phacility/phabricator · warning · PhutilArgumentUsageException

Specify namespace to rename to with %s.

Error message

Specify namespace to rename to with %s.

What it means

Thrown by `bin/storage renamespace` when `--to` is missing or empty. The target namespace is the new prefix written into USE and CREATE DATABASE statements of the output dump, so it is mandatory. This is a PhutilArgumentUsageException: the command aborts before any dump is read.

Source

Thrown at src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementRenamespaceWorkflow.php:79

    $is_live = $args->getArg('live');
    if (!strlen($input) && !$is_live) {
      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
        pht(
          'Specify the dumpfile to read with "--input", or use "--live" to '.
          'generate one automatically.'));
    }

    $from = $args->getArg('from');
    if (!strlen($from)) {
      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
        pht(
          'Specify namespace to rename from with %s.',
          '--from'));
    }

    $to = $args->getArg('to');
    if (!strlen($to)) {
      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
        pht(
          'Specify namespace to rename to with %s.',
          '--to'));
    }


    $output_file = $args->getArg('output');
    $is_overwrite = $args->getArg('overwrite');
    $is_compress = $args->getArg('compress');

    if ($is_overwrite) {
      if ($output_file === null) {
        throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
          pht(
            'The "--overwrite" flag can only be used alongside "--output".'));
      }
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 5720a38cfe)

Solutions

1. Add `--to <namespace>` naming the new prefix (for example --to staging).
2. Choose a namespace that matches the target install configuration so the restored dump lands in the right databases.
3. Check that the wrapper script sets the TO variable.

Example fix

# before
./bin/storage renamespace --input dump.sql --from phabricator

# after
./bin/storage renamespace --input dump.sql --from phabricator --to staging

if [ -z "$TO" ]; then
  echo 'error: TO namespace is required (--to)' >&2
  exit 2
fi

When it happens

Trigger: Invoking renamespace with `--from` (or neither namespace flag) but no `--to`, so strlen($to) == 0 at the check.

Common situations: Half-edited commands where only one namespace flag survived; wrapper scripts with an empty TO variable; deciding the target namespace mid-migration and dropping the flag temporarily.

Related errors

• Specify namespace to rename from with %s.
• Specify the dumpfile to read with "--input", or use "--live"
• The "--overwrite" flag can only be used alongside "--output"
• Output file "%s" already exists. Use "--overwrite" to overwr
• Request parameter "%s" is not formatted properly. Expected a

AI-assisted analysis of phacility/phabricator@5720a38cfe (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/14dbbaedf4dec86c. Report an issue: GitHub.