ipfs/kubo · error

%s path (%q) does not exist: %w

Error message

%s path (%q) does not exist: %w

What it means

checkFusePath stats the configured mount path and, when os.Stat reports the path does not exist, returns "%s path (%q) does not exist" wrapping the stat error. FUSE mounts require the mountpoint to be a pre-existing directory (the OS refuses to mount over a nonexistent path), so kubo validates this before attempting the mount.

Source

Thrown at cmd/ipfs/kubo/daemon.go:1291

		return err
	}
	// Extra space after "MFS" so "mounted at:" lines up with IPFS and
	// IPNS in the column above. Matches MountCmd's output formatter.
	fmt.Printf("IPFS mounted at: %s\n", fsdir)
	fmt.Printf("IPNS mounted at: %s\n", nsdir)
	fmt.Printf("MFS  mounted at: %s\n", mfsdir)
	return nil
}

func checkFusePath(name, path string) error {
	if path == "" {
		return fmt.Errorf("%s path cannot be empty", name)
	}

	fileInfo, err := os.Stat(path)
	if err != nil {
		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
			return fmt.Errorf("%s path (%q) does not exist: %w", name, path, err)
		}
		return fmt.Errorf("error while inspecting %s path (%q): %w", name, path, err)
	}

	if !fileInfo.IsDir() {
		return fmt.Errorf("%s path (%q) is not a directory", name, path)
	}

	return nil
}

func maybeRunGC(req *cmds.Request, node *core.IpfsNode) (<-chan error, error) {
	enableGC, _ := req.Options[enableGCKwd].(bool)
	if !enableGC {
		return nil, nil
	}

	errc := make(chan error)

View on GitHub (pinned to 329838acdf)

Solutions

1. Create the missing directory: `sudo mkdir -p /ipfs /ipns` (match the path named in the error)
2. Or change config to an existing directory: `ipfs config Mounts.IPFS /some/existing/dir`
3. Verify the parent filesystem is mounted and the path exists: `ls -ld <path>` before starting the daemon
4. In containers, add a RUN mkdir step or an entrypoint that creates the mount directories before `ipfs daemon --mount`

Example fix

// before
$ ipfs daemon --mount
Error: Mounts.IPFS path ("/ipfs") does not exist: stat /ipfs: no such file or directory
// after
$ sudo mkdir -p /ipfs /ipns
$ ipfs daemon --mount

for _, p := range []string{cfg.Mounts.IPFS, cfg.Mounts.IPNS, cfg.Mounts.MFS} {
	if fi, err := os.Stat(p); err != nil || !fi.IsDir() {
		os.MkdirAll(p, 0o755) // or fail with a clear message before daemon start
	}
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `ipfs daemon --mount` where cfg.Mounts.IPFS/IPNS/MFS (or the corresponding --mount-* flags) name a directory that is absent on disk, e.g. /ipfs on a system where the mount dirs were never created, or a path on a drive that is not currently mounted.

Common situations: Containers/minimal installs that skip the conventional /ipfs and /ipns directories; typo in the configured mount path; network volume holding the mountpoint not yet mounted at daemon start; path removed after config was written.

Related errors

• mountFuse: GetConfig() failed: %s
• mountFuse: ConstructNode() failed: %s
• %s path cannot be empty
• mounting %s: %w
• ipfs api address could not be found

AI-assisted analysis of ipfs/kubo@329838acdf (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a307695f1939dc4a. Report an issue: GitHub.