How To Ask AI About ECHO

AI can help you read ECHO documentation, plan troubleshooting, generate theme JSON, inspect logs, and draft clear feedback. It is not ECHO itself, and it cannot see your computer state unless you provide the details. The more precise your context is, the more useful the answer will be.

For communication with maintainers, developers, or AI, also read this external reference: Stop-Ask-Questions-The-Stupid-Ways. ECHO docs do not mirror that article, but they use the same principle: do not make others guess context; provide facts, evidence, reproduction steps, and what you already tried.

The Short Version

A good ECHO question usually includes:

• What you want to do, such as importing a local library, configuring WASAPI Exclusive, generating a dark theme, or fixing silent playback.
• What is stuck right now, including the page, visible state, error message, or playback/scanning behavior.
• Your environment, including ECHO version, Windows version, install channel, output device, file format, or remote source type.
• What you have already tried.
• How you want the AI to answer, such as “give low-risk steps first” or “turn this into a bug report”.

Avoid questions like “Why does ECHO not work?” or “Fix playback.” They do not contain enough evidence.

General Template

I am using ECHO Next and want help with this issue:

Goal:
- I want to ...

Current behavior:
- Page or feature:
- What happens:
- Error message or log:

Environment:
- ECHO version:
- OS version:
- Install channel:
- Audio output device / remote source / file format:

I already tried:
- ...

Please:
- Identify the most likely causes;
- Give troubleshooting steps from low risk to high risk;
- Do not suggest deleting my library or reinstalling unless you explain why it is necessary.

Usage Questions

When you need help using ECHO, describe the result you want rather than asking AI to guess the page.

I installed ECHO Next for the first time. My music files are in D:\Music and include FLAC and MP3.
I want to import one small folder first instead of scanning the whole drive.
Please tell me the steps in order and what I should see after each step.

Useful keywords:

• Install and first launch
• Import local library
• Search songs, albums, and artists
• Manage the play queue
• Change download folder
• Configure remote sources, cloud drives, or internet radio

Playback And Audio Questions

For audio issues, include the file, output mode, device, and processing chain. Start with low-risk checks before reinstalling or clearing data.

ECHO Next shows playback progress but I hear no sound.

Environment:
- Windows 11
- ECHO version: 26.x.x
- Output device: USB DAC, works in Windows
- File: local FLAC, 44.1 kHz / 16-bit
- Current output mode: WASAPI Exclusive

What happens:
- The progress bar moves but there is no sound
- The same file works in another player

I tried:
- Raising Windows and ECHO volume
- Disabling EQ, ReplayGain, and DSP

Please give prioritized troubleshooting steps and do not start with deleting the database.

For bit-perfect, ASIO, HQPlayer, DSD, resampling, EQ, or DSP questions, also include:

• Current output mode
• Whether EQ, DSP, ReplayGain, speed control, or channel balance is enabled
• Sample rate, bit depth, and channel count
• DAC or sound card model
• Windows default format

Library And Scanning Questions

Library questions need scale and path type. A large first scan can be slow without being broken.

ECHO Next scans my library slowly and I want to know whether this is normal.

Library:
- Path: E:\Music
- About 12000 tracks
- Storage: external HDD
- File types: FLAC, MP3, some DSD

Behavior:
- It slows down during cover processing
- CPU is not high, disk usage is high
- There is no error dialog

Please judge whether this looks like a normal first scan and suggest safe optimizations.

For library bug reports, add:

• Small folder or full library
• Local disk, external disk, NAS, or cloud path
• Chinese, Japanese, or special characters in paths
• Very large covers, damaged files, or unusual tags
• The scan phase and progress when it gets stuck

Remote Sources

Be clear whether you are using WebDAV, Jellyfin, Emby, Subsonic, NAS, cloud drive, internet radio, or a plugin.

I cannot connect a WebDAV remote source in ECHO Next.

Service:
- Type: WebDAV
- Hosted on: home NAS
- Network: same LAN
- The account can log in from a browser

Behavior:
- Test connection fails in ECHO
- Error message: ...

Please troubleshoot network, URL format, account permissions, and certificate issues.

Do not ask AI to bypass memberships, copyright, access controls, or platform restrictions. ECHO does not provide music downloads, piracy sources, or access-control bypass support.

Theme Generation

For custom themes, send the AI Theme Guide together with your visual preferences, and require JSON only.

Using the ECHO Next AI Theme Guide, generate an importable custom theme JSON.

Style:
- Dark mode first
- Night recording studio feeling with teal accents
- Good contrast
- Avoid dominant purple or purple-blue gradients

Rules:
- Output JSON only
- Use schema echo-next.custom-theme
- Provide both light and dark
- Use #RRGGBB colors

If import fails, send the JSON and the error back to AI and ask it to check JSON syntax, field names, trailing commas, and color formats.

Plugins And Development

For plugin or engineering questions, say whether you are using a plugin or developing one. Include file paths, errors, expected behavior, and a minimal reproduction when code is involved.

I want to write an ECHO Next plugin for a music service that I am allowed to access.

I need:
- The minimal plugin file structure
- Where permission declarations go
- How to avoid hard-coding account secrets

Please use the ECHO plugin docs and point out which parts I still need to implement.

Tell AI not to invent APIs that are not in ECHO. If it is unsure, ask it to return to the official docs or code evidence.

Bug Report Prompt

Ask AI to organize your notes into a developer-friendly report:

Please turn the following into an ECHO bug report. Do not exaggerate and do not guess the root cause.

Details:
- ECHO version:
- OS:
- Page:
- Reproduction steps:
- Expected result:
- Actual result:
- Error message:
- Things I tried:
- Screenshot notes:

A good report answers:

1. What did you do?
2. What did you expect?
3. What happened instead?

Better Questions

Avoid	Ask Instead
Why does ECHO not work?	Which page, what action, and what error did you see?
Playback is broken.	Which file, output mode, device, and does the progress bar move?
Scanning is stuck.	How large is the library, where is it stored, and which scan phase is shown?
Generate a theme.	What style, contrast, modes, banned colors, and JSON-only requirement?
Give me a source for music.	I have a legal WebDAV/Jellyfin/Emby service and want to configure it in ECHO.

Quick Copy Prompt

I have an ECHO Next issue. Goal: ... Current behavior: ... ECHO version: ... OS: ... Related device/file/remote source: ... Error message: ... I already tried: ... Please give low-risk troubleshooting first, separate confirmed facts from guesses, and do not suggest deleting data or reinstalling unless you explain why.