clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB · error · anyhow::Error

Server not specified and no default server configured.

Error message

Server not specified and no default server configured.

What it means

Thrown by `spacetime dev` when resolving which server to develop against. The resolver is a two-step chain: the --server CLI flag, then the config's default server (config.default_server_name()). Despite the comment above it mentioning a maincloud fallback, the code has no third default, so when both sources are empty the command errors out immediately.

Solutions

1. Pass the server explicitly: `spacetime dev --server maincloud` (or your server's name/URL)
2. Set a persistent default once: `spacetime server set-default maincloud` (or add `default_server = "maincloud"` under [server] in the CLI config)
3. For CI, always pass --server in the invoked command so runs don't depend on agent-local config

Example fix

# before
spacetime dev
# after
spacetime dev --server maincloud

# or persist a default once
spacetime server set-default maincloud

# Fail fast before dev runs in CI:
spacetime server list | grep -q . || { echo 'configure a server first'; exit 2; }
# Belt and braces: always pass --server explicitly
spacetime dev --server maincloud

When it happens

Trigger: Running `spacetime dev` (or `spacetime dev <path>`) without --server on a machine whose global config (~/.local/share/spacetime/config.toml or equivalent) has no default_server set — e.g. right after a fresh install, after `spacetime logout`, or after removing the default server entry.

Common situations: Fresh CLI install where setup was skipped; CI containers with no persisted SpacetimeDB config; switching from a local standalone server to maincloud and clearing the old default; team onboarding scripts assuming a default that new machines don't have.

Related errors

• database is a required field in publish config
• Host conflicts with saved configuration for server : ://
• Missing loaded config directory
• Nickname conflicts with saved configuration for server : ://
• Server already configured for host

AI-assisted analysis of clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB@3653d2ed49 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7c8421a1bb2b79c9. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/cli/src/subcommands/dev.rs:171

    let project_path = args.get_one::<PathBuf>("project-path").unwrap();
    let module_path_from_cli = args.get_one::<PathBuf>("module-path");
    let module_bindings_path = args.get_one::<PathBuf>("module-bindings-path").unwrap();
    let client_language = args.get_one::<Language>("client-lang");
    let clear_database = args
        .get_one::<ClearMode>("clear-database")
        .copied()
        .unwrap_or(ClearMode::OnConflict);
    let force = args.get_flag("force");

    // If you don't specify a server, we default to your default server
    // If you don't have one of those, we default to "maincloud"
    let server_from_cli = args.get_one::<String>("server").map(|s| s.as_str());

    let default_server_name = config.default_server_name().map(|s| s.to_string());

    let mut resolved_server = server_from_cli
        .or(default_server_name.as_deref())
        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Server not specified and no default server configured."))?;

    let cwd = std::env::current_dir()?;
    let mut project_dir = if project_path.is_absolute() {
        project_path.clone()
    } else {
        cwd.join(project_path)
    };

    if module_bindings_path.is_absolute() {
        anyhow::bail!("Module bindings path must be a relative path");
    }
    let mut module_bindings_dir = project_dir.join(module_bindings_path);

    let mut spacetimedb_dir = match module_path_from_cli {
        Some(path) => {
            if path.is_absolute() {
                path.clone()
            } else {

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