# Error: Unable to find the mpa\_pkl file at: mpa\_pklExiting
**URL:** https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568
**Category:** MetaPhlAn
**Created:** [January 19, 2021, 3:31pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568 "2021-01-19T15:31:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DanielePietrucci](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/DanielePietrucci)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2021, 3:31pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568/1 "2021-01-19T15:31:36Z")
Hi.
I’ve installed metaphlan 3 using this command:
`conda create --name mpa -c bioconda python=3.7 metaphlan`
Then I’ve installed the database using this command:
`mkdir -p $WORK_DIR/mpa_db metaphlan --install --bowtie2db $WORK_DIR/mpa_db`
Inside the directory mpd\_db I can find these files:
-rw-rw-r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 342M Jun 30 2020 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.fna.bz2
-rw-r–r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 26 Jan 19 14:26 mpa\_latest
-rw-r–r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 367M Jan 19 14:27 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.tar
-rw-r–r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 64 Jan 19 14:27 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.md5
-rw-rw-r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 286M Jan 19 14:28 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.4.bt2
-rw-rw-r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 9.9M Jan 19 14:28 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.3.bt2
-rw-rw-r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 286M Jan 19 14:35 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.2.bt2
-rw-rw-r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 601M Jan 19 14:35 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.1.bt2
-rw-rw-r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 286M Jan 19 14:43 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.rev.2.bt2
-rw-rw-r-- 1 dpietruc interactive 601M Jan 19 14:43 mpa\_v30\_CHOCOPhlAn\_201901.rev.1.bt2
However, when I run the command:
`metaphlan $Name_file_forward,$Name_file_reverse --bowtie2db $WORK_DIR/mpa_db/ --input_type fastq --read_min_len 30 --bowtie2out $Bam --input_type fastq --nproc 8 --stat_q 0.01 -t rel_ab_w_read_stats > $Out`
I get this error:
`Error: Unable to find the mpa_pkl file at: mpa_pklExiting...`
Can you help me to solve this problem? Thanks in advance!
---
### Author:  [@fbeghini](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/fbeghini)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568/2 "2021-01-19T15:50:35Z")
Have you tried unpacking `mpa_v30_CHOCOPhlAn_201901.tar`?
---
### Author:  [@DanielePietrucci](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/DanielePietrucci)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2021, 10:03am UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568/3 "2021-01-20T10:03:51Z")
Thanks, I’ve unpacked the file and now it’s working!
---
### Author:  [@bellazzzyy](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/bellazzzyy)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2021, 7:12am UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568/4 "2021-02-19T07:12:41Z")
Hi, I have unpacked `mpa_v30_CHOCOPhlAn_201901.tar` but still get the same error when I run the command:
‘metaphlan unmapped.ASD001\_r1.fastq,unmapped.ASD001\_r2.fastq --bowtie2db /home/yanz/miniconda3/envs/biosoftware/lib/python3.6/site-packages/metaphlan/metaphlan\_databases --nproc 12 --input\_type fastq -o unmapped\_metagenome.txt’
‘Error: Unable to find the mpa\_pkl file at: mpa\_pklExiting…’
can anyone help me ☹
---
### Author:  [@fbeghini](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/fbeghini)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568/5 "2021-02-19T17:02:11Z")
Have you built the database using `bowtie2-build` or `metaphlan --install`?
Can you post there the output of `ls -l /home/yanz/miniconda3/envs/biosoftware/lib/python3.6/site-packages/metaphlan/metaphlan_databases` ?
---
### Author:  [@Pearl](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/Pearl)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568/7 "2023-12-20T16:59:07Z")
Hi all,
I got the same error, can you help me to have a look at?
```auto
humann \
> --input final/ff05623391_kneaddata.fastq \
> --threads 12 \
> --nucleotide-database 16SrRNA/humann/chocophlan/ \
> --protein-database 16SrRNA/humann/uniref/ \
> --output humann/
```
```auto
Running metaphlan ........
CRITICAL ERROR: Error executing: /home/c.c2050857/.conda/envs/microbio/bin/metaphlan /scratch/c.c2050857/James/Microbiota/kneaddata/final/ff05623391_kneaddata.fastq -t rel_ab -o /scratch/c.c2050857/James/Microbiota/humann/ff05623391_kneaddata_humann_temp/ff05623391_kneaddata_metaphlan_bugs_list.tsv --input_type fastq --bowtie2out /scratch/c.c2050857/James/Microbiota/humann/ff05623391_kneaddata_humann_temp/ff05623391_kneaddata_metaphlan_bowtie2.txt --nproc 12
Error message returned from metaphlan :
/home/c.c2050857/.conda/envs/microbio/lib/python3.10/site-packages/h5py/ __init__.py:36: UserWarning: h5py is running against HDF5 1.14.3 when it was built against 1.14.2, this may cause problems
_warn(("h5py is running against HDF5 {0} when it was built against {1}, "
Error: Unable to find the mpa_pkl file at: mpa_pklExiting...
```
```auto
metaphlan --install
/home/c.c2050857/.conda/envs/microbio/lib/python3.10/site-packages/h5py/ __init__.py:36: UserWarning: h5py is running against HDF5 1.14.3 when it was built against 1.14.2, this may cause problems
_warn(("h5py is running against HDF5 {0} when it was built against {1}, "
The database is installed
```
Any advice would be highly appreciated! Thanks.
---
### Author:  [@Pearl](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/Pearl)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/error-unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl-file-at-mpa-pklexiting/1568/8 "2023-12-20T17:24:35Z")
[Marco solved this problem!](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/unable-to-find-the-mpa-pkl/503/5)
**step1: download metaphlan databases**
```auto
wget http://cmprod1.cibio.unitn.it/databases/MetaPhlAn/metaphlan_databases/mpa_v31_CHOCOPhlAn_201901.tar
```
**step2: uncompress metaphlan databases**
```auto
tar -xvf mpa_v31_CHOCOPhlAn_201901.tar
```
**step3: specific the metaphlan databases location**
```auto
humann \
--input final/ff05623391_kneaddata.fastq \
--threads 12 \
--metaphlan-options "--bowtie2db /16SrRNA/metaphlan/" \
--nucleotide-database 16SrRNA/humann/chocophlan/ \
--protein-database 16SrRNA/humann/uniref/ \
--output Microbiota/humann/
```