GitHub Codespace stuck on “Setting up your codespace”

[snipershot9]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

Body

My GitHub Codespace has been stuck on “Setting up your codespace” for a long time.

Repository: "snipershot9/india-smc-liquidity-scanner"

Codespace: "scaling-chainsaw-54vj4xq5rxxcpx7j"

I tried stopping and restarting the Codespaces and opening them in the browser, but the issue remains. GitHub Status is green, and I cannot find the View logs option. I am using Chrome on an Android phone.

Please help me recover this Codespace without losing my repository files.

[Priyanka170974]

Hi! Since restarting the Codespace and opening it in the browser didn't help, you could try these steps:

1. Check the [GitHub Codespaces status](https://www.githubstatus.com/) and wait a little if the service is experiencing an issue.
2. Open your repository directly on GitHub and confirm that your important files are present.
3. If possible, try opening the Codespace from a desktop browser to check whether the logs or additional troubleshooting options are available.
4. If it remains stuck, check the [GitHub Codespaces troubleshooting documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/codespaces/troubleshooting) for the next steps.

Please avoid deleting the Codespace until you've confirmed that any uncommitted changes are backed up. Files committed and pushed to the repository should remain available there.

Hope this helps you troubleshoot it safely!

[snipershot9]

Hi, thank you for your suggestions.

I have already checked GitHub Status, and it is green. I also confirmed that my repository files are present on GitHub.

I am using Chrome on an Android phone and do not have access to a desktop computer. Both existing Codespaces get stuck on “Setting up your codespace”. I also created a completely new Codespace with the same repository, but it gets stuck at the same stage.

Could you please suggest another way to diagnose or recover this issue using an Android phone?

I will not delete my existing Codespaces.

[djeddiouael]

Since this happens with both existing Codespaces and a newly created one, I would try to determine whether the issue is specific to the repository's dev container configuration or to the browser session.

Here are a few additional steps you can try entirely from your Android phone, without deleting your existing Codespaces:

1. Open the Codespaces page directly: Visit https://github.com/codespaces and try opening the affected Codespace from there, rather than using an old browser tab.

2. Try a clean browser session: Open GitHub in an Incognito tab in Chrome. If possible, also try another mobile browser to rule out a browser-session or cached-data issue.

3. Check the repository's dev container configuration: On the repository's GitHub page, look for .devcontainer/devcontainer.json or a Dockerfile under .devcontainer. A failing image reference, dependency installation, or a command that waits for interactive input can prevent the environment from finishing its setup.

4. Look for build logs: GitHub's documentation says the "Setting up your codespace" page may offer a "View logs" link. If that link is missing on mobile, try requesting the desktop version of the site in Chrome. If logs become available, check for the first actual error rather than repeatedly restarting the environment.

5. Contact GitHub Support if it remains stuck: Since multiple Codespaces fail in the same way and the status page is green, provide the Codespace names, repository URL, approximate creation times, and any error messages you can access. Ask for help diagnosing the creation failure.

Please keep your existing Codespaces and avoid destructive recovery steps until you have confirmed that any uncommitted changes are safe.

One useful detail would be whether the repository contains a .devcontainer configuration and whether the setup page displays any error at all. That would help narrow down the next step.

[snipershot9]

Thank you for your help. I checked my repository, and there is no ".devcontainer" folder or "devcontainer.json" file.

Both existing Codespaces and a newly created Codespace get stuck on “Setting up your codespace”. I am using Chrome on Android and cannot access a desktop computer.

Could you please guide me through the next diagnostic step?

[djeddiouael]

Thanks for confirming. Since even a newly created Codespace gets stuck, I’d suggest checking its status before trying anything else.

From your Android phone:

Open https://github.com/codespaces and refresh the page.

Check whether the new Codespace appears in the list and whether its status is still creating, running, or failed.

If it is still stuck, try opening the Codespace details and look for any available error message or logs.

If no useful logs are available, contact GitHub Support and ask them to investigate the provisioning failure, since it affects both existing and newly created Codespaces.

Please keep your existing Codespaces for now, especially if they contain uncommitted work.

Could you share the status shown for the new Codespace? That would help narrow down the cause.

[rroliver2005-crypto]

Getting stuck on “Setting up your codespace” can be frustrating, especially when restarting it does not solve the problem. Before deleting or recreating the Codespace, I would recommend checking the available recovery options and confirming that your repository files are safely committed or backed up. Trying GitHub Codespaces from a desktop browser may also make troubleshooting and accessing logs easier. It is always helpful to plan ahead and stay organized, whether managing development projects or checking a Fair Schedule for upcoming community events. Hopefully, you can restore your Codespace without losing any important work.