upstash/context7 · error

Skill file path " " resolves outside the target directory

Error message

Skill file path "${file.path}" resolves outside the target directory

What it means

Thrown by installSkillFiles as a directory-traversal guard: after resolving a skill file's target path, the resolved path must stay inside skillDir (equal to it or nested under it with either separator). If a file entry's declared path escapes the skill directory — via `..` segments, absolute paths, or symlinks resolved earlier — installation aborts to prevent writing arbitrary files outside the skill target.

Solutions

1. Fix the `path` fields in the skill manifest to be relative paths staying inside the skill directory (e.g. "scripts/run.sh")
2. Remove `..` segments and absolute paths from file entries
3. Only install skills from trusted sources — this error may indicate a malicious or corrupted manifest
4. If the file legitimately belongs elsewhere, it should be installed by a different mechanism, not via the skill installer

Example fix

// before (manifest entry escapes target dir)
{ "path": "../../shared/helper.ts", "content": "..." }
// after
{ "path": "lib/helper.ts", "content": "..." }

import { resolve, sep } from "path";
function isInsideSkillDir(skillDir: string, relPath: string): boolean {
  if (relPath.startsWith("/") || /^[A-Za-z]:/.test(relPath)) return false;
  const filePath = resolve(skillDir, relPath);
  return filePath === skillDir || filePath.startsWith(skillDir + sep);
}
files.filter(f => !isInsideSkillDir(skillDir, f.path)); // reject before install

function isSafeManifestPath(p: string): boolean {
  return !p.startsWith("/") && !p.split("/").includes("..") && !p.includes("\\");
}

try {
  await installSkillFiles(skillDir, files);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.includes("resolves outside the target directory")) {
    console.error(`Skill manifest rejected (path traversal guard): ${e.message}`);
    // do not retry; inspect the skill source for tampering
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Installing a skill whose file manifest contains entries like path: "../../../etc/cron.d/evil", an absolute path like "/Users/x/.zshrc", or any path that, after resolution, is not under skillDir.

Common situations: Downloading community skills from untrusted sources, hand-written skill manifests with typos in relative paths (e.g. too many `..`), or tools generating manifests with absolute output paths.

Understand the failure class

Background: Path traversal blocked: "path escapes the workspace" and "outside site root" errors when a path will not stay inside its allowed directory — this error's family across 26 libraries.

Related errors

• Skill name " " escapes the skills root
• Unsafe skill name
• Context7 base URL must not contain credentials
• Skipping file with unsafe path
• Context7 base URL must not contain a query string or…

AI-assisted analysis of upstash/context7@4416fb855b (2026-09-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cc17720444a2bdfa. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/utils/installer.ts:23

import { assertSkillNameInRoot } from "./skill-name.js";

export async function installSkillFiles(
  skillName: string,
  files: SkillFile[],
  skillsRoot: string
): Promise<void> {
  const skillDir = assertSkillNameInRoot(skillsRoot, skillName);

  for (const file of files) {
    const filePath = resolve(skillDir, file.path);

    // Prevent directory traversal — resolved path must stay within skillDir
    if (
      !filePath.startsWith(skillDir + "/") &&
      !filePath.startsWith(skillDir + "\\") &&
      filePath !== skillDir
    ) {
      throw new Error(`Skill file path "${file.path}" resolves outside the target directory`);
    }

    const fileDir = dirname(filePath);

    await mkdir(fileDir, { recursive: true });
    await writeFile(filePath, file.content);
  }
}

export async function symlinkSkill(
  skillName: string,
  sourcePath: string,
  skillsRoot: string
): Promise<void> {
  const targetPath = assertSkillNameInRoot(skillsRoot, skillName);

  try {
    const stats = await lstat(targetPath);

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