# Error in demo code, can-not-find-file-metaphlan-bugs-list?

**URL:** https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-in-demo-code-can-not-find-file-metaphlan-bugs-list/4631
**Category:** HUMAnN
**Created:** [January 10, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-in-demo-code-can-not-find-file-metaphlan-bugs-list/4631 "2023-01-10T15:57:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![2413392a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/bbe5ce/32.png) [@2413392a](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/2413392a)
#### Post date: [January 10, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-in-demo-code-can-not-find-file-metaphlan-bugs-list/4631/1 "2023-01-10T15:57:39Z")

</div>

I meet similar problem with

> [@CRITICAL ERROR: Can not find file metaphlan\_bugs\_list.tsv](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/critical-error-can-not-find-file-metaphlan-bugs-list-tsv/1711):
>
> Hi, I have installed HUMAnN3 via Conda in a cluster, however, when I try to run it I get the following error message: CRITICAL ERROR: Can not find file name\_of\_fastq\_file\_metaphlan\_bugs\_list.tsv I can not find the cause of this error, do you know what’s happening and how to solve it?. Thanks in advance for your help.

My code humann -i demo.fastq -o sample\_results --threads 100 --nucleotide-database databases/chocophlan/ --protein-database databases/uniref/ --metaphlan-options “/databases/metaphlan/”

CRITICAL ERROR: Can not find file /beegfs/home/wanglu/IBD/multiIBD/sample\_results/demo\_humann\_temp/demo\_metaphlan\_bugs\_list.tsv  
I am living in China, so database files stored in dropbox might cause problem, however, I manage to find those files.  
 ![图片](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/biobakery/original/2X/d/d2e10c74d45cdb969ce7ad27a5aaa1ca4e538021.png)  
 ![图片](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/biobakery/original/2X/2/24f97073e2c21d619a328172e296997c9f3c3f18.png)  
 ![图片](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/biobakery/original/2X/3/303b8472ac4bbb1708cd209f88527eb6973f8957.png)

 ![图片](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/biobakery/original/2X/2/256c44c1d55049891460ea017f193ad2f6d5e6f2.png)

Could you kindly suggest how to modify my code?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![franzosa](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.biobakery.org/franzosa/32/3511_2.png) [@franzosa](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/franzosa)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-in-demo-code-can-not-find-file-metaphlan-bugs-list/4631/2 "2023-01-24T18:48:36Z")

</div>

If you are using the `--metaphlan-options` flag to pass information to MetaPhlAn then string that follows has to be a valid set of MetaPhlAn options. For example, if you wanted to point MetaPhlAn at a specific database, you’d need to provide the MetaPhlAn flag for that option AND the path to the database.

You can verify that your MetaPhlAn options work as intended by running MetaPhlAn external to HUMAnN first. You can then pass those same options to HUMAnN with the `--metaphlan-options` flag OR, if you’ve already run MetaPhlAn on all your samples, pass those profiles to HUMAnN with the `--taxonomic-profile` flag.
