windmill-labs/windmill · error

❌ Failed to read wmill.yaml: ${e.message} Please check

Error message

❌ Failed to read wmill.yaml:
   ${e.message}
   Please check file permissions or fix the syntax.

What it means

readConfigFile's fallback: wmill.yaml exists and was located, but reading/parsing it failed for a non-YAML-syntax reason (typically a permissions error), so the config is unreadable and the command aborts.

Source

Thrown at cli/src/core/conf.ts:321

        e.message.includes("Obsolete configuration format"))
    ) {
      throw e; // Re-throw the specific obsolete format error
    }

    // Since we already found the file path, this is likely a parsing or access error
    if (e instanceof Error && e.message.includes("Error parsing yaml")) {
      const yamlError =
        e.cause instanceof Error ? e.cause.message : String(e.cause);
      throw new Error(
        "❌ YAML syntax error in wmill.yaml:\n" +
          "   " +
          yamlError +
          "\n" +
          "   Please fix the YAML syntax in wmill.yaml or delete the file to start fresh."
      );
    } else {
      // File exists but has other issues (permissions, etc.)
      throw new Error(
        "❌ Failed to read wmill.yaml:\n" +
          "   " +
          (e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e)) +
          "\n" +
          "   Please check file permissions or fix the syntax."
      );
    }
  }
}

// Default sync options - shared across the codebase to prevent duplication
export const DEFAULT_SYNC_OPTIONS: Readonly<
  Required<
    Pick<
      SyncOptions,
      | "defaultTs"
      | "includes"
      | "excludes"

View on GitHub (pinned to e474e8803c)

Solutions

1. Fix file permissions on wmill.yaml (chmod so the current user can read it).
2. Check ownership and that the file is not a broken symlink.
3. Fix the syntax if the embedded message points at content rather than access.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/src/core/conf.ts:321 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of windmill-labs/windmill@e474e8803c (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/99fb928eec21ab9c. Report an issue: GitHub.