sley

Troubleshooting: .version File Issues ​

This page covers common issues related to the .version file.

Error: version file not found at .version ​

Cause: The .version file doesn't exist in the expected location.

Solutions:

bash
# Option 1: Initialize sley
sley init

# Option 2: Create the file manually
echo "0.0.0" > .version

# Option 3: Use --path flag to specify custom location
sley show --path ./custom/.version

# Option 4: Set environment variable
export SLEY_PATH=./custom/.version
sley show

# Option 5: Configure in .sley.yaml
echo "path: ./custom/.version" > .sley.yaml

Error: invalid version format ​

Cause: The .version file contains invalid content (not a valid semantic version).

Examples of invalid versions:

  • v1.2.3 (remove the v prefix)
  • 1.2 (missing patch number)
  • version-1.2.3 (extra text)
  • Empty file
  • Multiple lines

Solutions:

bash
# Check current content
cat .version

# Fix: Set a valid version
sley set 1.0.0

# Valid semantic version format: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH[-PRERELEASE][+BUILD]
# Examples:
# 1.2.3
# 1.2.3-alpha.1
# 1.2.3+build.123
# 1.2.3-beta.2+ci.456

Error: permission denied ​

Cause: The .version file or its directory is not writable.

Solutions:

bash
# Check file permissions
ls -la .version

# Make file writable
chmod 644 .version

# Check directory permissions (needs write access)
ls -la . | grep -E "^d"

# Fix directory permissions if needed
chmod 755 .

Error: .version file is empty ​

Cause: The file exists but has no content.

Solutions:

bash
# Set an initial version
sley set 0.0.0

# Or initialize from existing version source
sley init --migrate

See Also ​

Released under the MIT License.

© 2026 indaco