SonarSource/sonarqube · error · IllegalStateException

"Configuration file not found: " + propsFile

Error message

"Configuration file not found: " + propsFile

What it means

The Shutdowner (SonarQube server shutdown helper) loads a Java properties configuration file passed to loadPropertiesFile. When the file at the given path does not exist (Files.isRegularFile check fails), it throws IllegalStateException("Configuration file not found: " + propsFile). This indicates the configured config path is wrong, the file was deleted, or the working directory differs from what was assumed.

Solutions

1. Verify the file exists at the exact path passed in (ls <propsFile>) and fix the path.
2. If using a relative path, run the process from the expected directory or pass an absolute path.
3. Ensure deployment/packaging scripts actually place the properties file at that location.
4. Check for typos or environment-specific filenames (e.g. sonar.properties vs conf/sonar.properties).

Example fix

// before
Properties p = Shutdowner.loadPropertiesFile("sonar.properties");
// after
Path props = Paths.get(System.getenv("SONAR_HOME"), "conf", "sonar.properties");
if (!Files.isRegularFile(props)) {
  throw new IllegalStateException("Check SONAR_HOME: expected config at " + props);
}
Properties p = Shutdowner.loadPropertiesFile(props);

import java.nio.file.*;
if (propsFile == null || !Files.isRegularFile(propsFile)) {
  throw new IllegalArgumentException("Config file missing or not a regular file: " + propsFile);
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling loadPropertiesFile(path) where path does not point to an existing regular file; e.g. passing a relative path from the wrong working directory, a typo'd filename, or a path whose file was removed before startup.

Common situations: Wrong sonar home / working directory when launching the shutdowner; deployment scripts not copying conf files; running from an IDE where the working directory differs from the packaging layout; renamed or versioned config files (sonar.properties moved).

Understand the failure class

Background: "Config file not found": what it means and how to fix it in docker-sync, Maven, Vagrant, Turborepo and other tools — this error's family across 60 libraries.

Related errors

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AI-assisted analysis of SonarSource/sonarqube@184c821202 (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c127611b3650857f. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sonar-shutdowner/src/main/java/org/sonar/application/Shutdowner.java:80

    }
  }

  /**
   * Loads the configuration file ${homeDir}/conf/sonar.properties.
   * An empty {@link Properties} is returned if the file does not exist.
   */
  static Properties loadPropertiesFile(File homeDir) {
    Properties p = new Properties();
    File propsFile = new File(new File(homeDir, "conf"), "sonar.properties");
    if (propsFile.exists()) {
      try (Reader reader = new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(propsFile), UTF_8)) {
        p.load(reader);
        return p;
      } catch (IOException e) {
        throw new IllegalStateException("Cannot open file " + propsFile, e);
      }
    } else {
      throw new IllegalStateException("Configuration file not found: " + propsFile);
    }
  }

  static File resolveTempDir(Properties p) {
    return new File(Optional.ofNullable(p.getProperty("sonar.path.temp")).orElse("temp"));
  }

  static void askForHardStop(File tmpDir) throws IOException {
    writeToShareMemory(tmpDir, 1, (byte) 0xFF);
  }

  private static void writeToShareMemory(File tmpDir, int offset, byte value) throws IOException {
    try (RandomAccessFile sharedMemory = new RandomAccessFile(new File(tmpDir, "sharedmemory"), "rw")) {
      // Using values from org.sonar.process.ProcessCommands
      MappedByteBuffer mappedByteBuffer = sharedMemory.getChannel().map(FileChannel.MapMode.READ_WRITE, 0, 50L * 10);

      // Now we are stopping all processes as quick as possible
      // by asking for stop of "app" process

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