Configuration File Validation Dynaconf

configuration-file-validation-dynaconf

Summary

Validate and load Dynaconf configuration files for NPLinker data preparation, checking schema compliance and root_dir/mode settings before orchestrating multi-source genomics and metabolomics input staging.

When to use

When setting up NPLinker for natural products data mining and you have a TOML configuration file (nplinker.toml) that specifies root_dir, mode (local or podp), and paths to GNPS, AntiSMASH, and MIBiG directories. Apply this skill before DatasetLoader consumption to ensure configuration integrity and fail fast on schema or path errors.

When NOT to use

• If your configuration is already in a format other than TOML or if you have already validated and staged all input data elsewhere.
• If you are running NPLinker in a fully containerized environment where configuration is baked into the image and input paths are immutable.
• If your workflow requires custom configuration validation logic that deviates from the Dynaconf schema or NPLinker's multi-source orchestration requirements.

Inputs

• nplinker.toml configuration file
• root_dir path specified in config
• GNPS molecular networking data directory (or remote GNPS URL for podp mode)
• AntiSMASH BGC data directory
• MIBiG metadata source
• BigScape clustering results (if pre-computed)
• PODP project metadata JSON (podp mode only)

Outputs

• Validated Dynaconf configuration object
• Organized gnps directory with molecular networking data
• Organized antismash directory with BGC data
• Organized bigscape directory with clustering results (v1 or v2 format)
• MIBiG metadata directory
• Validated strain_mappings.json
• Optional validated strains_selected.json

How to apply

Load the Dynaconf configuration file (nplinker.toml) and validate it against the schema, checking that root_dir, mode (local or podp), and required settings for GNPS, BigScape, and MIBiG are present and well-formed. If validation fails, raise a configuration error immediately. For podp mode, download the PODP project metadata JSON if missing. For local mode, verify that input directories exist; for podp mode, download and extract missing data with up to 2 retries on validation failure. Support BigScape v1 (mix_clustering_c{cutoff}.tsv) and v2 (data_sqlite.db) formats. Always auto-download and replace MIBiG data. Validate strain_mappings.json (auto-generate for podp; validate for local) and optionally strains_selected.json. Return a validated arrangement of all input directories and configuration ready for DatasetLoader consumption.

Related tools

• Dynaconf (Configuration file parsing and validation engine; loads and validates nplinker.toml against schema)
• nplinker (Data mining framework that consumes validated configuration and staged input directories) — https://github.com/NPLinker/nplinker
• GNPS (Source of molecular networking data; validated and staged during configuration setup) — https://gnps.ucsd.edu
• AntiSMASH (Source of biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) data; directory validated and optionally downloaded)
• BigScape (Generates or provides BGC clustering results in v1 (TSV) or v2 (SQLite) format; auto-run if missing)
• MIBiG (Source of microbial biosynthetic gene cluster metadata; auto-downloaded and replaced during validation)
• PODP (Paired Omics Data Platform) (Remote data source for podp mode; metadata JSON downloaded and validated if not present)

Evaluation signals

• Configuration file loads without Dynaconf schema validation errors.
• root_dir exists and mode is one of {local, podp}.
• For local mode: all required input directories (gnps, antismash, mibig, bigscape if applicable) exist or are created without errors.
• For podp mode: PODP metadata JSON is successfully downloaded and project ID is valid; GNPS, AntiSMASH, and BigScape data are downloaded and extracted within 2 retries on validation failure.
• strain_mappings.json is present and valid JSON (auto-generated for podp; validated for local); strains_selected.json (if present) is valid JSON.
• BigScape data conforms to either v1 (mix_clustering_c{cutoff}.tsv files present) or v2 (data_sqlite.db present) format.
• Return object contains all validated directory paths and configuration ready for DatasetLoader.load_data().

Limitations

• Dynaconf validation is schema-strict; any missing or misspelled required keys will cause early failure.
• In podp mode, network availability is required for metadata and data download; retries are capped at 2 attempts.
• MIBiG data is always re-downloaded and replaced, which may be time-consuming for large datasets or slow network connections.
• BigScape v1 and v2 format detection is based on file presence; mixed or corrupted formats may not be detected until downstream analysis.
• strain_mappings.json auto-generation for podp mode may fail if PODP project structure is non-standard or metadata is incomplete.

Evidence

• [other] Load and validate the Dynaconf configuration file (nplinker.toml) against the schema, checking root_dir, mode (local or podp), and required settings for GNPS, BigScape, and MIBiG.: "Load and validate the Dynaconf configuration file (nplinker.toml) against the schema, checking root_dir, mode (local or podp), and required settings for GNPS, BigScape, and MIBiG."
• [other] For podp mode, download the PODP project metadata JSON file if not present and validate it.: "For podp mode, download the PODP project metadata JSON file if not present and validate it."
• [other] Check Dynaconf config validation; if it fails, raise a configuration error.: "Check Dynaconf config validation; if it fails, raise a configuration error."
• [other] For GNPS data: if in local mode and directory does not exist, raise a data validation error; if in podp mode and directory missing or invalid, download and extract GNPS data (retry up to 2 times on validation failure).: "For GNPS data: if in local mode and directory does not exist, raise a data validation error; if in podp mode and directory missing or invalid, download and extract GNPS data (retry up to 2 times on"
• [other] For BigScape data: if in local mode and directory missing, download or generate it; if in podp mode and missing/invalid, download or generate it (retry up to 2 times); support both BigScape v1 (mix_clustering_c{cutoff}.tsv) and v2 (data_sqlite.db) formats.: "For BigScape data: if in local mode and directory missing, download or generate it; if in podp mode and missing/invalid, download or generate it (retry up to 2 times); support both BigScape v1"
• [other] For MIBiG data: always download automatically, removing and replacing any existing data if needed.: "For MIBiG data: always download automatically, removing and replacing any existing data if needed."
• [other] Validate strain_mappings.json (auto-generate for podp mode; validate for local mode); optionally validate strains_selected.json if present.: "Validate strain_mappings.json (auto-generate for podp mode; validate for local mode); optionally validate strains_selected.json if present."