testcontainers/testcontainers-java · error · ContainerLaunchException

File ' ' does not exist.

Error message

File '${mountableFile.getFilesystemPath()}' does not exist.

What it means

withFileInHomeFolder resolves the MountableFile path on the host and requires the file to exist before copying it into /opt/hivemq + pathInHomeFolder in the container. A non-existent host file results in a ContainerLaunchException thrown before the container starts.

Solutions

1. Verify the host file exists before the call and fail fast with a clear message.
2. Use an absolute path resolved from the classpath or project root.
3. In CI, ensure the file is generated/copied into the workspace before tests execute.
4. If the resource is inside a JAR, extract it to a temp file and mount that.

Example fix

// before
container.withFileInHomeFolder(MountableFile.forHostPath("target/extra.xml"), "/extension/x/");
// after
File f = new File("target/extra.xml");
if (!f.exists()) throw new IllegalStateException("Missing: " + f);
container.withFileInHomeFolder(MountableFile.forHostPath(f.getAbsolutePath()), "/extension/x/");

File f = new File(hostPath);
if (!f.exists()) throw new IllegalStateException("Host file missing: " + f.getAbsolutePath());
if (pathInHomeFolder == null || pathInHomeFolder.isBlank()) throw new IllegalArgumentException("pathInHomeFolder required");

try { container.withFileInHomeFolder(mountable, path); } catch (ContainerLaunchException e) { log.error("Mount failed: {}", e.getMessage()); throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling container.withFileInHomeFolder(MountableFile.forHostPath(missing), path) — directly or via withFileInExtensionHomeFolder — where the host file does not exist.

Common situations: File produced by a prior test/build step that failed or did not run; wrong resource path in CI; file deleted between resolution and call; classpath resource assumed to be a real file but packed inside a JAR.

Understand the failure class

Background: "File not found" and ENOENT errors: why libraries can't find a file that should exist — this error's family across 50 libraries.

Related errors

• Extension ' ' could not be mounted. It does not exist.
• License file ' ' does not exist.
• HiveMQ config file ' ' does not exist.
• Could not find unix domain socket
• Extension ' ' could not be mounted. It is not a directory.

AI-assisted analysis of testcontainers/testcontainers-java@8e549514e3 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8ef62e3e7aa2a871. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at modules/hivemq/src/main/java/org/testcontainers/hivemq/HiveMQContainer.java:413

     * <p>
     * Must be called before the container is started.
     *
     * @param mountableFile    the file on the host machine
     * @param pathInHomeFolder the path
     * @return self
     */
    public @NotNull HiveMQContainer withFileInHomeFolder(
        final @NotNull MountableFile mountableFile,
        final @NotNull String pathInHomeFolder
    ) {
        final File file = new File(mountableFile.getResolvedPath());

        if (pathInHomeFolder.trim().isEmpty()) {
            throw new ContainerLaunchException("pathInHomeFolder must not be empty");
        }

        if (!file.exists()) {
            throw new ContainerLaunchException("File '" + mountableFile.getFilesystemPath() + "' does not exist.");
        }
        final String containerPath = "/opt/hivemq" + PathUtil.prepareAppendPath(pathInHomeFolder);
        withCopyFileToContainer(cloneWithFileMode(mountableFile), containerPath);
        LOGGER.info("Putting file '{}' into container path '{}'.", file.getAbsolutePath(), containerPath);
        return self();
    }

    /**
     * Disables the extension with the given name and extension directory name.
     * This method blocks until the HiveMQ log for successful disabling is consumed or it times out after {timeOut}.
     * Note: Disabling Extensions is a HiveMQ Enterprise feature, it will not work when using the HiveMQ Community Edition.
     * <p>
     * This can only be called once the container is started.
     *
     * @param extensionName      the name of the extension to disable
     * @param extensionDirectory the name of the extension's directory
     * @param timeout            the timeout
     * @throws TimeoutException if the extension was not disabled within the configured timeout

View on GitHub (pinned to 8e549514e3)