What causes "File not found at the provided path: ${filePath}" in actualbudget/actual?

Check the path exists and is readable before calling import (fs.existsSync / ls -l).

File not found at the provided path: ${filePath}

Error message

File not found at the provided path: ${filePath}

What it means

importDashboard first checks fs.exists(filePath) and throws `File not found at the provided path: ${filePath}` if the path is missing or unreadable. Import of a dashboard JSON export cannot proceed without the file.

Source

Thrown at packages/loot-core/src/server/dashboard/app.ts:270

        dashboard_page_id: targetDashboardPageId,
      };
      await addDashboardWidget(newWidget);
    } else {
      throw new Error(`Unsupported widget type: ${widget.type}`);
    }
  });
}

async function importDashboard({
  filePath,
  dashboardPageId,
}: {
  filePath: string;
  dashboardPageId: string;
}) {
  try {
    if (!(await fs.exists(filePath))) {
      throw new Error(`File not found at the provided path: ${filePath}`);
    }

    const content = await fs.readFile(filePath);
    const parsedContent: ExportImportDashboard = JSON.parse(content);

    exportModel.validate(parsedContent);

    const customReportIds = await db.all<Pick<db.DbCustomReport, 'id'>>(
      'SELECT id from custom_reports',
    );
    const customReportIdSet = new Set(customReportIds.map(({ id }) => id));

    const existingWidgets = await db.selectWithSchema(
      'dashboard',
      'SELECT id FROM dashboard WHERE dashboard_page_id = ? AND tombstone = 0',
      [dashboardPageId],
    );

View on GitHub (pinned to d4334cb6e6)

Solutions

Check the path exists and is readable before calling import (fs.existsSync / ls -l).
Pass an absolute path, since the server process may resolve relative paths differently than the caller.
Re-export the dashboard to a stable location and retry.

Example fix

// before
await send('dashboard-import', { filePath: 'dash.json', dashboardPageId });
// after
const filePath = path.resolve(__dirname, 'dash.json');
if (!fs.existsSync(filePath)) throw new Error('Export file missing');
await send('dashboard-import', { filePath, dashboardPageId });

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import * as fs from 'fs';
const p = path.resolve(filePath);
if (!fs.existsSync(p) || !fs.statSync(p).isFile()) {
  throw new Error(`Import file missing or not a file: ${p}`);
}

Try / catch

try {
  await send('dashboard-import', { filePath, dashboardPageId });
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.startsWith('File not found at the provided path:')) {
    console.error(`Check the path: ${filePath}`);
  }
}

Prevention

Always pass absolute, resolved paths to server handlers.
Verify the export file exists and is readable before invoking import.
Export to a persistent directory, not /tmp, when import happens later.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the dashboard-import handler with a filePath that doesn't exist, has a typo, points outside the allowed file system access, or was deleted between export and import (e.g. a temp file).

Common situations: Automation passing relative paths where absolute are expected; browser/desktop sandbox blocking access to the chosen file; exporting to /tmp and importing after reboot.

Understand the failure class

Background: "File not found" and ENOENT errors: why libraries can't find a file that should exist — this error's family across 50 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of actualbudget/actual@d4334cb6e6 (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d4396841d3ea75ad. Report an issue: GitHub.