python-poetry/poetry · error · RuntimeError

Destination <fg=yellow>{path}</> exists and is not empty. Di

Error message

Destination <fg=yellow>{path}</> exists and is not empty. Did you mean `poetry init`?

What it means

RuntimeError from `poetry new` (new.py:75-79) when the destination path both exists and contains at least one entry (`list(path.glob('*'))` is non-empty). `new` scaffolds a fresh project; for existing directories use `poetry init`.

Source

Thrown at src/poetry/console/commands/new.py:77

    def handle(self) -> int:
        from pathlib import Path

        if self.io.input.option("project"):
            self.line_error(
                "<warning>--project only makes sense with existing projects, and will"
                " be ignored. You should consider the option --path instead.</warning>"
            )

        path = Path(self.argument("path"))
        if not path.is_absolute():
            # we do not use resolve here due to compatibility issues
            # for path.resolve(strict=False)
            path = Path.cwd().joinpath(path)

        if path.exists() and list(path.glob("*")):
            # Directory is not empty. Aborting.
            raise RuntimeError(
                f"Destination <fg=yellow>{path}</> exists and is not empty. Did you mean `poetry init`?"
            )

        if self.option("src"):
            self.line_error(
                "The <c1>--src</> option is now the default and will be removed in a future version."
            )

        return self._init_pyproject(
            project_path=path,
            allow_interactive=self.option("interactive"),
            layout_name="standard" if self.option("flat") else "src",
            readme_format=self.option("readme") or "md",
            allow_layout_creation_on_empty=True,
        )

View on GitHub (pinned to 92b74dcfe3)

Solutions

Use `poetry init` in the existing directory to adopt it.
Pick a fresh path: `poetry new mypkg-v2`.
Empty or remove the existing directory if you truly want a clean scaffold.

Example fix

# before
poetry new existing-dir
# after
cd existing-dir && poetry init

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

from pathlib import Path
p = Path("mypkg")
if p.exists() and any(p.iterdir()):
    raise SystemExit(f"{p} is non-empty; use `poetry init` instead")

Type guard

def is_empty_or_missing(path: str) -> bool:
    from pathlib import Path
    p = Path(path)
    return not p.exists() or not any(p.iterdir())

Prevention

Prefer `poetry init` for existing directories.
Check the target path before scripting `poetry new`.
Keep scaffolding tooling idempotent by choosing unique names.

When it happens

Trigger: Running `poetry new mypkg` where `mypkg/` already exists with files; running inside a repo directory that is non-empty.

Common situations: Re-scaffolding over an existing project; choosing a name that collides with a sibling directory; misunderstanding `new` vs `init`.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of python-poetry/poetry@92b74dcfe3 (2026-08-04). Data as JSON: /data/errors/bf68dadd6ec1573c.json. Report an issue: GitHub.