Keep the line that tells us what failed
Copy the error from Operations before closing the window. Record whether you selected Install firmware, Update firmware or a recovery command. Add the Toolkit version, full miner model, control board and current stock version or build date. A screenshot that includes the operation and error is more useful than a cropped word saying error.
For example, an authentication message points to the connection and credentials stage. A signature rejection describes a package acceptance problem. Treat the message as a starting point for diagnosis, not an instruction to change stock firmware.
If the message is about SSH or authentication
Confirm that Toolkit is addressing the intended miner on your trusted local network. Check the miner password configured in your local Toolkit, especially if it has changed. A working browser login and a successful Toolkit operation are separate checks. Keep the password on your own computer.
If access details are correct and the same error remains, keep the log and ask us to match the stock build and board to the next route. Our standard installation route does not cover stock dated August 2026 or later. For those builds, send the exact version first rather than trying a newer or older stock image.
If stock firmware rejects the archive
Check where the archive was submitted. Our VNISH tar.gz package is not a Bitmain stock web-update file. Use the installation route for the selected model and board, rather than uploading it through the stock Bitmain updater.
In Toolkit, the firmware folder contains the original tar.gz archive, without extracting or renaming it. The firmware name is vnish; the version field follows the selected filename without its leading v. These checks settle the selected route and package. They do not remove a stock restriction by themselves.
Make one useful next move
If the wrong operation, device or package was selected, correct that choice before making a new attempt. If the same confirmed route still fails, send the recorded details to us. Do not turn a connection error into a series of unrelated SD images or stock updates.
A short support note is enough: model, board, stock version, Toolkit version, selected operation, full error and what changed immediately before it. We can then address the failed step instead of repeating the entire installation guide.
Questions and answers
Does an SSH error mean I need to install newer Bitmain firmware?
No. The message alone does not establish that. Check the intended device, local access and Toolkit credentials, then identify the stock build and board.
Should I send my password with the log?
No. Keep passwords in Toolkit on your computer. Send the operation, error text, versions and device details.
Why does the firmware folder look empty in the selector?
Toolkit selects a directory rather than an individual archive. The folder picker can therefore omit filenames. Check the archive in the folder using your file manager, without unpacking or renaming it.
Send us the failed step, not a guess
Use our device summary to prepare the model, board, stock version and exact error. We will work from that specific installation state.