Match the report title.
Look for "RSC_007 referenced resource could not be found" or the closest title above. Keep the original EPUBCheck, KDP, or Kindle Previewer wording if it differs.
EPUB error guide
Referenced resource could not be found or OPF_010
Scan when an EPUB resource cannot be found or a packaged filename breaks OCF rules. Match the source reference, real ZIP path, and dependent links before renaming anything.
You see
The message matches this guide.
Choose this guide when your KDP, Kindle Previewer, or EPUBCheck wording matches "RSC_007 referenced resource could not be found" or a close variant.
You get
An affected EPUB path and decision.
The report points to the package, OPF, nav, XHTML, resource, anchor, metadata, or ZIP area behind the message.
Do not upload
The issue is outside EPUB structure.
Use the source tool or publishing workflow for DOCX, PDF, KPF, fixed-layout, DRM, cover design, KDP listing, or review problems.
Scan when the message does not name the affected path. The report shows affected paths and repair decisions, not manuscript text.
No signup before the scan report.Checks EPUB package paths, not manuscript text.Repair download only after EPUBCheck passes again.
Need fixed-layout, DRM, or source-file help? Check unsupported or review-first EPUB cases.
Match these report titles
- RSC_007 referenced resource could not be found
- Referenced resource could not be found in the EPUB
- OPF_010 error resolving reference
- Error resolving reference
- PKG_009 filename contains OCF forbidden characters
- PKG_010 filename contains spaces or URI escaping is necessary
- PKG_011 filename ends with a period
- EPUB filename needs normalization
- Missing image target
- Missing resource target
Use this guide when
Your message matches "RSC_007 referenced resource could not be found" or one of the report titles above.
Upload if
You have the exported reflowable .epub and need the affected path, file, field, or repair decision before editing.
Handle outside this tool
Use the source tool or publishing workflow for DOCX, PDF, KPF, KCB, fixed-layout, comics, image-first books, DRM, visual design, or KDP listing and approval problems.
Read the scan report
Decide if this report item matches.
Use the report label, affected file, and repair decision together. A matching title alone is not enough if the file path or EPUB structure points to a different problem.
A useful report does not stop at the error name. It connects the message to an internal file and a next action.
Check the affected file first.
Use the Affected area, Source file, Target file, or Problem type rows before editing OPF, nav, XHTML, CSS, or image paths.
Follow the repair decision.
Repairable means one clear structural change. Needs review or Not supported means use the named file, source project, or platform step.
Keep with your repair note.
Copy these fields from the report instead of rebuilding the fix from memory.
Source file
Target path or field
Original error
Repair decision
Next step
1. Example report output
What the scan report should show.
A useful report should name both sides of the broken reference: where the pointer lives and which packaged file it tried to reach.
Source file
OEBPS/Text/chapter1.xhtml
Broken target
../Images/Cover.jpg
Closest match
OEBPS/images/cover.jpg
Filename rule
Whether PKG_009, PKG_010, or PKG_011 requires a path or filename correction.
Decision
For RSC_007, automatic repair requires one existing path that differs only by case or URL encoding. Filename rules use their own collision checks.
If no matching file exists, restore the image from the source project instead of generating a placeholder.
2. Next step
Use the report to choose scan, manual check, or source repair.
This error is only actionable after you know whether the target file exists somewhere in the EPUB.
Upload scan
Use this when you only have the validator message.
The scanner can locate the XHTML, CSS, nav, NCX, or OPF file that contains the broken pointer.
Manual check
Use this when several files look similar.
A missing-resource error can have several near matches, such as cover.jpg, Cover.JPG, and cover-new.jpg. Open the source XHTML, CSS, nav, NCX, or OPF reference and choose the target only when the surrounding chapter, image, or stylesheet context proves which file the book meant to use.
Repair summary
Use this when the file is truly missing.
If the target file is not packaged anywhere in the EPUB, do not create a blank replacement. Keep the validator message, source file, missing target, and original export project together so the real image, chapter, stylesheet, nav file, or NCX file can be restored.
3. Concrete path example
A real missing-resource path usually looks like this.
The important detail is the internal EPUB path, not the folder path on your computer.
Source: OEBPS/Text/chapter1.xhtml Broken: ../Images/Cover.jpg Found: OEBPS/Images/cover.jpg Fix: update only because the resolved path differs by case and is unique
If the package has no cover image at all, the next step is source repair, not automatic replacement.
Quick decision
Decide whether this is a path fix or a missing-file problem.
Use the exact internal path from the validator. The right next step changes depending on whether the target exists somewhere in the EPUB.
Scan first
You only have the KDP or Previewer message.
Upload the EPUB so the report can show the source file and missing target instead of making you search every XHTML, CSS, nav, NCX, and OPF file by hand.
Safe fix
The path difference or filename rule is deterministic.
For RSC_007, the existing path must differ only by case or URL encoding. For PKG filename rules, rename only when every detected reference can be updated and no collision or script reference is possible.
Stop
The target file is not in the package.
Restore the missing image, stylesheet, chapter, nav, or NCX file from the source project. Do not create placeholder content just to pass validation.
Start here
Find the missing target before you rename or delete anything.
This message is about a path inside the EPUB, not a file on your desktop. Copy the validator wording, the file that contains the reference if it is shown, and the missing target path exactly as written.
What it means
A chapter, stylesheet, navigation file, NCX file, OPF entry, or image reference is asking for a file name the EPUB package cannot resolve.
Can it be fixed automatically?
For RSC_007, a checked repair requires exactly one existing path that differs only by letter case, URL encoding, or both. PKG_009 or PKG_011 filename normalization is separate and requires one collision-free target with every detected reference safely updateable.
What to check next
Copy the exact missing target path from the message, including folder name, capitalization, spaces, URL-encoded characters, and anything after a # symbol.
What not to assume
If the target image, CSS, XHTML, nav, or NCX file is truly absent, the safe fix is to restore it from the source project or remove the broken reference with intent. The tool should not create a blank image, invent a stylesheet, or guess which chapter the author meant.
Common situations
Match the missing resource to the file that points at it.
The same message can come from several places inside the EPUB. Start with the source type before choosing a repair.
A chapter points to an image that is not packaged.
The source is usually an XHTML img src. This may be a cover, figure, map, or decorative image removed during compression.
Align automatically only when one existing path differs by case or URL encoding. A moved, renamed, or absent image must be restored or selected manually.
A stylesheet imports a file that was moved.
CSS url() or @import can reference fonts, images, or another stylesheet with a relative path that no longer works.
Check the CSS file's folder before editing the path; relative paths are resolved from the CSS file, not from the EPUB root.
Navigation points to an old chapter file.
nav.xhtml or toc.ncx can keep a stale chapter path after an export, split, or folder rename.
Update automatically only for one case or URL-encoding difference. A changed chapter name or folder requires manual reading-order confirmation.
The OPF references a resource that was removed.
A manifest item or package-level reference can point to a file that no longer exists in the ZIP.
Remove or repair the OPF reference only after confirming whether the file is unused or should be restored.
PKG_009 or PKG_011 names an invalid packaged filename.
The path may contain OCF-forbidden characters, control characters, an overlong segment, or a trailing period that strict readers reject.
Rename and update detected references only when the normalized path is unique, the file is outside META-INF, and scripts cannot contain hidden references.
The missing-resource or OPF_010 message to copy
RSC_007 or OPF_010 resource path error; PKG_009, PKG_010, or PKG_011 packaged filename error.
Where this missing-resource message tends to appear
KDP, Kindle Previewer, or EPUBCheck may reject an EPUB that still opens in Calibre because one packaged file points to another file that is not present at that exact internal path.
What it means
The problem is usually an exact-path or packaged-filename mismatch.
A chapter, stylesheet, navigation file, NCX file, OPF entry, or image reference is asking for a file name the EPUB package cannot resolve.
The target may have been renamed, moved, written with different letter case or URL encoding, given an OCF-invalid filename, left with a trailing period, removed during cleanup, or omitted from the OPF manifest.
Before you edit
Compare the reported EPUB path with the real package contents.
Treat the EPUB like a case-sensitive ZIP package. Letter case, percent encoding, OCF-forbidden characters, or a trailing period can fail even when the desktop file looks harmless.
- 1Copy the exact missing target path from the message, including folder name, capitalization, spaces, URL-encoded characters, and anything after a # symbol.
- 2Find the file that contains the broken reference when the validator gives a source line, such as a chapter XHTML file, nav.xhtml, toc.ncx, a CSS file, or content.opf.
- 3Open the EPUB as a package and check whether the target exists at the exact path. Do not rely on a desktop folder search that ignores case.
- 4If a similar file exists, automatic RSC_007 repair is limited to one equivalent path after case or URL-encoding comparison. Moved folders, renamed files, and different relative targets remain manual.
- 5For PKG_009 or PKG_011, check whether the proposed filename would collide with another path, sits under META-INF, or may be referenced from scripts before renaming it.
- 6If the target exists and is part of the book, check whether content.opf declares it when the resource type requires a manifest entry.
- 7If the file is truly missing, restore it from the source project or remove the broken reference instead of inventing a replacement.
Why KDP checks it
Why KDP and EPUBCheck care about the missing path.
EPUBCheck
EPUBCheck checks EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files against the official rules and reports package, markup, link, and file-reference problems.
EPUB 3.3 package rules
The OPF file is the EPUB's map: metadata, file list, reading order, and navigation wiring. KDP and EPUBCheck use it to decide whether the book package is coherent.
Can this be fixed safely?
When this missing-resource error is safe to repair.
When automatic repair is safe
For RSC_007, a checked repair requires exactly one existing path that differs only by letter case, URL encoding, or both. PKG_009 or PKG_011 filename normalization is separate and requires one collision-free target with every detected reference safely updateable.
When you need manual review
If the target image, CSS, XHTML, nav, or NCX file is truly absent, the safe fix is to restore it from the source project or remove the broken reference with intent. The tool should not create a blank image, invent a stylesheet, or guess which chapter the author meant.
Before / after example
Before: chapter1.xhtml links to images/Cover.jpg while the package contains images/cover.jpg. After: use the packaged path. Before: an image filename ends in a period and every reference is detectable. After: normalize the filename and links together. A truly missing file still stops for source repair.
Ready to retry?
Scan the EPUB if you only have the error text.
The scan is useful when the message does not clearly show whether the broken pointer is in a chapter, nav file, NCX file, stylesheet, or OPF manifest.
Upload EPUB to scanFAQ
Questions authors ask about referenced resources and OPF_010.
How do I fix referenced resource could not be found in the EPUB?
Start with the exact path in the validator message. An RSC_007 reference is automatic only when one existing packaged path differs by case or URL encoding. A separate manifest error follows its own evidence; missing, moved, or renamed files remain manual.
What if EPUBCheck says OPF_010 error resolving reference?
Treat it as the same path-resolution family first. Start with the OPF file location, the exact href, and the real packaged target before renaming files or editing many manifest entries.
What if EPUBCheck says filename contains spaces or URI escaping is necessary?
That usually means the package path and the reference disagree about spaces or percent encoding. Compare the exact ZIP entry with the exact href before renaming anything.
What do PKG_009 and PKG_011 filename errors mean?
PKG_009 points to characters EPUB packaging rules do not allow, while PKG_011 points to a filename ending in a period. Rename only when the new path is unique and every detected reference can be updated with it.
Can a path case mismatch or %20 encoding issue cause this error?
Yes. Folder case, spaces, and percent-encoded characters can make a path fail in strict EPUB validation even when a similar-looking file exists in the package.
Why does KDP reject my EPUB if it opens locally?
Many reading apps, including Calibre, tolerate broken internal references. KDP, Kindle Previewer, and EPUBCheck are stricter because missing images, stylesheets, nav files, or XHTML targets can break the published Kindle file.
Is RSC_007 always caused by a missing image?
No. RSC_007 can come from images, CSS files, chapter XHTML files, OPF manifest entries, nav links, or NCX references. The missing target depends on which internal pointer fails.
Can EPUB Fixer repair this automatically?
For RSC_007, only when exactly one existing packaged path differs by case or URL encoding. Deterministic PKG filename normalization and confirmed manifest repairs use separate rules. Missing, moved, renamed, or ambiguous resources stop for manual work.
What path matters most in this error?
Use the path inside the EPUB message, not the path of the EPUB file on your computer. The broken part is usually an internal href, src, CSS url(), nav, NCX, or OPF reference.
Can I just delete the broken link?
Only when you know the resource is unused. Deleting a cover image, stylesheet, footnote file, or chapter link can make the validator quieter while damaging the book.