diff --git a/server/private/lib/readConfigFile.ts b/server/private/lib/readConfigFile.ts
index 7a65f795..a983f39c 100644
--- a/server/private/lib/readConfigFile.ts
+++ b/server/private/lib/readConfigFile.ts
@@ -174,6 +174,9 @@ export function readPrivateConfigFile() {
 
     // test if the config file is there
     if (!fs.existsSync(privateConfigFilePath1)) {
+        console.warn(
+            `Private configuration file not found at ${privateConfigFilePath1}. Using default configuration.`
+        );
         // load the default values of the zod schema and return those
         return privateConfigSchema.parse({});
     }