GitLab CI cache "WARNING: ... no such file or directory" in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

The runner tried to archive or restore a cache and the path is empty or missing, or no cache exists yet. These are warnings: the job continues, but the cache does not help until the path and key are correct.

What this error means

The log shows "WARNING: <path>: no such file or directory" while creating the cache, or "WARNING: file does not exist" / "No URL provided, cache will not be downloaded" when restoring.

Creating cache default...
WARNING: node_modules/: no such file or directory
Failed to create cache

Common causes

The cached path was not created before archiving

The job caches node_modules/ but the install step did not run or wrote elsewhere, so there is nothing to archive.

A first run with no existing cache

On the first pipeline for a key, there is no cache to download yet, so the restore warning is expected once.

How to fix it

Cache a path the job actually produces

1. Run the step that creates the path before the cache is archived.
2. Point cache:paths at the real output location.
3. Use a stable cache:key so later runs can restore it.

build:
  cache:
    key:
      files:
        - package-lock.json
    paths:
      - node_modules/
  script:
    - npm ci

Treat a first-run restore warning as normal

The "cache will not be downloaded" warning on the very first run for a key is expected; it should disappear once a cache is created.

How to prevent it

• Create cached paths before the cache is archived.
• Use file-based cache keys so caches are reused across runs.
• Distinguish a benign first-run miss from a persistent cache failure.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation