When working with systemd services, a common but frustrating error occurs when attempting to start a service that appears to be properly installed:

Failed to issue method call: Unit efl_test_daemon.service failed to load: No such file or directory

Despite the service file existing in /etc/systemd/system/ with correct permissions (as shown by the ls -l output), systemd claims it cannot find the file. This typically indicates a deeper configuration or syntax issue rather than a simple file presence problem.

From experience, several factors could trigger this behavior:

• Missing or incorrect file extensions (.service, .target, etc.)
• Symbolic link issues in multi-config environments
• Invalid unit file syntax that prevents parsing
• Cached unit information that needs refreshing

First, verify systemd can actually see your unit file:

systemctl list-unit-files | grep efl_test_daemon

If it doesn't appear, force systemd to reload its configuration:

systemctl daemon-reload

Then check the file's syntax (this often reveals hidden issues):

systemd-analyze verify /etc/systemd/system/efl_test_daemon.service

Consider this minimal but valid service file example that works:

[Unit]
Description=EFL Test Daemon
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/bin/efl_test_daemon
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Common mistakes that trigger our error include:

• Missing [Unit], [Service], or [Install] sections
• Incorrect section names (e.g., [unit] instead of [Unit])
• Unescaped special characters in paths

When basic checks don't resolve the issue:

# Check systemd's internal state
journalctl -xe
systemctl status efl_test_daemon.service

# Verify inode information
ls -i /etc/systemd/system/efl_test_daemon.service
stat /etc/systemd/system/efl_test_daemon.service

# Test alternative installation paths
sudo cp /etc/systemd/system/efl_test_daemon.service /lib/systemd/system/
systemctl daemon-reload

In some cases, the underlying filesystem can cause issues:

• NFS-mounted /etc/systemd/system/ directories
• Overlay filesystems in container environments
• Filesystem permission changes from security policies

Always verify the actual file accessibility:

sudo -u systemd-cat test -f /etc/systemd/system/efl_test_daemon.service && echo "Accessible"

---

When systemd reports "No such file or directory" for a service that clearly exists in /etc/systemd/system/, we're typically dealing with one of these scenarios:

# Common symptom pattern
$ systemctl start my_service.service
Failed to issue method call: Unit my_service.service failed to load: No such file or directory.

The most frequent cause is missing dependencies that aren't immediately obvious. Systemd services can fail silently if:

• Required directories don't exist
• Environment files are missing
• WantedBy targets aren't available

# 1. Verify the service file syntax
$ systemd-analyze verify /etc/systemd/system/efl_test_daemon.service

# 2. Check for masking
$ systemctl status efl_test_daemon.service

# 3. Force systemd to reload its configuration
$ systemctl daemon-reload

# 4. Check journal logs for detailed errors
$ journalctl -xe -u efl_test_daemon.service

Case 1: Incorrect file permissions despite correct location

# Solution:
chmod 644 /etc/systemd/system/efl_test_daemon.service
systemctl daemon-reload

Case 2: Missing ExecStartPre directories

[Service]
ExecStartPre=/bin/mkdir -p /var/run/myservice  # Add this if missing
ExecStart=/usr/bin/myservice

For stubborn cases, use systemd's debug mode:

# Run in debug mode
SYSTEMD_LOG_LEVEL=debug systemctl start efl_test_daemon.service

# Alternatively, check the cgroup hierarchy
systemd-cgls

[Unit]
Description=My Resilient Service
After=network.target
Requires=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=serviceuser
Group=servicegroup
RuntimeDirectory=myservice
ExecStartPre=/bin/mkdir -p /var/log/myservice
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/myservice --config /etc/myservice.conf
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target