SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit · error · InvalidOperationException

Profile ' ' not found in settings. Available

Error message

Profile '{profileName}' not found in settings. Available: {available}

What it means

Thrown by SeConvSettings.ApplyToLibSe when a profile name is supplied but the Profiles dictionary is null or has no matching key. Profiles are optional named overlays (under `profiles.<name>`) applied on top of the base settings sections; asking for one that was never defined is a configuration mistake. The message lists the available profile names so the caller can correct the value.

Solutions

  1. Read the 'Available' list in the error message and use one of those names exactly.
  2. Add the profile under `profiles.<name>` in the settings file (use `seconv dump-settings` for the schema).
  3. Drop the `--profile` flag to use only the base settings.
  4. Check key casing — dictionary lookup is case-sensitive.

Example fix

// settings.json has profiles.dev but not profiles.production
// before
seconv in.srt out.srt --settings=s.json --profile=production
// after
seconv in.srt out.srt --settings=s.json --profile=dev
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(profileName) &&
    (settings.Profiles is null || !settings.Profiles.ContainsKey(profileName)))
    throw new ArgumentException("Unknown profile: " + profileName +
        ". Defined: " + (settings.Profiles is null ? "(none)" : string.Join(",", settings.Profiles.Keys)));

Type guard

static bool ProfileExists(SeConvSettings s, string? name) =>
    string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(name) || (s.Profiles is not null && s.Profiles.ContainsKey(name!));

Try / catch

try { settings.ApplyToLibSe(profileName); }
catch (InvalidOperationException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("not found in settings"))
{
    // read Available list, pick a valid name or proceed without a profile
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `settings.ApplyToLibSe(profileName)` (via `--profile <name>`) where `profileName` is not a key in the settings file's `profiles` object, or where no `profiles` section exists at all.

Common situations: Typoing the profile name; profile defined under a different casing (matching is case-sensitive on dictionary keys); copy-paste of a profile name from a different settings file; the profiles section was deleted but the --profile flag was kept.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit@17a9f07487 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f82f2ccbea61ebb7. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/seconv/Core/SeConvSettings.cs:231

            ? Enumerable.Empty<string>()
            : unknown.Keys.Select(key => prefix + key);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Writes any non-null values from this object into libse's global Configuration.Settings.
    /// When <paramref name="profileName"/> is provided, the named profile under <c>profiles.&lt;name&gt;</c>
    /// is overlaid on top of the base sections. Must be called before any conversion runs.
    /// </summary>
    public void ApplyToLibSe(string? profileName = null)
    {
        ApplyBaseSections();

        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(profileName))
        {
            if (Profiles is null || !Profiles.TryGetValue(profileName, out var profile))
            {
                var available = Profiles is null ? "(none defined)" : string.Join(", ", Profiles.Keys);
                throw new InvalidOperationException($"Profile '{profileName}' not found in settings. Available: {available}");
            }
            profile.ApplyBaseSections();
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Overlays the <c>exportImages</c> section (base first, then the named profile's, if any)
    /// onto <paramref name="style"/>. Unlike the other sections this does not go through
    /// libse's Configuration — image rendering is driven by <see cref="ImageExportStyle"/>
    /// on <c>ConversionOptions</c>. Call after <see cref="ApplyToLibSe"/>, which validates
    /// the profile name.
    /// </summary>
    public void ApplyExportImages(ImageExportStyle style, string? profileName = null)
    {
        ExportImages?.ApplyTo(style);

        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(profileName) &&
            Profiles is not null &&

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