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“Unable to open primary script” means PHP-FPM received a filesystem path that it could not open. In most cases, Nginx built the wrong SCRIPT_FILENAME from the active root, alias, URI, or include file. “No such file or directory” points to a path or filesystem-view mismatch; “Permission denied” points to directory traversal, file permissions, or mandatory access control.
Find the exact path in the Nginx error log, determine which location and FastCGI parameters won the request, then test that path from the PHP-FPM pool user’s filesystem view. The sections below provide a repeatable fix for ordinary document roots, aliases, path-info routing, and chrooted pools.
What the error actually means
Nginx does not execute PHP itself. A matching PHP location sends a FastCGI request to PHP-FPM and includes a parameter named SCRIPT_FILENAME. PHP-FPM uses that parameter as the script’s absolute pathname. A common construction is:
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;$document_root is the value of the selected root directive. $fastcgi_script_name comes from the request URI and can include an index filename when fastcgi_index applies. The concatenated result must be the path that the FPM worker can see and open.
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For a request for /index.php, a root of /var/www/site produces /var/www/site/index.php. If Nginx instead sends /var/www/html/var/www/site/index.php, or sends a host path that is outside an FPM chroot, PHP-FPM reports the primary-script failure even when a similarly named file exists elsewhere.
| Log suffix | What it usually indicates | First checks |
|---|---|---|
No such file or directory |
The path sent in SCRIPT_FILENAME does not exist from the worker’s view. |
root/alias, duplicated prefixes, URI-to-file mapping, fastcgi_index, path-info handling, and chroot. |
Permission denied |
The path exists or is being resolved, but the worker cannot traverse a directory or read the script, or a mandatory-access-control policy blocks it. | Pool identity, execute permission on every parent directory, file-read permission, and AppArmor/SELinux policy. |
The wording after the colon is important. Always diagnose the complete path and suffix shown in the error log rather than treating every “No input file specified” message as a generic PHP problem.
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1. Capture the URI, path, and suffix
Copy the full line from the Nginx error log. Record the requested URI, the path after Unable to open primary script:, and whether the message ends in No such file or directory or Permission denied. Also note whether the request is a direct PHP file, a directory ending in /, or a URL with PATH_INFO such as /index.php/account.
Do not substitute the path you expected. The path printed by the error is the value PHP-FPM actually attempted to open, so it is the most useful evidence for finding a bad prefix or chroot mismatch.
2. Inspect the location that actually handled the request
Review the complete, expanded Nginx configuration rather than only the file you normally edit:
sudo nginx -TFind every location that could match the URI, including regular-expression locations, nested locations, and locations loaded from included files. Check the winning block’s root, alias, fastcgi_param, fastcgi_index, and try_files directives.
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A second include can change the effective FastCGI parameters. Nginx inherits fastcgi_param directives only when none are defined at the current configuration level; a location-level definition or another include can therefore replace what you thought was active. Search the output of nginx -T for every SCRIPT_FILENAME assignment and for every included parameter file.
3. Calculate SCRIPT_FILENAME yourself
Substitute the actual values into the expression used by the active location. With:
root /var/www/site;and a request for /index.php, the standard expression resolves to /var/www/site/index.php. If the error log shows a different prefix, Nginx is not using the root you assumed.
Trailing-slash requests need special attention. If the URI ends in /, fastcgi_index index.php; can add index.php to $fastcgi_script_name. A request for /admin/ can therefore resolve to /var/www/site/admin/index.php. Confirm that this file exists and that the index setting matches the application’s layout.
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Be cautious with alias. An alias replaces the location prefix rather than appending the URI to a directory in the same way as root. A generic $document_root$fastcgi_script_name expression may be wrong for an aliased location, especially in a regular-expression location. Build the path explicitly for that layout and verify it against the actual file.
4. Compare the host filesystem with the FPM worker’s view
Ask whether the exact calculated pathname exists from PHP-FPM’s point of view, not merely from an interactive shell. The pool configuration can set chroot, which changes the worker’s filesystem root at startup, and chdir, which changes its working directory.
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For example, suppose the host stores the script at /var/www/site/index.php and the pool has:
chroot = /var/www/siteInside that jail, the same file is /index.php. Sending /var/www/site/index.php makes the worker look for /var/www/site/var/www/site/index.php inside the jail, so it fails. In a chrooted pool, use the path that exists inside the jail, commonly the chroot-relative $fastcgi_script_name, and make all related paths consistent with the jail.
5. Test access as the pool identity
Find the user and group configured for the relevant FPM pool. Then test the exact path using that account. For example:
namei -l /var/www/site/index.php
sudo -u www-data test -r /var/www/site/index.php && echo readableReplace www-data and the pathname with the values used by your installation. The worker needs execute (x) permission on every parent directory, not just read permission on the PHP file. A directory such as /var, /var/www, or the application directory can block traversal even when index.php is world-readable. Symlink targets also require traversal and read access.
If ordinary Unix permissions look correct but the suffix is Permission denied, inspect the system’s mandatory access-control policy. AppArmor, SELinux, or an equivalent mechanism can deny the worker independently of mode bits. Check the policy audit log and adjust the policy or file labeling for the intended document root; do not mask the problem by making the entire tree writable.
6. Reject missing scripts before sending them to FPM
Put an existence check in the PHP location:
try_files $uri =404;This converts a request for a nonexistent script into a normal 404 and prevents PHP-FPM from logging a startup error. Confirm that the check matches your routing model. If you intentionally support PATH_INFO, split the script portion and path-info portion deliberately; an overly broad regular expression can make $uri refer to a route rather than the PHP file.
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Use a mapping that matches your deployment
Standard layout without chroot
For a normal shared filesystem, a minimal PHP location is:
location ~ .php$ {
try_files $uri =404;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
}The socket pathname is only an example; use the socket configured by your PHP-FPM service. The important part is that the root selected for the request points to the same absolute tree that the FPM workers use. If the application has several roots, define the mapping in the corresponding location instead of assuming one global document root.
Fixed absolute prefix
A fixed prefix can be clearer when one virtual host always maps to one directory:
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME /srv/app$fastcgi_script_name;This is safe only when /srv/app is the real path visible to FPM for every request handled by that location. It becomes wrong after a document-root change, a second application, an alias, or a chroot unless the prefix is changed to the worker’s internal path.
Chrooted pool
With a pool rooted at /var/www/site, the host’s /var/www/site/index.php is /index.php to the worker. A chroot-aware location can therefore use:
location ~ .php$ {
try_files $uri =404;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
}Use this pattern only when the pool is actually chrooted and the URI-to-file mapping inside the jail is correct. The socket, log files, temporary directories, session storage, and working-directory paths must also be reachable under the jail’s filesystem rules. A configuration that fixes the script path but leaves logs or temporary storage outside the worker’s view can fail later in a different way.
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PATH_INFO and front-controller routing
Applications that use URLs such as /index.php/account need an explicit decision about which part is the script and which part is PATH_INFO. A plain location ~ .php$ does not match every such URL, while a permissive pattern can pass the entire URI as a filename. If you enable path-info splitting, verify that the resulting script component exists and that try_files checks that component rather than the complete route. Keep this behavior separate from ordinary direct-file handling so a typo cannot dispatch an arbitrary path to FPM.
Understand how Nginx location details create wrong paths
- Unexpected root: A more specific location can have a different
rootfrom the server block. The PHP request then uses that location’s document root. - Alias mismatch: An
aliasmaps a location prefix directly to a directory. Concatenating$document_rootand the original script name can add the URI prefix twice or point outside the alias. - Regex override: A regular-expression location can win over a prefix location and bring its own FastCGI parameters.
- Duplicate parameter include: One include may define
SCRIPT_FILENAME, while another location-level definition changes the value you expected. - Index expansion: A trailing slash combined with
fastcgi_indexadds a filename that may not exist in that directory. - Chroot prefix: A host-visible absolute path is not automatically valid inside the worker’s jail.
Choose among common layouts
| Layout | Filesystem view | Mapping source | Best fit | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared root, no chroot | Nginx and FPM see the same absolute tree. | $document_root$fastcgi_script_name or a matching fixed prefix. |
Single-site or conventional multi-site configurations. | A location override or wrong root sends a valid URI to another tree. |
| Fixed-prefix application | Both processes see one known application directory. | Hard-coded absolute prefix plus the script name. | One stable virtual host with no aliases. | The prefix becomes stale after a deployment or document-root change. |
| Chrooted pool | FPM sees paths relative to its jail; Nginx may still use host paths. | Chroot-relative script path, with jail-consistent ancillary paths. | Deployments that deliberately isolate a pool. | Passing the host prefix causes duplicated directories inside the jail. |
| Alias or PATH_INFO routing | The URI-to-file relationship is customized. | Explicit mapping and intentional script/path-info splitting. | Asset mounts, front controllers, and legacy routes. | Generic root-based formulas can point to the wrong file or accept a route as a filename. |
The safest choice is the simplest mapping that reflects the FPM worker’s actual filesystem view and rejects nonexistent scripts before dispatch. Complexity should be introduced only for a documented alias, chroot, or routing requirement.
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Validate the correction without guessing
- Run
sudo nginx -t. Do not reload a configuration that fails syntax validation. - Reload Nginx after changing its configuration, for example with
sudo systemctl reload nginxwhere systemd is used. - Reload or restart the PHP-FPM service or pool after changing pool settings such as
chroot,user, orgroup. Use the service name provided by your distribution. - Request a PHP file that is known to exist. Test the same URI through the real virtual host and, if applicable, HTTPS, because different server blocks can select different roots.
- Request a deliberately nonexistent PHP path. It should return a clean 404 from the
try_filescheck rather than an FPM primary-script error. - Check both Nginx and PHP-FPM logs after the request. The original path error should be gone, and the response should come from the intended application.
Do not declare the fix complete merely because nginx -t succeeds. Syntax validation cannot prove that the worker can see the calculated file or that the pool identity has permission to read it.
Security and operational safeguards
Keep PHP-FPM on a protected Unix socket or a restricted local endpoint. A client that can open a FastCGI connection can influence request configuration, including settings such as auto_prepend_file, and may be able to execute arbitrary code. Do not expose an unrestricted FPM listener to the public network.
Use the narrowest PHP location that your application needs, retain the existence check, and avoid broad writable permissions on the document tree. When permissions or mandatory-access-control rules must change, grant the FPM identity only the traversal and read access required for the application. Record the chosen root, alias, chroot, pool identity, and socket in deployment documentation so a later path change does not silently recreate the error.
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