Begin by setting the limit screws... then attach the Shift cable... i set the high limit screw to a bit towards the second smallest cog as a tension setting aid.. once the cable is clamped, loosen the limit screw back to it's "Aligned-with-small-sprocket" position( i use one full turn in and out, usually).......( i also set the Barrel adjusters up with about two full turns from seated to allow adjustment in either direction)... Pull that cable TIGHT., tighten the clamp screw... THEN pull on the cable in an open area to Seat the Cable ends and remove any hidden slack... Re-tighten the cable tension some.... NOW begin checking indexing once you are certain there is NO SLACK in the cable before your first shift.... the shifting should now be aligned and should not need adjustments.
If, after all the setup, the shifting still doesn't work well, i'd be looking real hard at Derailleur Alignment, as mentioned by a few others.... Because THAT is Exactly what it sounds like.
Be aware that the Index cable pull distances are NOT Linear...they can vary from high to low gear quite a bit... and SRAM does not play well with shimano.
One thing i Don't see here is the Brand and Model of Shifters and Derailleur... this info will help us e-wrenches greatly. Please provide the brand and model of the derailleur and shifter.
Last edited by maddog34; 11-26-22 at 02:33 AM.