AEM SightlyException: Failed to obtain a rhino JavaScript engine when opening pages

Last update: July 16, 2026

This article explains how to resolve an issue in Adobe Experience Manager where authors encounter blank pages and a SightlyException error related to the Rhino JavaScript engine.

Description description

Environment

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) (all versions)

Symptoms

When opening any page in the author environment, blank pages are displayed.
The following error appears in the AEM error logs:
org.apache.sling.scripting.sightly.SightlyException: Failed to obtain a rhino JavaScript engine.
Authors are unable to view or edit pages.
The issue occurs on every page load in the production author environment.

Cause

This issue is typically caused by a transient failure in the embedded JavaScript engine (Rhino) used by Sling Scripting Sightly.

Resolution resolution

To resolve the issue, follow these steps:

Restart the AEM author instance where the issue is occurring.
After the restart, verify that authors can open and edit pages as expected.
Monitor the error logs to ensure the SightlyException no longer appears.

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