# Error message , error saving to custom config: open /etc/gitea/app.ini: permission denied

**URL:** <https://forum.gitea.com/t/error-message-error-saving-to-custom-config-open-etc-gitea-app-ini-permission-denied/3741>\
**Category:** Install/Maintain/Configure\
**Created:** [September 9, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.gitea.com/t/error-message-error-saving-to-custom-config-open-etc-gitea-app-ini-permission-denied/3741 "2021-09-09T12:57:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![StefanSa](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.gitea.com/stefansa/32/1583_2.png) [@StefanSa](https://forum.gitea.com/u/StefanSa)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.gitea.com/t/error-message-error-saving-to-custom-config-open-etc-gitea-app-ini-permission-denied/3741/1 "2021-09-09T12:57:25Z")

</div>

Hi there,  
have a little strange behavior.  
If the symlink to `app.ini` is missing in `/etc/gitea`, I get this error message when i push.

```auto
setting/setting.go:1168:CreateOrAppendToCustomConf() [F] error saving to custom config: open /etc/gitea/app.ini: permission denied

```

Gitea is started via systemd with these parameters:

```auto
[Unit]
Description=Gitea (Git with a cup of tea)
After=syslog.target
After=network.target
Requires=postgresql.service
[Service]
Type=simple
User=gitea
Group=gitea
WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/gitea/
RuntimeDirectory=gitea
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/gitea web -c /etc/gitea/conf/app.ini
Restart=always
Environment=USER=gitea HOME=/home/gitea GITEA_WORK_DIR=/var/lib/gitea GITEA_CUSTOM=/etc/gitea
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

```

Why does this symlink have to be available so that you can push?  
thanks for any help here.  
Stefan