FoundationAgents/OpenManus · error · ToolError

The path {path} is a directory and only the `view` command c

Error message

The path {path} is a directory and only the `view` command can be used on directories

What it means

Error "The path {path} is a directory and only the `view` command can be used on directories" thrown in FoundationAgents/OpenManus.

Source

Thrown at app/tool/str_replace_editor.py:184

    async def validate_path(
        self, command: str, path: Path, operator: FileOperator
    ) -> None:
        """Validate path and command combination based on execution environment."""
        # Check if path is absolute
        if not path.is_absolute():
            raise ToolError(f"The path {path} is not an absolute path")

        # Only check if path exists for non-create commands
        if command != "create":
            if not await operator.exists(path):
                raise ToolError(
                    f"The path {path} does not exist. Please provide a valid path."
                )

            # Check if path is a directory
            is_dir = await operator.is_directory(path)
            if is_dir and command != "view":
                raise ToolError(
                    f"The path {path} is a directory and only the `view` command can be used on directories"
                )

        # Check if file exists for create command
        elif command == "create":
            exists = await operator.exists(path)
            if exists:
                raise ToolError(
                    f"File already exists at: {path}. Cannot overwrite files using command `create`."
                )

    async def view(
        self,
        path: PathLike,
        view_range: Optional[List[int]] = None,
        operator: FileOperator = None,
    ) -> CLIResult:
        """Display file or directory content."""

View on GitHub (pinned to 52a13f2a57)

Solutions

1. Use command `view` when `path` points to a directory; editing commands only work on files.

When it happens

Trigger: Raised when a command other than `view` (e.g. create, str_replace, insert) is attempted on a path that is a directory.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of FoundationAgents/OpenManus@52a13f2a57 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/04ffb2587e682634. Report an issue: GitHub.