angular/angular-cli · error · SchematicsException

Cannot find "${configFilePath}".

Error message

Cannot find "${configFilePath}".

What it means

After resolving the project, `addServerRoutingConfig` computes the server configuration file path: for standalone apps `<sourceRoot>/app/app.config.server.ts`, otherwise the server module path derived from main.server.ts. If that path cannot be computed or the file does not exist on the schematic Tree, it throws.

Source

Thrown at packages/schematics/angular/app-shell/index.ts:168

  })[0];

  return property;
}

function addServerRoutingConfig(options: AppShellOptions, isStandalone: boolean): Rule {
  return async (host: Tree) => {
    const workspace = await getWorkspace(host);
    const project = workspace.projects.get(options.project);
    if (!project) {
      throw new SchematicsException(`Project name "${options.project}" doesn't not exist.`);
    }

    const configFilePath = isStandalone
      ? join(project.sourceRoot ?? 'src', 'app/app.config.server.ts')
      : getServerModulePath(host, project.sourceRoot || 'src', 'main.server.ts');

    if (!configFilePath || !host.exists(configFilePath)) {
      throw new SchematicsException(`Cannot find "${configFilePath}".`);
    }

    const configSourceFile = getSourceFile(host, configFilePath);
    const functionCall = findNodes(
      configSourceFile,
      ts.isCallExpression,
      /** max */ undefined,
      /** recursive */ true,
    ).find(
      (n) => ts.isIdentifier(n.expression) && n.expression.getText() === 'provideServerRendering',
    );

    if (!functionCall) {
      throw new SchematicsException(
        `Cannot find the "provideServerRendering" function call in "${configFilePath}".`,
      );
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to bb72145f9a)

Solutions

1. Add Angular SSR/server routing first: `ng add @angular/ssr` (creates app.config.server.ts or AppServerModule)
2. Create the missing server config file manually and re-run the schematic
3. Verify project.sourceRoot in angular.json matches the actual directory layout

Example fix

// before
ng g app-shell  # no server routing configured
// after
ng add @angular/ssr --project=my-app && ng g app-shell --project=my-app

const p = options.project;
const sourceRoot = workspace.projects[p].sourceRoot || 'src';
const serverCfg = path.join(sourceRoot, 'app/app.config.server.ts');
if (!fs.existsSync(serverCfg) && !fs.existsSync(path.join(sourceRoot, 'main.server.ts'))) {
  throw new Error('Server routing/SSR not configured; run ng add @angular/ssr first');
}

try {
  await ngGenerate('app-shell', options);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.startsWith('Cannot find "')) {
    console.error('Server config file missing — run ng add @angular/ssr before app-shell');
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running app-shell on a project with no server build configured (no main.server.ts / app.config.server.ts file present); server routing was never added (`ng add @angular/ssr` not run); sourceRoot misconfigured so the computed path doesn't exist.

Common situations: Trying to add an app shell before Angular SSR/server routing is set up; Nx/custom layouts where app.config.server.ts lives elsewhere; projects migrated to standalone but the server config file was deleted.

Related errors

• Cannot find the "provideServerRendering" function call in "$
• Server schematic requires a project type of "application".
• Cannot find 'options' for ${projectName} ${target} target.
• outputPath for ${projectName} ${target} target is not a stri
• Could not find package.json

AI-assisted analysis of angular/angular-cli@bb72145f9a (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7a0685ce59ffbd8d. Report an issue: GitHub.