# Should I put Spring XML files in <tt>META-INF/spring</tt> or <tt>WEB-INF</tt>?

You should put Spring application context XML configuration files in the <tt>WEB-INF</tt> directory of a web application bundle and in the <tt>META-INF/spring</tt> directory of a non-web bundle.

Putting these files in the <tt>META-INF/spring</tt> directory of a web application bundle is a common mistake and produces unpredictable results since Spring DM will attempt to build an application context independently of, and asynchronously from, the web application.