# \`dvc list -R\` invalidates repo path

**URL:** https://discuss.dvc.org/t/dvc-list-r-invalidates-repo-path/551
**Category:** Questions
**Created:** [November 10, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://discuss.dvc.org/t/dvc-list-r-invalidates-repo-path/551 "2020-11-10T19:44:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Seanny123](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discuss.dvc.org/seanny123/32/60_2.png) [@Seanny123](https://discuss.dvc.org/u/Seanny123)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://discuss.dvc.org/t/dvc-list-r-invalidates-repo-path/551/1 "2020-11-10T19:44:24Z")

</div>

Given the folder structure in my `data/` folder:

```auto
nested_start
├── folder_1
│ ├── folder_a
│ │ ├── file_0.txt
│ │ └── file_1.txt
│ └── folder_b
│ ├── file_0.txt
│ └── file_1.txt
├── folder_2
│ ├── folder_a
│ │ ├── file_0.txt
│ │ └── file_1.txt
│ └── folder_b
│ ├── file_0.txt
│ └── file_1.txt
└── folder_3
    ├── folder_a
    │ ├── file_0.txt
    │ └── file_1.txt
    └── folder_b
        ├── file_0.txt
        └── file_1.txt

```

Generated by the following Python script:

```python
import itertools

from pathlib import Path

start = Path("data", "nested_start")
start.mkdir(exist_ok=True, parents=True)

for f1, f2 in itertools.product(("1", "2", "3"), ("a", "b")):
    final_folder = Path(start, f"folder_{f1}", f"folder_{f2}")
    final_folder.mkdir(exist_ok=True, parents=True)

    for file_idx in range(2):
        with (final_folder / f"file_{file_idx}.txt").open("w") as fi:
            fi.write(f"{f1} {f2} {file_idx}\n")

```

After adding and pushing, I can list this folder with:

```auto
dvc list . data/nested_start

```

However, I cannot list it recursively.

```auto
$ dvc list -R . data/nested_start
ERROR: failed to list '.' - The path 'data/nested_start' does not exist in the target repository '.' neither as a DVC output nor as a Git-tracked file. 

```

Why does `-R` make my repository invalid?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jorgeorpinel](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/discuss.dvc.org/jorgeorpinel/32/46_2.png) [@jorgeorpinel](https://discuss.dvc.org/u/jorgeorpinel)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://discuss.dvc.org/t/dvc-list-r-invalidates-repo-path/551/2 "2020-11-10T20:14:17Z")

</div>

I can confirm this is happening on DVC 1.9.1 (Win). I opened [https://github.com/iterative/dvc/issues/4875](https://github.com/iterative/dvc/issues/4875) for this, please subscribe, @Seanny123