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EPUBCheck · Resources and references

EPUBCheck RSC-002: container.xml missing

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EPUBCheck RSC-002 is a fatal error message: “Required META-INF/container.xml resource could not be found.” The archive has no META-INF/container.xml, the file that tells reading apps where the package document is. Without it the EPUB cannot be opened at all, so EPUBCheck stops with a fatal error.

The official message

Required META-INF/container.xml resource could not be found.

Default severity
Fatal error. EPUBCheck could not continue checking this part of the EPUB. The file is invalid.
EPUBCheck version
5.4.0

Typical causes

  • The META-INF folder was left out when the book was zipped.
  • The file is named or placed differently, such as meta-inf/Container.xml.
  • The archive was built from inside the content folder instead of from the book's root.

How to fix it

  1. Add META-INF/container.xml with a rootfile whose full-path points to the package document, for example <rootfile full-path="OEBPS/content.opf" media-type="application/oebps-package+xml"/>.
  2. Rebuild the archive with the mimetype file first and stored uncompressed, for example from the folder that contains the book: zip -X0 book.epub mimetype and then zip -rX9 book.epub META-INF OEBPS (use your own folder names).
  3. Validate again.

When it's not this

If container.xml exists but points to a missing package document, that is PKG-020.

Terms used here

Other RSC messages

  • RSC-001 File "…" could not be found.
  • RSC-003 No rootfile tag with media type "application/oebps-package+xml" was found in the container.
  • RSC-004 File "…" is encrypted, its content will not be checked.
  • RSC-005 Error while parsing file: …
  • RSC-006 Remote resource reference is not allowed in this context; resource "…" must be located in the EPUB container.
  • RSC-006b Resource "…" is located outside the EPUB Container; please check the resource is retrieved in scripted content.

Sources

Message text and severity from EPUBCheck 5.4.0 (W3C, BSD-3-Clause). Explanation by EpubCC.

FAQ

What does EPUBCheck RSC-002 mean?

EPUBCheck RSC-002 is a fatal error message: “Required META-INF/container.xml resource could not be found.” The archive has no META-INF/container.xml, the file that tells reading apps where the package document is. Without it the EPUB cannot be opened at all, so EPUBCheck stops with a fatal error.

Is RSC-002 an error?

RSC-002 is reported as fatal error by default. EPUBCheck could not continue checking this part of the EPUB. The file is invalid.