diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/sketches-service-impl.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/sketches-service-impl.ts
index 9cbee96c4..4fe6c1de1 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/sketches-service-impl.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/node/sketches-service-impl.ts
@@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ export class SketchesServiceImpl
 
   private async exists(pathLike: string): Promise<boolean> {
     try {
-      await fs.access(pathLike, constants.R_OK | constants.W_OK);
+      await fs.access(pathLike, constants.R_OK);
       return true;
     } catch {
       return false;