I Need Help!

Stuck? That is totally normal, and you have three good options. Search first, ask in Slack second, and open a support ticket for anything private. This page shows you which one fits your problem so you get unblocked fast.

Quick pick

Code or build problem? Search, then Slack. Account, gold, or shop problem that you would rather keep private? Open a support ticket with the help button. Either way, you are not stuck for long.

Step 1: Search it up

Before asking anyone, try searching your question. Google, YouTube, Reddit, Stack Overflow, whatever fits. Most problems have already been solved by someone, and finding the answer yourself is a skill you will use forever.

Try to be specific. "KiCad footprint wrong size" beats "PCB help." Include the exact error message if you have one. The more precise your search, the faster you find the fix.

Step 2: Ask on Slack

If searching did not work, ask in one of these channels on the Hack Club Slack. Pick the one that matches your question:

Channel	Use it for
#macondo	General questions about the program, projects, or how things work.
#macondo-help	When you are stuck on something specific and need someone to take a look.
#hackatime-help	Hackatime setup or time tracking issues.

When you ask, give people enough to help you in one reply. Include:

What you are trying to do.
What you have already tried.
Any error messages you are seeing.

Screenshots help a lot. A clear question usually gets a faster, better answer.

Step 3: Open a support ticket

For account issues, funding or gold questions, or anything private that does not fit in a public channel, open a support ticket. This goes straight to the Macondo team, not the whole Slack.

Click the round help button in the bottom-right corner of any docs page. A short form opens: pick a category and priority, write a subject and the details, attach a screenshot if it helps, and send. We will reply as fast as we can, and you can track your reply right inside Macondo.

If you would rather use email, write to macondo@hackclub.com instead. Same team, same inbox.

Private stuff goes here, not Slack

Anything about your account, your payout, an order, or a problem you do not want to post publicly belongs in a support ticket. Use the help button or email, not a public channel.

Helpful links

Sometimes the fastest fix is a guide you have not read yet. Start with whichever one matches where you are stuck:

Start here if you are overwhelmed and do not know what to do first.
Hackatime Setup if your coding time is not tracking.
Software Setup if you need help setting up VS Code and GitHub.
Hardware Setup if you are starting a hardware project and do not know what tools to use.
Good Journaling if your journal entries keep getting rejected.
What Makes a Good Project? if you are not sure your idea is good enough.