Experiencing ENOENT error when executing npm commands - package.json issues

Other Questions NPM
1

I’m encountering issues with my web application related to npm commands. Everything was functioning properly for a while, but recently, I’ve started getting errors when attempting to run npm start.

Initially, I receive this error message:

npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall open
npm ERR! path /Users/justinlengvarsky/Desktop/Personal Portfolio/package.json
npm ERR! errno -2
npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/Users/justinlengvarsky/Desktop/Personal Portfolio/package.json'
npm ERR! enoent This is related to npm not being able to find a file.

Subsequently, when I attempt to resolve it by including a start command in my package.json file, I come across another error:

npm ERR! Failed at the [email protected] start script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
npm WARN Local package.json exists, but node_modules missing, did you mean to install?

Here’s what my package.json file looks like:

{
  "name": "personal-portfolio",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node your-script.js",
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "repository": {
    "type": "git",
    "url": "git+https://github.com/LengvarskyJ/personal-portfolio.git"
  },
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC",
  "bugs": {
    "url": "https://github.com/LengvarskyJ/personal-portfolio/issues"
  },
  "homepage": "https://github.com/LengvarskyJ/personal-portfolio#readme"
}

I’ve tried various methods to fix this, but nothing seems to help. What am I doing wrong?

2

Looking at your error messages, there’s a fundamental mismatch in your project setup. The first ENOENT error suggests npm couldn’t locate your package.json initially, which might indicate you weren’t running the command from the correct directory. Always ensure you’re executing npm commands from the root folder containing your package.json file. Regarding the second error, your start script references “your-script.js” while your main entry point is defined as “index.js”. This inconsistency will cause execution failures even after running npm install. You need to either rename your main file to match the start script or update the start command to “node index.js”. I’ve encountered similar issues when copying package.json templates without updating the file references properly. The missing node_modules warning is straightforward - just run npm install to restore your dependencies.

3

The warning message is telling you exactly what’s wrong - you’re missing your node_modules directory. This typically happens when you clone a repository or move your project folder without the dependencies installed. Run npm install first to install all the packages your project needs. After that, check if the file referenced in your start script actually exists. Your package.json shows node your-script.js but you mentioned your main file is index.js. Either create the your-script.js file or update the start command to point to the correct entry file. The spaces in your folder path shouldn’t cause issues on most systems, but it’s generally better practice to avoid them in project directories.

4

hey, so it seems like ur start script is looking for your-script.js but it might not be there. double-check ur project for that file, or maybe just change it to index.js? also, don’t forget to run npm install to get those missing node_modules.