octobercms/october · error · ApplicationException

Unable to create directory {metaPath}

Error message

Unable to create directory {metaPath}

What it means

The second makeDirectory() in ThemeExport::export() creates the {tempPath}/meta staging subdirectory for the theme's meta folder. The parent directory was just created successfully, so a failure here means the ability to write was lost mid-flow (quota hit between the two calls, permissions changed, security software interference) or a file named meta already blocks the path.

Source

Thrown at modules/cms/models/ThemeExport.php:114

     * export
     */
    public function export($theme, $data = [])
    {
        $this->theme = $theme;
        $this->fill($data);

        try {
            $themePath = $this->theme->getPath();
            $tempPath = temp_path() . '/'.uniqid('oc');
            $zipName = uniqid('oc');
            $zipPath = temp_path().'/'.$zipName;

            if (!File::makeDirectory($tempPath)) {
                throw new ApplicationException('Unable to create directory '.$tempPath);
            }

            if (!File::makeDirectory($metaPath = $tempPath . '/meta')) {
                throw new ApplicationException('Unable to create directory '.$metaPath);
            }

            File::copy($themePath.'/theme.yaml', $tempPath.'/theme.yaml');
            File::copyDirectory($themePath.'/meta', $metaPath);

            foreach ($this->folders as $folder) {
                if (!array_key_exists($folder, $this->getFoldersOptions())) {
                    continue;
                }

                File::copyDirectory($themePath.'/'.$folder, $tempPath.'/'.$folder);
            }

            Zip::make($zipPath, $tempPath);
            File::deleteDirectory($tempPath);
        }
        catch (Exception $ex) {
            if (strlen($tempPath) && File::isDirectory($tempPath)) {

View on GitHub (pinned to b608633a7e)

Solutions

  1. Free space in storage/temp (delete stale oc* directories) and retry the export.
  2. Re-verify permissions and quota on the storage volume: the oc* parent was created, so look for quota/inode limits or a conflicting 'meta' entry inside it.
  3. Remove partially created temp_path()/oc* directories before retrying so the run starts clean.
  4. If it recurs, inspect system logs for the underlying mkdir errno (permissions vs ENOSPC).

Example fix

# before: mid-export failure - 'Unable to create directory {tempPath}/meta'
find storage/temp -maxdepth 1 -name 'oc*' -exec rm -rf {} +
df -h storage   # ensure free space

# after: retry export - fresh oc* staging tree builds cleanly
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

$temp = temp_path();
if (!is_writable($temp) || disk_free_space($temp) < 100 * 1024 * 1024) {
    // abort export before it starts staging meta/
}

Try / catch

try {
    $token = ThemeExport::export($theme, $data);
} catch (ApplicationException $e) {
    // mid-export failure: sweep stale oc* dirs in temp_path() and free space/quota before retry
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Running a theme export where the first mkdir under storage/temp succeeds but the meta subdir creation returns false - mid-export quota exhaustion, concurrent hardening of permissions, or a leftover file named meta inside the freshly generated oc* temp path.

Common situations: Disk quota that fills while copying a large theme; concurrent exports racing for space; container storage quotas; rarely, a corrupted temp path from a previous interrupted run.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of octobercms/october@b608633a7e (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0a3f6ee7d7a8d9e6. Report an issue: GitHub.