Kadence – "Error, Unable to Access Library Database" Block Collection Error

If you’re seeing this specific error message: "Error, Unable to access library database, please try re-syncing" when clicking on the Design Library inside the page editor, I'm going to walk you through a few things you can try to get it working again.

This message typically pops up when WordPress has trouble connecting to the block library (which powers the pre-made designs you see in the block collection). There are a handful of reasons this might happen. It might be a simple cache issue, or something a little deeper behind the scenes.

1. Click the Re-sync button

Simply try clicking the Re-sync button in the upper right.

2. Clear your cache (both server and browser)

Start by clearing/purging both your server cache (via your host or a caching plugin) and your browser cache. After that, refresh the page and try again. You may need to click the Re-sync button again.

3. Flush your permalinks

  1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings > Permalinks
  2. Without making any changes, simply scroll down and click Save

Once that's done, go back to your page editor and click the Design Library again. Don't forget to hit the "Re-sync".

4. Rule out a plugin conflict

Another plugin (especially a security plugin) might be blocking the connection to the design library.

To check:

  1. Temporarily deactivate all plugins except for:
    • Kadence Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks
    • Kadence AI Starter Templates
  2. Clear both server and browser cache, and click "Re-sync" again.

If it works, reactivate your other plugins one at a time until the error returns. That will help identify which plugin might be causing the issue. If it's a security plugin, you may need to adjust its settings or contact its support team for help.

5. PHP version

Some users have run into this issue when using older PHP versions like 7.4. Try upgrading your PHP to 8.1 or 8.2. See how to check your PHP version here. If it needs upgraded, you can typically do this yourself inside of your hosting account. If you're uncomfortable doing this, ask your website host about upgrading.

6. PHP configuration

Kadence recommends increasing your PHP Configuration limit to the following:

– PHP memory limit set to 512MB

– max post size bigger or equal to 50MB

– WP memory limit set to 256 MB

– max input vars 2500

– max execution time should be around 300

7. Make sure your site URLs match

Mismatched URLs in your WordPress settings can prevent the Design Library from loading correctly.

Here's how to check:

  • In your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings > General
  • Look at the WordPress Address and the Site Address
  • Don't make any changes yet– just check to see if they match exactly
  • Both should use https, not one or both with http

If either one of the URLs are not using https, reach out to your host and let them know that your WordPress Address and Site Address URLs need to both be using https. Send them a screenshot and they'll be able to update any WordPress files safely for you. They may have you use a search and replace plugin to update all of your URLs (easy tutorial here)

8. Contact your hosting provider

If none of the above steps fix the issue, there is most likely something on your server that's blocking the connection. Your host may be able to find the cause by checking your site's error logs or security rules.

Here's a message you can copy and send to your hosting support team:

Hi, I'm using a Kadence child theme and trying to insert pre-made blocks/patterns via the Design Library from the Kadence Blocks plugin, but I keep getting the following error inside the WordPress/Gutenberg editor:

"Error, Unable to access library database, please try re-syncing."

I've already tried the following:

– Cleared my browser and server cache

– Flushed permalinks

– Deactivated plugins to check for plugin conflicts

– Verified that my site's PHP version is 8.0 or higher

– Increased my PHP configuration

– Checked that my WordPress and Site URLs both use https in WordPress settings

Could you please check for any error logs, firewall rules, or security settings that might be blocking this connection?

And can you confirm that I have curl enabled and that nothing is blocking external requests or blocking uploads?

Thank you!

Still stuck?

If you've gone through all of the steps above and are still seeing the error, it's likely a server-level issue that's outside the scope of the theme itself. At this point, I recommend reaching out to the Kadence team for more in-depth support. They'll be much better equipped to take a closer look at what might be happening on a deeper technical level! You can either: