Troubleshooting Nspec X Sync Issues

When something doesn't sync between nSpec and Procore, the action item card shows a small alert icon and the next attempt to save the action item opens a conflict dialog. This article explains what each sync state means, how to resolve the most common issues, and what to do when the usual fixes don't work.

How NSPEC-X Sync Works

Every time you save an action item on a Procore-linked project, nSpec:

1. Saves the action item locally in nSpec
2. Asks you to confirm the sync via a Synchronize Procore dialog
3. Pushes the data to Procore as a new or updated observation
4. If Procore returned changes since the last sync, opens a Procore Changes Detected dialog so you can resolve the conflict

When everything works, you do not see any indicator on the action item card. When something is out of sync, the card shows an alert icon — the color tells you whether you can fix it yourself or whether you need help from your Procore administrator.

Reading the Sync Indicators

The action item card on the inspection screen displays icons that summarize the sync state.

Icon	Color	Meaning	What to do
No icon	—	The action item is in sync with Procore. Everything you see in nSpec matches Procore.	Nothing.
Alert circle	Orange	Out of sync. Either you have local changes that haven't been pushed to Procore, or someone updated the observation in Procore since your last sync.	Open the action item, review what changed, and re-save. If there's a conflict, the Procore Changes Detected dialog will appear.
Alert circle	Gray	Out of sync, but you don't have Procore access for this project. nSpec can't sync on your behalf.	Ask your Procore administrator to grant you access, or have a teammate with access resolve the sync.
Document icon	Orange	Procore observation has been modified and the local action item needs review before re-syncing.	Open the action item to review the changes — the Procore Changes Detected dialog will load automatically.

The icons mean "needs attention", not "broken". An orange alert is the normal state for an action item that has unsaved changes or has been edited in Procore. It's a prompt to review, not a failure.

Resolving Out-of-Sync Action Items

Most sync issues are resolved with a single open-and-save flow:

1. On the inspection screen, find the action item with the alert icon
2. Click the action item to open the Edit Action Item modal
3. nSpec automatically checks Procore for changes — you'll see a brief loading state
4. If there's no conflict, just click Save and confirm the sync
5. If there is a conflict, the Procore Changes Detected dialog opens — see the next section

The Procore Changes Detected Dialog

When nSpec finds that the observation was changed in Procore since your last sync, it opens a dialog showing exactly what changed. The dialog gives you three options:

• Override Changes — Push your nSpec values to Procore, replacing whatever was changed there. Use this when you're confident your version is the correct one. This cannot be undone.
• Save without sync — Save your local changes in nSpec only. Procore is not touched. Use this when you want to keep your work but check with your team before pushing to Procore.
• Cancel — Close the dialog. Nothing is saved in either system.

If you choose "Save without sync", the action item will stay marked as out of sync. Every time you re-open it, the conflict will reappear. Resolve it before the inspection is finalized.

Common Sync Scenarios

Scenario: Someone edited the observation in Procore

Cause: A teammate opened the observation directly in Procore and changed something while you had your version open in nSpec.

Resolution: Open the action item in nSpec. The Procore Changes Detected dialog will appear. Review the changes Procore made, decide whether your version or theirs is correct, then choose Override Changes (to push your version) or Cancel (to keep theirs).

Scenario: You created the action item offline

Cause: Procore sync is disabled in offline mode. Action items created or edited offline are saved locally and queued for sync when you reconnect.

Resolution: Reconnect to the internet. Open the action item and re-save. The Synchronize Procore dialog will appear so you can confirm the queued sync.

Scenario: Your Procore session expired

Cause: Procore tokens have a finite lifetime. nSpec automatically refreshes them in the background, but on rare occasions (long inactivity, password change in Procore, browser data cleared) the refresh fails and your session expires.

Resolution: nSpec will prompt you to re-authenticate — click the prompt and complete the Procore login flow. After signing back in, retry the sync.

Scenario: Permission denied when syncing

Cause: Your Procore account doesn't have permission to create or update observations on this project.

Resolution: See Procore Permissions Guide for the exact permissions you need and a sample message to send your Procore administrator.

Scenario: A required Procore field is missing

Cause: Procore requires a Type on every observation. If you didn't fill it in, the sync fails.

Resolution: Open the action item, set the Procore Type field, and re-save. To avoid this problem on future action items, set a default type on the project — see Setting Up Procore Default Fields.

Persistent Sync Failures

If an action item keeps failing to sync no matter what you do, work through this checklist before contacting support.

1. Check your internet connection. Procore sync requires a stable connection. Try loading another website to confirm you're online.
2. Sign out and back in to nSpec. This refreshes your Procore session and clears any stale state.
3. Run the Procore permission test. Open Procore directly and try to create an observation manually on the same project. If that fails, the issue is on the Procore side.
4. Verify the project is still linked. Open the project edit form and confirm the Procore Project dropdown still shows the linked project.
5. Try a different browser. If the sync works in a fresh browser, your original browser may have stale tokens or extensions interfering.
6. Check the action item for missing fields. The required Procore Type and any locally required fields must be set.

Preventing Sync Issues

• Set up project defaults. Pre-populating Type, Trade, and Assignee per project means fewer required-field failures.
• Avoid simultaneous edits. If you and a teammate are working on the same observation, coordinate so you're not editing it in nSpec and Procore at the same time.
• Confirm sync before leaving the inspection. A quick glance at the action item card icon tells you whether everything is in sync.
• Resolve out-of-sync items quickly. The longer an action item stays out of sync, the more likely additional changes accumulate in Procore and complicate the resolution.
• Stay online for the final save. Offline mode skips the sync entirely. If you need an observation in Procore, save it while you're online.

When to Contact Support

Reach out to support if:

• You've worked through the persistent sync failure checklist and the issue continues
• The Procore Changes Detected dialog shows obviously wrong data (for example, fields you never edited appear as changes)
• You see error messages that don't match anything in this article
• An entire project's worth of action items refuses to sync at once

When you contact support, include:

• The nSpec project name and the Procore project name
• The Procore Company ID for the client
• The exact error message (a screenshot helps)
• What you were doing right before the issue appeared

Related Articles

• What is NSPEC-X
• Creating Procore Observations
• Setting Up Procore Default Fields
• Managing NSPEC-X Clients
• Procore Permissions Guide

---

Still stuck? Contact our support team at [e-mail] with the details listed in When to Contact Support.