Reserved paths

URL paths reserved by Metro and Expo Router that you should avoid using for routes or static files.

If you create a route or place static files at certain URL paths, Metro or Expo Router will intercept the request instead of serving your content. Depending on the path, this can result in a "404 Asset not found" error or your page being silently replaced by an internal dev server response.

/assets/*

Metro serves all bundled assets (images, fonts, and other files) at this path. If you create a route at app/assets.tsx or a directory at public/assets/, Metro intercepts the request and your content is never reached.

This applies to both top-level routes and static files:

Rename your route or directory to avoid the conflict:

/_expo/*

Expo Router uses this path for multiple internal middlewares, including dev tools and manifests. Do not create routes or static files under this path.

/_flight/*

React Server Components use this path internally. Do not create routes or static files under this path.

/inspector

React Native uses /inspector/debug and /inspector/network for the debugger. Avoid creating routes that match /inspector or its sub-paths.

/expo-dev-plugins/*

Expo development tool plugins use this path. Do not create routes or static files under this path.

/manifest

The dev server serves the native app manifest at this path. If you create a route at app/manifest.tsx, the dev server responds with manifest JSON instead of your page. Your route will appear to silently not load during development.

/_sitemap

Expo Router automatically generates a sitemap route at this path for debugging. If you create a route at app/_sitemap.tsx, it will override the built-in sitemap. See Sitemap for more details on this feature.

/public/*

If your project has a public directory, the /public URL path may conflict with static file serving. Avoid creating a route at app/public.tsx or app/public/index.tsx since the path is implicitly reserved when the public directory exists.

/favicon.ico

Unlike the paths above, /favicon.ico is safe to override. Expo CLI serves a default favicon when none is provided. You can replace it by placing a favicon.ico file in your public directory or by creating an API route.