FAQ & troubleshooting
Quick, factual answers to the questions people ask before and after installing Kard, plus fixes for common problems. Data-safety questions come first.
Data safety & ownership
Section titled “Data safety & ownership”Where is my data stored?
Section titled “Where is my data stored?”On your machine, in your project. Every Kard is a standard Unreal asset (.uasset) saved inside your project’s Content folder — one asset per Kard. Kards live in your vault folders (default /Game/Kard/), named by a type prefix plus a short ID: Tasks use KA_, Notes KN_, and Pages KP_. There’s no database or hidden store — the files sit alongside your other content.
Who owns my data?
Section titled “Who owns my data?”You do. The Kards are ordinary assets in your own project. Kard doesn’t hold them in any external location, and there’s no service that retains a copy. They are yours to keep, move, edit, or delete like any other asset.
Does Kard send my data anywhere, or connect to a server?
Section titled “Does Kard send my data anywhere, or connect to a server?”No. This release (v1.0.0) is local-only — nothing leaves your machine, and there’s no external server. Kard is local-first: your local assets are the source of truth.
A hosted cloud sync backend is in development for a future release. It is not part of this version — when it ships, it will be optional.
Do I need an account to use Kard?
Section titled “Do I need an account to use Kard?”Yes — a local one. Kard signs you in with a local account stored inside your project; there’s no external sign-up and nothing is sent anywhere. The first person to use Kard in a project creates the admin account, and the admin creates an account for each teammate. The accounts live in a single project asset your source control can lock, so only admins can change the team. See Collaborate with your team.
Is Kard version-control friendly?
Section titled “Is Kard version-control friendly?”Yes. Because Kards are ordinary .uasset files, you commit them with the rest of your project — Git, Perforce, or any source control you already use. There’s no extra service to wire up, and no separate sync step.
Does Kard alter my assets?
Section titled “Does Kard alter my assets?”No. Kard does not change or alter your assets, blueprints, or levels in any way. They are their own system and simply attach to Unreal Data.
What happens to my data if I uninstall Kard?
Section titled “What happens to my data if I uninstall Kard?”Your Kard assets stay in your project. Uninstalling the plugin removes Kard’s tools and UI, but the .uasset files it created remain in your Content folder, because they’re regular project assets.
When does a Kard actually get written to disk?
Section titled “When does a Kard actually get written to disk?”Only when you save. Creating a Kard makes an in-memory draft — it’s registered and searchable right away, but the .uasset is written only when you save explicitly (Ctrl+S, the Save button, Save All Kard Cards, or the Save option in the close prompt). Abandon a draft you never saved and it leaves no file behind.
How do I know a Kard has unsaved changes?
Section titled “How do I know a Kard has unsaved changes?”Unsaved Kards show a ● dot on the Kard header and the tab label, and the Kard menu shows a live Save All Kard Cards (N) count.
What happens if the editor crashes before I save?
Section titled “What happens if the editor crashes before I save?”Kard relies on Unreal’s built-in auto-save. The editor keeps shadow recovery copies under Saved/Autosaves/ and offers to restore them on the next launch — the same as any other unsaved asset. Kard adds no separate recovery journal.
What happens when I delete a Kard?
Section titled “What happens when I delete a Kard?”The Kard asset is removed from your project. If your project has the deletion audit turned on (it’s off by default), Kard first writes a small tombstone record so the deletion shows up in the Activity feed. Abandoning a draft you never saved isn’t a deletion and leaves no record.
General
Section titled “General”Which Unreal Engine version does Kard need?
Section titled “Which Unreal Engine version does Kard need?”Unreal Engine 5.7. Kard targets 5.7.0 and isn’t flagged as beta or experimental.
Which platforms are supported?
Section titled “Which platforms are supported?”Windows (Win64) only in this release.
What version of Kard is this?
Section titled “What version of Kard is this?”1.0.0. To check the version you have installed, open the Kard toolbar dropdown and choose Help → About Kard.
Do I need to compile Kard or install a compiler?
Section titled “Do I need to compile Kard or install a compiler?”No. Kard ships as a precompiled (binary) plugin for Unreal Engine 5.7 — you install it from Fab and enable it. There’s no build step and no Visual Studio required. See Installation.
Is Kard free? Where do I get it?
Section titled “Is Kard free? Where do I get it?”Kard is published on Fab as a precompiled plugin for Unreal Engine 5.7; downloads are binary only. Install it from your Fab library through the Epic Games Launcher — see Installation.
Can my team share a project?
Section titled “Can my team share a project?”Yes — through source control. Because Kards are checked-in assets, your team collaborates the same way you share any other project files: commit and sync the Kard assets. Each edit is stamped with an author, so the Activity feed shows who changed what.
Are the AI and MCP features on by default?
Section titled “Are the AI and MCP features on by default?”No — both are off by default.
- KardAI stays inert until you turn it on and supply your own provider API key. Keys are bring-your-own and handled per user.
- The MCP server only starts listening after you enable it. When on, it binds to loopback only (
127.0.0.1) and is never reachable from the LAN.
For the full toggle list, see Settings.
Which source-control systems does Kard work with?
Section titled “Which source-control systems does Kard work with?”Kard routes all source-control access through one internal bridge, so the rest of the plugin stays provider-agnostic.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”I don’t see the Kard button
Section titled “I don’t see the Kard button”Symptom: No Kard button in the toolbar and no Window → Kard entry.
Cause: The plugin isn’t enabled, or it isn’t installed for this engine version.
Fix: Open Edit → Plugins, search for Kard, and make sure it’s enabled (restart if prompted). If Kard isn’t listed at all, install it from Fab for Unreal Engine 5.7. See Installation.
Kard fails to load and mentions a missing dependency
Section titled “Kard fails to load and mentions a missing dependency”Symptom: The plugin won’t load and the log references a missing plugin.
Cause: Kard has one required dependency — SQLiteCore — which ships with the engine.
Fix: Make sure SQLiteCore is available and enabled, then restart the editor.
My Kards don’t appear
Section titled “My Kards don’t appear”Symptom: Kards you expect are missing from a folder or list. Try the top level folder or search for the Kard using the project search function.
Changes didn’t save
Section titled “Changes didn’t save”Symptom: Edits are gone after closing or reopening a Kard.
Cause: Creating or editing a Kard makes an in-memory draft; the .uasset is written only on an explicit save.
Fix: Save before closing — press Ctrl+S, click the detail-view Save button, or use Save All Kard Cards. The ● dot on the Kard header and tab label, and the live Save All Kard Cards (N) count, show when work is unsaved.
A right-click integration menu is missing
Section titled “A right-click integration menu is missing”Symptom: No Create Task / Create Note entries on a PCG, Niagara, Sequencer, or video surface.
Cause: Each integration is loaded only when its host engine plugin is enabled, and is skipped otherwise.
Fix: Enable the matching engine plugin — PCG, Niagara, Level Sequence Editor, or Electra Player — and restart the editor.
A fresh project fails to load Kard
Section titled “A fresh project fails to load Kard”Symptom: Kard won’t load in a brand-new project.
Cause: New UE 5.7 templates disable some optional plugins (such as PCG) by default, which previously caused a cascade load failure.
Fix: This is handled — Kard checks each optional plugin at runtime and skips the integration cleanly instead of failing. If you still hit a load failure, confirm Kard is installed for your engine version and that SQLiteCore is enabled.
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”- Installation — install Kard and confirm it loads.
- Settings — folders, viewport, AI, and MCP toggles.
- Core concepts — Kards, folders, statuses, and the workspace vocabulary.