SonarSource/sonarqube · error · MessageException

Directory does not exist:

Error message

Directory does not exist: 

What it means

JdbcSettings.driverPath resolves the directory holding the JDBC driver JAR, relative to the SonarQube home directory. If the configured path (provider.path) does not exist on disk, a MessageException 'Directory does not exist: <path>' is thrown at startup. It guards against misconfigured sonar.jdbc.driverPath-style settings.

Source

Thrown at server/sonar-main/src/main/java/org/sonar/application/config/JdbcSettings.java:84

    props.set(JDBC_DRIVER_PATH.getKey(), driverPath);
    if (provider == Provider.SQLSERVER) {
      List<String> additionalPaths = additionalMsSqlLibPaths(homeDir);
      String libPathsToBeAddedToClasspath = String.join(";", additionalPaths);
      props.set(JDBC_ADDITIONAL_LIB_PATHS.getKey(), libPathsToBeAddedToClasspath);
    }
  }

  private static List<String> additionalMsSqlLibPaths(File homeDir) {
    File dir = new File(homeDir, Provider.SQLSERVER.path);
    List<File> files = new ArrayList<>(FileUtils.listFiles(dir, new String[] {"jar"}, false));
    return files.stream().filter(f -> !f.getName().startsWith("mssql-jdbc")).map(File::getAbsolutePath).toList();
  }

  String driverPath(File homeDir, Provider provider) {
    String dirPath = provider.path;
    File dir = new File(homeDir, dirPath);
    if (!dir.exists()) {
      throw new MessageException("Directory does not exist: " + dirPath);
    }
    List<File> files = new ArrayList<>(FileUtils.listFiles(dir, new String[] {"jar"}, false));
    if (files.isEmpty()) {
      throw new MessageException("Directory does not contain JDBC driver: " + dirPath);
    }
    if (files.size() > 1 && Provider.SQLSERVER != provider) {
      throw new MessageException("Directory must contain only one JAR file: " + dirPath);
    } else if (Provider.SQLSERVER == provider) {
      return files.stream().filter(f -> f.getName().startsWith("mssql-jdbc")).findFirst()
        .orElseThrow(() -> new MessageException("Directory does not contain JDBC driver: " + dirPath)).getAbsolutePath();
    }
    return files.get(0).getAbsolutePath();
  }

  Provider resolveProviderAndEnforceNonnullJdbcUrl(Props props) {
    String url = props.value(JDBC_URL.getKey());
    Integer embeddedDatabasePort = props.valueAsInt(JDBC_EMBEDDED_PORT.getKey());

View on GitHub (pinned to 184c821202)

Solutions

1. Create the configured directory under SONARQUBE_HOME or correct the path in the configuration
2. Verify the directory exists relative to the SonarQube home directory, not the current directory
3. For SQL Server, ensure extensions/jdbc-driver/mssql exists if using the bundled provider
4. Check file permissions so the process user can see the directory

Example fix

// before (config points at missing dir)
jdbcProviderPath = "extensions/jdbc-driver/postgres"
// after
mkdir -p $SONARQUBE_HOME/extensions/jdbc-driver/postgres  # or fix the configured path

File dir = new File(homeDir, providerPath);
if (!dir.isDirectory()) throw new IllegalStateException("Driver directory missing: " + dir.getAbsolutePath());

static boolean validDriverDir(File homeDir, String path) { File d = new File(homeDir, path); return d.exists() && d.isDirectory(); }

try { settings.start(); } catch (MessageException e) { if (e.getMessage().startsWith("Directory does not exist")) { /* fix config or create dir */ } throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: Starting the server with a JDBC provider whose configured driver directory (e.g. conf/third-party-driver or extensions/jdbc-driver/<db>) does not exist under the home directory.

Common situations: Typo in the configured driver path; moving or renaming the SonarQube installation directory; running from a different working directory than expected; packaging a custom driver in the wrong folder.

Related errors

• Can not connect to database. Please check connectivity and s
• Directory does not contain JDBC driver:
• Directory must contain only one JAR file:
• Github configuration is not complete. Please check your conf
• Configuration is not complete : %s

AI-assisted analysis of SonarSource/sonarqube@184c821202 (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/68ee8a6c015397c8. Report an issue: GitHub.