# ERROR: LoadError: could not find project file (Project.toml or JuliaProject.toml) in package at \`/Users\` maybe \`subdir\` needs to be specified

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333>\
**Category:** New to Julia\
**Tags:** pkg\
**Created:** [May 24, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333 "2023-05-24T13:53:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![William1688](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/william1688/32/50207_2.png) [@William1688](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/William1688)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/1 "2023-05-24T13:53:58Z")

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**ERROR:** LoadError: could not find project file (Project.toml or JuliaProject.toml) in package at `/Users` maybe `subdir` needs to be specified

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**Author:** ![caleb-allen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/caleb-allen/32/14054_2.png) [@caleb-allen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/caleb-allen)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/2 "2023-05-24T13:58:24Z")

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What command causes this error? Can you provide context to the problem?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![William1688](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/william1688/32/50207_2.png) [@William1688](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/William1688)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/3 "2023-05-24T14:32:31Z")

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Julia a.jl

```julia
Stacktrace:

[1] **pkgerror(**msg::String**)**

@ Pkg.Types /opt/homebrew/Cellar/julia/1.9.0/share/julia/stdlib/v1.9/Pkg/src/Types.jl:69

[2] **resolve_projectfile!(**env::Pkg.Types.EnvCache, pkg::Pkg.Types.PackageSpec, project_path::String**)**

@ Pkg.Types /opt/homebrew/Cellar/julia/1.9.0/share/julia/stdlib/v1.9/Pkg/src/Types.jl:822

[3] **handle_repo_develop!(**ctx::Pkg.Types.Context, pkg::Pkg.Types.PackageSpec, shared::Bool**)**

@ Pkg.Types /opt/homebrew/Cellar/julia/1.9.0/share/julia/stdlib/v1.9/Pkg/src/Types.jl:593

[4] **handle_repos_develop!(**ctx::Pkg.Types.Context, pkgs::Vector{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec}, shared::Bool**)**

@ Pkg.Types /opt/homebrew/Cellar/julia/1.9.0/share/julia/stdlib/v1.9/Pkg/src/Types.jl:668

[5] **develop(**ctx::Pkg.Types.Context, pkgs::Vector{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec}; shared::Bool, preserve::Pkg.Types.PreserveLevel, platform::Base.BinaryPlatforms.Platform, kwargs::Base.Pairs{Symbol, Base.TTY, Tuple{Symbol}, NamedTuple{(:io,), Tuple{Base.TTY}}}**)**

@ Pkg.API /opt/homebrew/Cellar/julia/1.9.0/share/julia/stdlib/v1.9/Pkg/src/API.jl:211

[6] **develop(**pkgs::Vector{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec}; io::Base.TTY, kwargs::Base.Pairs{Symbol, Union{}, Tuple{}, NamedTuple{(), Tuple{}}}**)**

@ Pkg.API /opt/homebrew/Cellar/julia/1.9.0/share/julia/stdlib/v1.9/Pkg/src/API.jl:156

[7] **develop(**pkgs::Vector{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec}**)**

@ Pkg.API /opt/homebrew/Cellar/julia/1.9.0/share/julia/stdlib/v1.9/Pkg/src/API.jl:145

[8] **develop(**; name::Nothing, uuid::Nothing, version::Nothing, url::Nothing, rev::Nothing, path::String, mode::Pkg.Types.PackageMode, subdir::Nothing, kwargs::Base.Pairs{Symbol, Union{}, Tuple{}, NamedTuple{(), Tuple{}}}**)**

@ Pkg.API ./boot.jl:0

[9] top-level scope

@ ~/a.jl:12

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![William1688](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/william1688/32/50207_2.png) [@William1688](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/William1688)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/4 "2023-05-24T15:26:41Z")

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10Pkg.activate(; temp=true)  
11Pkg.add([“Gtk4”, “Colors”, “FixedPointNumbers”])  
12Pkg.develop(path=metal\_dir)

> <https://github.com/JuliaGPU/Metal.jl/blob/main/examples/gtk.jl>

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**Author:** ![GunnarFarneback](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gunnarfarneback/32/1827_2.png) [@GunnarFarneback](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GunnarFarneback)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/5 "2023-05-24T15:31:16Z")

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What is the value of `metal_dir` and do you actually have a package there?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![William1688](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/william1688/32/50207_2.png) [@William1688](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/William1688)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 3:37pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/6 "2023-05-24T15:37:40Z")

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no I just copy the jl file and toml file

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**Author:** ![GunnarFarneback](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gunnarfarneback/32/1827_2.png) [@GunnarFarneback](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GunnarFarneback)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/7 "2023-05-24T16:25:24Z")

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From your error message it looks like the value of `metal_dir` is `"/Users"` (and it doesn’t find a `Project.toml` there). Is that what you intend it to be?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![William1688](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/william1688/32/50207_2.png) [@William1688](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/William1688)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 4:49pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/error-loaderror-could-not-find-project-file-project-toml-or-juliaproject-toml-in-package-at-users-maybe-subdir-needs-to-be-specified/99333/8 "2023-05-24T16:49:44Z")

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ok i understand this metal\_dir is outer dir so there is no toml  
thats why i directly git clone code can run  
thank you so much !