# Found an invalid configuration for xpack.ml.model\_repository. Illegal character in authority at index 9:

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/found-an-invalid-configuration-for-xpack-ml-model-repository-illegal-character-in-authority-at-index-9/369858>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Tags:** elastic-stack-machine-learning\
**Created:** [October 31, 2024, 3:40am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/found-an-invalid-configuration-for-xpack-ml-model-repository-illegal-character-in-authority-at-index-9/369858 "2024-10-31T03:40:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![vin2008](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/vin2008/32/138895_2.png) [@vin2008](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/vin2008)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2024, 3:40am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/found-an-invalid-configuration-for-xpack-ml-model-repository-illegal-character-in-authority-at-index-9/369858/1 "2024-10-31T03:40:48Z")

</div>

Found an invalid configuration for xpack.ml.model\_repository. Illegal character in authority at index 9: file://G:\elasticsearch-8.15.3-windows-x86\_64\elasticsearch-8.15.3/config/models/ See [ELSER – Elastic Learned Sparse EncodeR | Machine Learning in the Elastic Stack [8.15] | Elastic](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/machine-learning/8.15/ml-nlp-elser.html#air-gapped-install) for more information.

elasticsearch.yml

xpack.ml.enabled: true  
xpack.ml.model\_repository: file://${path.home}/config/models/

Getting this error when running air gapped NLP models

I am using Windows OS