# My space randomly stopped working. "No application file"
**URL:**
**Author:**  [@trusktr](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Fu%2Ftrusktr)%5C
**Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 6:51am UTC](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Ft%2Fmy-space-randomly-stopped-working-no-application-file%2F170511%2F1 "2025-11-16T06:51:08Z")
Hello, what happened to my space? It randomly stopped working: [trusktr - a Hugging Face Space by trusktr](https://huggingface.co/spaces/trusktr/trusktr)
The README has this header:
```auto
---
title: trusktr
emoji: 🖼️
license: mit
colorFrom: pink
colorTo: blue
sdk: static
pinned: true
thumbnail: >-
/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-uploads.huggingface.co%2Fproduction%2Fuploads%2F675f68fa5e2461f83760a0ae%2FshIqmGK6qN68OnUZjHskF.jpeg
short_description: My scratch pad with live demos.
app_file: ./index.html
header: default
tags:
[
lume,
javascript,
html,
css,
threejs,
webgl,
webgpu,
custom-elements,
web-components,
ui,
ux,
3d,
graphics,
3d-graphics,
web-3d,
signals,
solidjs,
]
---
```
I have not changed it, and the `index.html` file still exists. What happened?
---
**Author:**  [@John6666](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Fu%2FJohn6666)%5C
**Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 11:30am UTC](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Ft%2Fmy-space-randomly-stopped-working-no-application-file%2F170511%2F2 "2025-11-16T11:30:20Z")
The YAML section in `README.md` is the configuration file, and its syntax is slightly off. Fixing this might make things work better.
I’m not sure why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t… Maybe a minor spec change…?
* * *
Here’s the minimal fix, with just enough background to make it clear.
* * *
## What’s wrong right now (in plain terms)
Your Space is configured as:
```yaml
sdk: static
app_file: ./index.html
```
Even though `index.html` exists, Hugging Face now expects `app_file` to be a **plain relative path from the repo root** , like:
- `index.html`
- `dist/index.html`
not a path starting with `./` or `/`. The official docs and working Spaces all use this form. ([Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-sdks-static "Static HTML Spaces"))
Because `./index.html` does not match that pattern, the platform treats your Space as having **no valid app file** , and shows:
> No application file – Incorrect Sdk configuration in the repository
before it ever tries to serve your HTML.
* * *
## Minimal change to fix it
Change exactly one line in `README.md`’s metadata.
### Before
```yaml
sdk: static
app_file: ./index.html
```
### After
```yaml
sdk: static
app_file: index.html
```
That’s it. One character sequence (`./`) removed.
Why this works:
- `app_file` is now a “path relative to the root of the repository”, exactly as the config reference defines it. ([Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-config-reference "Spaces Configuration Reference"))
- It matches the pattern used by other running static Spaces like `kyutai/hibiki-samples` and `gorilla-llm/berkeley-function-calling-leaderboard`, which use `app_file: index.html`. ([Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/spaces/kyutai/hibiki-samples/blob/main/README.md "README.md · kyutai/hibiki-samples at main"))
* * *
## How to apply it (step-by-step, very briefly)
1. Open your Space: `https://huggingface.co/spaces/trusktr/trusktr`
2. Go to the **Files** tab → open `README.md`.
3. Click **Edit file**.
4. Change `app_file: ./index.html` → `app_file: index.html`.
5. Commit the change.
After that commit, the config should validate correctly, the status should switch from “No application file” to “Running”, and `index.html` will be served as your app again.
---
**Author:**  [@trusktr](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Fu%2Ftrusktr)%5C
**Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 8:23am UTC](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Ft%2Fmy-space-randomly-stopped-working-no-application-file%2F170511%2F3 "2025-12-10T08:23:18Z")
That was it. It didn’t occurr to me to check if that was what broke as it previously worked. Thank you!
> **[trusktr - a Hugging Face Space by trusktr](https://huggingface.co/spaces/trusktr/trusktr)**
>
> This application shows a 3D model of a helmet on your webpage, allowing you to rotate it for a closer look. No input is needed from you; just view the model and interact with it by moving your mous...
---
**Author:**  [@AmosTipton](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Fu%2FAmosTipton)%5C
**Post date:** [December 14, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](/static-proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.huggingface.co%2Ft%2Fmy-space-randomly-stopped-working-no-application-file%2F170511%2F4 "2025-12-14T16:49:26Z")
This error usually isn’t random — it’s HF failing closed on a Static SDK contract mismatch. A couple things to double-check:
1. For sdk: static, HF expects a root-level index.html (not just referenced in metadata).
Make sure index.html actually exists at /index.html in the repo, not nested.
2. The app\_file field is optional for static Spaces and can sometimes cause issues if the path resolution changes.
Try removing:
app\_file: ./index.html
1. and let HF auto-detect.
2. If this Space worked before, check the commit history around when it broke — HF recently tightened validation on static repos and will surface “Incorrect SDK configuration” instead of silently serving partial content.
3. Also verify there’s no mismatch between README.md front-matter and actual files (HF parses that strictly now).
In general, HF static Spaces fail honestly — they refuse to render if the contract isn’t exact. It’s annoying, but better than serving a broken UI without warning.
Hope that helps — happy to dig deeper if you want to share the repo tree.