Troubleshooting the Alexa Developer Console

Having trouble with the Alexa developer console? Use the following suggestions to help you troubleshoot common issues.

Developer account issues

Issue: Skills missing from the developer console

Symptoms

After you sign in to the Alexa developer console, your skill list doesn't show your expected skills.

Try this

If another developer invited you to a collaborate on skill building, it's possible that you're not signed in to the correct account.

To make sure that you're in the correct developer account

  1. Sign in to the Alexa developer console.
  2. On the top right, click your initials, and then select Settings.
  3. On the My Account page, verify that your email address is correct.
  4. To switch accounts, hover over Change User, and then click your account name.
    If you don't see the Change User option, you weren't invited to another user's developer accounts.
  5. To verify your account email, view and update your account settings.

You can also try to disable browser extensions and plug-ins, clear your browser cache, and restart the browser. For instructions about how to clear the cache for your browser, see the following resources:

Test issues

Issue: Hidden or removed skill invoked on Test tab

Symptoms

The wrong skill or skill version responds to invocations during testing in the developer console.

Try this

If you have two skills with the same invocation name, even if one of the skills is hidden or removed, it might lead an to unexpected response.

To make sure that you're testing the right skill, disable other skill versions, even if hidden or removed. For more details about how to disable your skill in the developer console, see Disable your skill for testing.

Issue: Live skill invoked during testing

Symptoms

The live skill version, instead of the development version, responds to invocations during testing in the developer console.

Try this

To make sure that you're testing the right skill, disable the live skill in the Alexa app, and then, enable the development version of your skill.

Issue: Problem finding skill in certain locales

Symptoms

You can't find the skill in the Alexa Skills Store and Alexa app in certain locales.

Try this

When you create an Amazon user account, by default Amazon sets the language and marketplace for your Amazon account based on your geographic IP location. To test your skill in different marketplaces, change the address associated with your account. For more details, see Change the marketplace on your Amazon user account.

Skill metadata issues

Issue: I can't change the name of my skill

Symptoms

I tried to change the name of my skill on the Distribution page, but the name isn't changed.

Try this

You can't change the name of a live skill through the developer console. To change the name, contact Alexa developer support and provide the skill ID and the new skill name.

Issue: Updated skill details not in the Alexa Skills Store

Symptoms

You see your updated metadata in the Alexa app, but you don't see the changes on the detail page in the Alexa Skills Store.

Try this

To make changes to skill details on the Distribution tab, select the development version of your skill, and then make the updates. You can't update the metadata for your live skill. To see the updates in the Alexa Skills Store, you must resubmit your development version for certification.

Issue: Unable to locate skill in the Alexa Skills Store

Symptoms

You received email from Amazon stating that your Alexa skill passed the certification process, but you can't find it in the Alexa Skills Store.

Try this

Skill ingestion takes time. After you receive the email from Amazon that your skill passed certification, wait a few days before you try to locate your skill on the Alexa app, the retail site, or an Alexa-enabled device. If you don't see your skill after a few days, contact Alexa developer support and provide the skill ID.

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Last updated: Apr 23, 2024