# EPUBCheck RSC-008: file not in the manifest, how to fix it

Source: https://epubcc.com/epubcheck/rsc-008/ (updated 2026-11-04)

EPUBCheck RSC-008 is an error message: “Referenced resource "…" is not declared in the OPF manifest.” A file exists in the EPUB and is referenced, but the package document's manifest does not list it. Every publication resource must be declared in the manifest, or reading apps may refuse to load it.

- Official message (EPUBCheck 5.4.0): Referenced resource "%1$s" is not declared in the OPF manifest.
- Default severity: Error

## Typical causes

- An image or stylesheet added to the book folder without updating the manifest.
- A manifest generated before the last files were added.

## How to fix it

1. Open the package document (.opf) and find the manifest element.
2. Add an item for the file with a unique id, its path and its media type, for example <item id="fig1" href="images/fig1.png" media-type="image/png"/>.
3. Validate again; a typo in the href turns this into RSC-007.

## When it's not this

If the file does not exist at all, the error is RSC-007.

## Sources

- EPUB 3.3, §5.6 Manifest section: https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/#sec-pkg-manifest (read 2026-11-04)
- EPUB 3.3, §5.6.2 The item element: https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/#sec-item-elem (read 2026-11-04)

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