When it doesn’t just work
It is worth including in the guide on purpose because it happens on every real project.
Scenario: blank embed, no errors in the UI🔗
This is almost always a CSP issue. Confirm the portal’s domain is in the CSP visual embed hosts list (see Appendix B), then check the browser console — most embed issues surface there first.
Scenario: styling changes don’t apply🔗
Check whether you’re using a CSS variable or a rules_UNSTABLE selector.
Selectors can silently stop matching after a ThoughtSpot release. CSS variables are the more durable option and should be the default choice unless you need something a variable can’t reach.
Scenario: custom action fires but the payload looks wrong🔗
Log payload.data in full before assuming the SDK is broken. It’s usually a target or position mismatch (for example, an action scoped to VIZ that you expected on LIVEBOARD).
General checklist🔗
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No response or blank frame → check the CSP allowlist and
thoughtSpotHostfirst. -
Stale behavior after a code change → disable the browser cache (DevTools > Network > Disable cache) before debugging further.
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Something looks right in the Playground but wrong in your app → check what parameters your app passes versus what the Playground generated.