Obvious one is that the chain is too short
Yes. It sometimes takes a couple of pushes of the lever to get the gears to go up and down. I only use the big ringMight struggle to get in the higher gears if you’re in the big ring up front. Regardless it’s not advisable to stretch the chain across the gearing anyway.
Are you running a front mech and gears?
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html