microsoft/semantic-kernel · error · FileNotFoundError

File {path} not found in repository.

Error message

File {path} not found in repository.

What it means

Raised by RepoFilePlugin.read_file_by_path when open(path) raises FileNotFoundError. The path is resolved relative to the repository root (four levels up from the plugin file). The original FileNotFoundError is caught and re-raised with a descriptive message.

Source

Thrown at python/samples/demos/document_generator/plugins/repo_file_plugin.py:25

class RepoFilePlugin:
    """A plugin that reads files from this repository.

    This plugin assumes that the code is run within the Semantic Kernel repository.
    """

    @kernel_function(description="Read a file given a relative path to the root of the repository.")
    def read_file_by_path(
        self, path: Annotated[str, "The relative path to the file."]
    ) -> Annotated[str, "Returns the file content."]:
        path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "..", "..", "..", path)

        try:
            with open(path) as file:
                return file.read()
        except FileNotFoundError:
            raise FileNotFoundError(f"File {path} not found in repository.")

    @kernel_function(
        description="Read a file given the name of the file. Function will search for the file in the repository."
    )
    def read_file_by_name(
        self, file_name: Annotated[str, "The name of the file."]
    ) -> Annotated[str, "Returns the file content."]:
        path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "..", "..", "..")
        for root, dirs, files in os.walk(path):
            if file_name in files:
                print(f"Found file {file_name} in {root}.")
                with open(os.path.join(root, file_name)) as file:
                    return file.read()
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"File {file_name} not found in repository.")

    @kernel_function(description="List all files or subdirectories in a directory.")
    def list_directory(
        self, path: Annotated[str, "Path of a directory relative to the root of the repository."]

View on GitHub (pinned to c028a0c7dc)

Solutions

1. Verify the relative path against the actual repository root layout.
2. Confirm the plugin file's location so the four '..' hops resolve to the intended base; adjust if the file was relocated.
3. Use read_file_by_name if you only know the filename and want a tree search.
4. Normalize/validate the path and check existence with os.path.exists before open().

Example fix

// before
plugin.read_file_by_path('src/main.py')

// after
base = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..', '..', '..', '..'))
target = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(base, 'src/main.py'))
if not os.path.isfile(target):
    raise FileNotFoundError(f'File not at {target}')
plugin.read_file_by_path('python/samples/.../src/main.py')

import os
base = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..', '..', '..', '..'))
target = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(base, rel_path))
if not os.path.isfile(target):
    raise FileNotFoundError(f'File not at {target}')
with open(target) as f:
    return f.read()

import os
def is_valid_repo_path(rel_path: str) -> bool:
    base = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..', '..', '..', '..'))
    target = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(base, rel_path))
    return os.path.isfile(target) and target.startswith(base)

try:
    return plugin.read_file_by_path(rel_path)
except FileNotFoundError as ex:
    # fall back to name-based search or inform the model
    raise

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the kernel function with a relative path that does not exist under the repo root; path traversal that escapes the expected tree; the file lives outside the resolved base directory.

Common situations: An LLM hallucinates a file path; the plugin's relative base assumption (.. x4) is wrong after the file is moved; case-sensitivity mismatches on case-insensitive dev machines vs Linux.

Related errors

• File {file_name} not found in repository.
• Directory {path} not found in repository.
• File '{fileName}' not found.
• Configuration not found, please setup the notebooks first us
• Plugins directory not found. The app needs the plugins from

AI-assisted analysis of microsoft/semantic-kernel@c028a0c7dc (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e9ceca9c72f78b0f. Report an issue: GitHub.