sending a different channel or zero-value message will not match.

Keyboard shortcut does not trigger

Turn the keyboard trigger on and arm shutdown. Check the learned modifier combination and for conflicts with macOS or another app. Input Monitoring is relevant only when learning a shortcut while another app is frontmost.

Shutdown stops with an app still open

Read Activity and inspect the app’s window for a save prompt. Automation may need approval. A new Ableton Live Set requires a tested Save As rule if you chose save-and-quit; Show Central does not force-quit stalled apps.