siyuan-note/siyuan · error

--file is required

Error message

--file is required

What it means

Thrown by the `import md` subcommand when the `--file` flag is empty. The flag names a host Markdown file or directory to import; it is resolved to an absolute path afterward. Without it there is nothing to import.

Source

Thrown at kernel/cli/cmd/import.go:42

	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
)

var importCmd = &cobra.Command{
	Use:   "import",
	Short: "Import files",
}

var importMdCmd = &cobra.Command{
	Use:   "md --file <path> --notebook <id>",
	Short: "Import Markdown file or directory",
	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
		filePath, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("file")
		notebook, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("notebook")
		toPath, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("path")
		hpath, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("hpath")
		if filePath == "" {
			return fmt.Errorf("--file is required")
		}
		if notebook == "" {
			return fmt.Errorf("--notebook is required")
		}

		absPath, err := filepath.Abs(filePath)
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}

		if dryRun {
			fmt.Printf("[dry-run] Would import Markdown from \"%s\" to notebook %s\n", filePath, notebook)
			return nil
		}

		if err := model.ImportFromLocalPath(notebook, absPath, resolvePath(notebook, toPath, hpath)); err != nil {
			return formatNotebookWriteError(notebook, err)
		}

View on GitHub (pinned to 251596fc0d)

Solutions

1. Supply the source: `siyuan import md --file ./notes/ --notebook <id>`
2. Ensure the path exists on the host (it is resolved via `filepath.Abs`, not workspace-relative)

Example fix

// before
siyuan import md --notebook 20240101
// after
siyuan import md --file ./notes/intro.md --notebook 20240101

if file == "" {
    return errors.New("source file or directory is required for import md")
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `siyuan import md --notebook <id>` with no `--file`, or `--file` empty. The check runs before the `--notebook` check, so `--file` is validated first.

Common situations: Typing the command without the source path; passing a glob that the shell expanded to nothing; scripting with an unset source variable.

Related errors

• --notebook is required
• --pattern is required
• --path is required
• --path is required
• --id is required

AI-assisted analysis of siyuan-note/siyuan@251596fc0d (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/981e16662e93ef89. Report an issue: GitHub.