Troubleshooting
Beyond These Stars Cleaner Won’t Place: Unlock and Construction Checks
The quick answer
First identify where the Cleaner is blocked: unlock, placement, construction or work. In v1.0.2244, its unlock card requires Burner Generator and 50 Soot produced; Toxic-tile cleaning has a separate Chemicals requirement.
Match the check to the blocked stage
| Stage | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| Cleaner is locked | Burner Generator prerequisite and cumulative production of 50 Soot |
| Blueprint will not place | Placement warning, road access, terrain and resource caches |
| Blueprint exists but is unfinished | Missing construction materials, workers and access |
| Completed Cleaner is idle | Selected cleaning task, inputs, workers and target area |
The 50-Soot unlock is a production milestone, not a requirement to have 50 Soot sitting in storage. A Chemical Factory is not the early building-unlock prerequisite shown in v1.0.2244.
When the blueprint will not place
Read the placement warning before moving other buildings. Resource caches left by demolition can block construction or terrain work; a nearby Storage Shed configured to collect them can clear that obstruction.
Also inspect the target terrain and road access. Peeps refuse to work in Toxic Areas, so a polluted site can create a different problem from an unavailable building.
If you are moving an existing Cleaner, check the destination separately from its old location, including the road connection. A stalled Move is not the same state as placing a new blueprint.
When construction or cleaning stops
A Cleaner blueprint can wait for Planks even after its technology has unlocked. Open its Construction panel to see the missing material rather than researching another technology.
Normal early cleaning uses Soot and Water. The Clean a Toxic tile task requires Chemicals before it can be activated. Do not apply that task requirement to every Cleaner placement.
If all of these checks pass, keep the exact placement message and target location. The checks above distinguish common blocks; they do not establish one universal cause for a Cleaner that could previously be placed.