# Payu not locating archive directory **URL:** \ **Category:** Technical\ **Tags:** cosima, payu, acc\ **Created:** [17 September 2025 02:19 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243 "2025-09-17T02:19:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ongqingyee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/ongqingyee/32/126_2.png) [@ongqingyee](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/ongqingyee)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 02:19 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/1 "2025-09-17T02:19:24Z")
Hello! I have an OM2 experiment and the config files are here: `/home/561/qo9901/access-om2/1deg_esm1p5_hist_atm`. The config was originally created by following the payu clone instructions [here](https://docs.access-hive.org.au/models/run-a-model/run-access-om2/) and then making 20 billion changes so that ESM forcing can be used. I tried to push a copy to my personal [github](https://github.com/ongqingyee/1deg_esm1p5_multiyrtest), but in the process I must have disconnected my exp config from the original archive directory, with the restarts later in the experiment. The archive folder I want to reach is: `/scratch/if69/qo9901/access-om2/archive/1deg_esm1p5_hist_atm-expt-b6610589`. I added a symlink to this folder in the experiment config file so the restart file can be read and the experiment can be carried on from where I left off, but whenever I do `payu sweep` or `payu setup`, it makes a new experiment uuid and archive dir on scratch so I cannot continue the original experiment. Any help on fixing this would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![minghangli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/minghangli/32/1699_2.png) [@minghangli](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/minghangli)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 04:31 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/2 "2025-09-17T04:31:02Z")
Is it directing to `/scratch/if69/qo9901/access-om2/archive/1deg_esm1p5_hist_atm-expt-dd1f8a19`? ---
**Author:** ![ongqingyee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/ongqingyee/32/126_2.png) [@ongqingyee](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/ongqingyee)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 04:38 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/3 "2025-09-17T04:38:11Z")
at the moment yes, I just want it to link back to the `/1deg_esm1p5_hist_atm-expt-b6610589` one ---
**Author:** ![minghangli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/minghangli/32/1699_2.png) [@minghangli](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/minghangli)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 05:09 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/4 "2025-09-17T05:09:15Z")
Sorry for the delayed reply. Could you confirm this directory /scratch/if69/qo9901/access-om2/archive/1deg\_esm1p5\_hist\_atm-expt-b6610589 exists? I dont have permisson to that folder. ---
**Author:** ![minghangli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/minghangli/32/1699_2.png) [@minghangli](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/minghangli)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 05:18 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/5 "2025-09-17T05:18:05Z")
If the data is available, you can replace the `experiment_uuid` in `metadata.yaml` with `b6610589-c5bd-4d1d-9939-8be93a3d5a76`. Then create a symbolic link with, ```bash ln -s /scratch/if69/qo9901/access-om2/archive/1deg_esm1p5_hist_atm-expt-b6610589 archive ``` ---
**Author:** ![minghangli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/minghangli/32/1699_2.png) [@minghangli](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/minghangli)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 05:19 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/6 "2025-09-17T05:19:15Z")
---
**Author:** ![ongqingyee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/ongqingyee/32/126_2.png) [@ongqingyee](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/ongqingyee)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 05:47 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/7 "2025-09-17T05:47:20Z")
> [@minghangli](#): > > 1deg\_esm1p5\_hist\_atm-expt-b6610589 Should I be changing the metadata.yaml file and make the symbolic link before or after the payu sweep step? I thought I tried both but it kept making a new experiment uuid. ---
**Author:** ![ongqingyee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/ongqingyee/32/126_2.png) [@ongqingyee](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/ongqingyee)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 06:57 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/8 "2025-09-17T06:57:15Z")
@minghangli I did what you suggested after the payu sweep, so when I ran the model the uuid and archive was directed correctly. However, when I ran the model and checked the metadata.yaml in my exp directory again, the uuid has now changed. It looks like the uuid will be overridden when I do payu run? ---
**Author:** ![minghangli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/minghangli/32/1699_2.png) [@minghangli](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/minghangli)\ **Post date:** [17 September 2025 23:04 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/9 "2025-09-17T23:04:22Z")
Hi @ongqingyee , As suggested by @Aidan (recreated your issue), the problem is that your working directory and branch name don’t match the name of your `archive` directory. In this case, your working directory is `1deg_esm1p5_hist_atm`, branch is `main`,`archive` is `1deg_esm1p5_hist_atm-expt-b6610589` (directory = 1deg\_esm1p5\_hist\_atm, branch = expt, uuid = b6610589) To align everything: 1. First create or switch to the correct branch: ```auto payu checkout -b expt ``` 1. Then update the `experiment_uuid` in your `metadata.yaml` to `b6610589-c5bd-4d1d-9939-8be93a3d5a76`. 2. Don’t need to create the `archive` symlink manually cuz `payu` will handle that for you. Let me know if it works or not 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ongqingyee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/ongqingyee/32/126_2.png) [@ongqingyee](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/ongqingyee)\ **Post date:** [18 September 2025 02:12 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/10 "2025-09-18T02:12:01Z")
Thanks minghang. Long story short, I got it to run, but I ended up staying on the main branch so it links with my [github](https://github.com/ongqingyee/1deg_esm1p5_multiyrtest) and renaming my archive directory. I therefore also had to create the symlink manually. New archive dir name: 1deg\_esm1p5\_hist\_atm-b6610589 The main branch was created when I tried to share the config to github. If there is a better way to keep track of config changes (e.g. forking from the NRI release at the very start), that would be super helpful. ---
**Author:** ![minghangli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.access-hive.org.au/minghangli/32/1699_2.png) [@minghangli](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/u/minghangli)\ **Post date:** [18 September 2025 03:20 UTC](https://forum.access-hive.org.au/t/payu-not-locating-archive-directory/5243/11 "2025-09-18T03:20:48Z")
Great to hear it works! > but I ended up staying on the main branch so it links with my [github](https://github.com/ongqingyee/1deg_esm1p5_multiyrtest) and renaming my archive directory. I therefore also had to create the symlink manually. It looks like you changed the names and checked out branches using `git checkout` instead of `payu checkout`. That’s likely why you had to create the symlink manually? > If there is a better way to keep track of config changes (e.g. forking from the NRI release at the very start), that would be super helpful. I’d recommend sticking with `payu` commands for such - for example, [Usage — payu 1.1.7+46.ga662f10 documentation](https://payu.readthedocs.io/en/latest/usage.html#usage-metadata:~:text=the%20experiment%20name.-,Switching%20between%20related%20experiments,-%C2%B6) in the Payu docs gives a good overview of how to manage metadata and experiment names cleanly.