RUNTIME_FIXES_SUMMARY.md

Runtime Fixes Summary

Overview

This document summarizes the complete fixes applied to resolve runtime errors in the Legal Dashboard OCR application, specifically addressing:

1. SQLite Database Path Issues (sqlite3.OperationalError: unable to open database file)
2. Hugging Face Transformers Cache Permissions (/.cache not writable)

🔧 Complete Fixes Applied

1. SQLite Database Path Fix

File Modified: app/services/database_service.py

Changes:

• Updated default database path to /app/data/legal_dashboard.db
• Added directory creation with os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(self.db_path), exist_ok=True)
• Added check_same_thread=False parameter for better thread safety

Code Changes:

def __init__(self, db_path: str = "/app/data/legal_dashboard.db"):
    self.db_path = db_path
    self.connection = None
    # Create directory if it doesn't exist
    os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(self.db_path), exist_ok=True)
    self._init_database()

def _init_database(self):
    """Initialize database and create tables"""
    try:
        self.connection = sqlite3.connect(self.db_path, check_same_thread=False)
        # ... rest of initialization

2. Hugging Face Cache Permissions Fix

File Modified: app/main.py

Changes:

• Added directory creation for both /app/cache and /app/data
• Set environment variable TRANSFORMERS_CACHE to /app/cache
• Ensured directories are created before any imports

Code Changes:

# Create directories and set environment variables
os.makedirs("/app/cache", exist_ok=True)
os.makedirs("/app/data", exist_ok=True)
os.environ["TRANSFORMERS_CACHE"] = "/app/cache"

3. Dockerfile Complete Updates

File Modified: Dockerfile

Changes:

• Added directory creation for /app/data and /app/cache
• Set proper permissions (777) for both directories
• Added environment variables TRANSFORMERS_CACHE and HF_HOME
• Ensured directories are created before copying application files

Code Changes:

# Create volume-safe directories with proper permissions
RUN mkdir -p /app/data /app/cache && chmod -R 777 /app/data /app/cache

# Set environment variables for Hugging Face cache
ENV TRANSFORMERS_CACHE=/app/cache
ENV HF_HOME=/app/cache

4. Docker Ignore Updates

File Modified: .dockerignore

Changes:

• Added cache directory exclusions to prevent permission issues
• Preserved data directory for database persistence
• Excluded old database files while allowing new structure

Code Changes:

# Cache directories (exclude to prevent permission issues)
cache/
/app/cache/

🎯 Expected Results

After applying these complete fixes, the application should:

1. Database Operations:

   • Successfully create and access SQLite database at /app/data/legal_dashboard.db
   • No more sqlite3.OperationalError: unable to open database file errors
   • Database persists across container restarts

2. Hugging Face Models:

   • Successfully download and cache models in /app/cache
   • No more cache permission errors
   • Models load correctly on first run
   • Environment variables properly set for HF cache

3. Container Deployment:

   • Builds successfully on Hugging Face Docker SDK
   • Runs without permission-related runtime errors
   • Maintains data persistence in volume-safe directories
   • FastAPI boots without SQLite errors

🧪 Validation

A comprehensive validation script has been created (validate_fixes.py) that tests:

• Database path creation and access
• Cache directory setup and permissions
• Dockerfile configuration with environment variables
• Main.py updates for directory creation
• Docker ignore settings

Run the validation script to verify all fixes are working:

cd legal_dashboard_ocr
python validate_fixes.py

📁 Directory Structure

After fixes, the container will have this structure:

/app/
├── data/           # Database storage (persistent)
│   └── legal_dashboard.db
├── cache/          # HF model cache (persistent)
│   └── transformers/
├── app/            # Application code
├── frontend/       # Frontend files
└── requirements.txt

🔒 Security Considerations

• Database and cache directories have 777 permissions for container compatibility
• In production, consider more restrictive permissions if security is a concern
• Database files are stored in persistent volumes
• Cache can be cleared without affecting application functionality

🚀 Deployment

The application is now ready for deployment on Hugging Face Spaces with:

1. No database initialization errors
2. No cache permission errors
3. Persistent data storage
4. Proper model caching
5. Environment variables properly configured
6. FastAPI boots successfully on port 7860

All runtime errors related to file permissions, database access, and Hugging Face cache should be completely resolved.

✅ Complete Fix Checklist

• SQLite database path updated to /app/data/legal_dashboard.db
• Database directory creation with proper permissions
• Hugging Face cache directory set to /app/cache
• Environment variables TRANSFORMERS_CACHE and HF_HOME configured
• Dockerfile updated with directory creation and environment variables
• Main.py updated with directory creation and environment setup
• Docker ignore updated to exclude cache directories
• Validation script created to test all fixes
• Documentation updated with complete fix summary