# Where does rake get its default rakefile? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [February 18, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-does-rake-get-its-default-rakefile/183714 "2010-02-18T23:45:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pitosalas)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-does-rake-get-its-default-rakefile/183714/1 "2010-02-18T23:45:52Z")
In Rails 2.3.x, in a rails app directory, I type “rake”. The top rakefile is sitting right there but it has almost nothing in it. Obviously rake is looking elsewhere for the collection of default tasks. Where is it looking? I can’t figure it out… Thanks for any assistance, Pito ---
**Author:** ![pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pitosalas)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-does-rake-get-its-default-rakefile/183714/2 "2010-02-18T23:53:20Z")
> In Rails 2.3.x, in a rails app directory, I type “rake”. > > The top rakefile is sitting right there but it has almost nothing in > it. > Obviously rake is looking elsewhere for the collection of default > tasks. > > Where is it looking? I can’t figure it out… Follow the rabbit down the trail… Rakefile require’s config/boot. That file defines some things and runs Rails.boot! Which does some more stuff. At some point along that trail it’s picking up the default tasks. -philip ---
**Author:** ![pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pitosalas)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-does-rake-get-its-default-rakefile/183714/3 "2010-02-18T23:55:22Z")
Philip H. wrote: > > In Rails 2.3.x, in a rails app directory, I type “rake”. > > > > The top rakefile is sitting right there but it has almost nothing in > > it. > > Obviously rake is looking elsewhere for the collection of default > > tasks. > > > > Where is it looking? I can’t figure it out… > > Follow the rabbit down the trail… > > Rakefile require’s config/boot. That file defines some things and > runs Rails.boot! Which does some more stuff. At some point along that > trail it’s picking up the default tasks. > > -philip Yeah I did follow the rabbit before I posted but I got lost down there… So there’s no simple answer, like different tasks come from different places? ---
**Author:** ![pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pitosalas)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-does-rake-get-its-default-rakefile/183714/4 "2010-02-19T00:58:19Z")
> > Follow the rabbit down the trail… > > different places? > > Ah. Gotcha. The default rails tasks come out of vendor/rails/railties/lib/tasks. You’re own tasks get picked up out of lib/tasks. Plugin tasks come out of vendor/plugins/\*\*\*\*/tasks. -philip ---
**Author:** ![pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pitosalas)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-does-rake-get-its-default-rakefile/183714/5 "2010-02-19T18:48:39Z")
Philip H. wrote: > > > Follow the rabbit down the trail… > > > different places? > > > Ah. Gotcha. > > The default rails tasks come out of vendor/rails/railties/lib/tasks. > You’re own tasks get picked up out of lib/tasks. > Plugin tasks come out of vendor/plugins/\*\*\*\*/tasks. > > -philip Philip thanks,but let me admit my ignorance some more… My rails is not in vendor (which is not surprising from my understanding that this only happens when you freeze rails into the app…) So a further pointer? ---
**Author:** ![pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@pitosalas](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pitosalas)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-does-rake-get-its-default-rakefile/183714/6 "2010-02-19T19:21:12Z")
On Feb 19, 5:48 pm, Pito S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Philip thanks,but let me admit my ignorance some more… My rails is not > in vendor (which is not surprising from my understanding that this only > happens when you freeze rails into the app…) So a further pointer? Requiring boot sets things up so that the rails gems are ready to be required or the appropriate folders in vendor/rails are put on the load path, which then ensures that the require ‘tasks/rails’ line in the default Rakefile can be run (which maps to railties/lib/tasks/ rails.rb) which goes off and finds \*.rake files in the rails framework. Fred