ERROR: attempt to write a readonly database

[Ronggui]

Description

I have encountered the following error, and cannot figure out how to solve it.

(py312) ☁ Desktop quarto render gensim-TFIDF.ipynb
ERROR: attempt to write a readonly database

Stack trace:
at async Object.openKv (ext:deno_kv/01_db.ts:10:15)
at async sassCache (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:80767:16)
at async compileWithCache (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:88157:20)
at async compileSass (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:87965:19)
at async resolveQuartoSyntaxHighlighting (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:109499:32)
at async resolveSassBundles (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:109420:12)
at async resolveExtras (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:114171:14)
at async runPandoc (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:113614:20)
at async renderPandoc (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:115290:24)
at async Object.onRender (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:123987:30)

(py312) ☁ Desktop quarto --version
1.8.26

OS: MacOS 26.1

[mcanouil]

Could you share a small self-contained "working" (reproducible) example to work with, i.e., a complete Quarto document or a Git repository? The goal is to make it as easy as possible for us to recreate your problem so that we can fix it: please help us help you! Thanks.

---

You can share a self-contained "working" (reproducible) Quarto document using the following syntax, i.e., using more backticks than you have in your document (usually four ````).
See https://quarto.org/bug-reports.html#small-is-beautiful-aim-for-a-single-document-with-10-lines.

If you have multiple files (and if it is absolutely required to have multiple files), please share as a Git repository.

R	Python
````qmd --- title: "Reproducible Quarto Document" format: html engine: knitr --- This is a reproducible Quarto document. {{< lipsum 1 >}} ```{r} x <- c(1, 2, 3, 4, 5) y <- c(1, 4, 9, 16, 25) plot(x, y) ``` {#fig-placeholder} {{< lipsum 1 >}} The end after @fig-placeholder. ````	````qmd --- title: "Reproducible Quarto Document" format: html engine: jupyter --- This is a reproducible Quarto document. {{< lipsum 1 >}} ```{python} import matplotlib.pyplot as plt x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] y = [1, 4, 9, 16, 25] plt.plot(x, y) plt.show() ``` {#fig-placeholder} {{< lipsum 1 >}} The end after @fig-placeholder. ````

Additionally and if not already given, please share the output of quarto check within a code block (i.e., using three backticks ```txt), see https://quarto.org/bug-reports.html#check.

[Ronggui]

I can use the above mentioned qmd file to replicate the error.

---
title: "Reproducible Quarto Document"
format: html
engine: knitr
---

This is a reproducible Quarto document.

{{< lipsum 1 >}}

```{r}
x <- c(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
y <- c(1, 4, 9, 16, 25)

plot(x, y)
```

![An image]({{< placeholder 600 400 >}}){#fig-placeholder}

{{< lipsum 1 >}}

The end after @fig-placeholder.

(py312) ☁ Desktop quarto render demo.qmd

processing file: demo.qmd
1/3
2/3 [unnamed-chunk-1]
3/3
output file: demo.knit.md

ERROR: attempt to write a readonly database

Stack trace:
at async Object.openKv (ext:deno_kv/01_db.ts:10:15)
at async sassCache (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:80767:16)
at async compileWithCache (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:88157:20)
at async compileSass (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:87965:19)
at async resolveQuartoSyntaxHighlighting (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:109499:32)
at async resolveSassBundles (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:109420:12)
at async resolveExtras (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:114171:14)
at async runPandoc (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:113614:20)
at async renderPandoc (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:115290:24)
at async Object.onRender (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:123987:30)

When I run quarto check, I got similar error:

(py312) ☁ Desktop quarto check
Quarto 1.8.26
[✓] Checking environment information...
Quarto cache location: /Users/rghuang/Library/Caches/quarto
[✓] Checking versions of quarto binary dependencies...
Pandoc version 3.6.3: OK
Dart Sass version 1.87.0: OK
Deno version 2.3.1: OK
Typst version 0.13.0: OK
[✓] Checking versions of quarto dependencies......OK
[✓] Checking Quarto installation......OK
Version: 1.8.26
Path: /Applications/quarto/bin

[✓] Checking tools....................OK
TinyTeX: (not installed)
Chromium: (not installed)

[✓] Checking LaTeX....................OK
Tex: (not detected)

[✓] Checking Chrome Headless....................OK
Using: Chrome found on system
Path: /Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome
Source: MacOS known location

[✓] Checking basic markdown render....OK

ERROR: attempt to write a readonly database

Stack trace:
at async Object.openKv (ext:deno_kv/01_db.ts:10:15)
at async sassCache (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:80767:16)
at async compileWithCache (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:88157:20)
at async compileSass (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:87965:19)
at async resolveQuartoSyntaxHighlighting (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:109499:32)
at async resolveSassBundles (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:109420:12)
at async resolveExtras (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:114171:14)
at async runPandoc (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:113614:20)
at async renderPandoc (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:115290:24)
at async Object.onRender (file:///Applications/quarto/bin/quarto.js:123987:30)

It seems related to privilege as I can render qmd file with: sudo quarto render demo.qmd.

[mcanouil]

@Ronggui Could you properly format your post using code blocks for code and terminal outputs? Thanks.
If your code contains code blocks, you need to enclose it using more backticks, i.e., usually four ````.
See https://quarto.org/bug-reports.html#formatting-make-githubs-markdown-work-for-us.

Could you also add context about your setup? How did you install Quarto, etc.

[Ronggui]

I have tried to install quarto using brew install quarto as well as the pkg installer. Either way, the problems are the same.

After installing quarto, I execute

quarto render demo.qmd

it complains ERROR: NotFound: No such file or directory (os error 2): tmpdir.

Then I manually create a tmpdir (say '/mytmpdir') and set the TMPDIR using

export TMPDIR="/mytmpdir"

I run

quarto render demo.qmd

It complains ERROR: attempt to write a readonly database.

Strangely, if I create a new user account and run

quarto render demo.qmd

it works without errors.

[Ronggui]

Finally pinpoint the problem.
It is caused by the incorrect privilege setting of $HOME/Library/Caches/quarto/sass/sass.kv.

[mcanouil]

That's not the root cause as this should not have happened in the first place.

I suggest you uninstall Quarto completely and reinstall it.