create-react-app: npm start not working, react-scripts not found

Question

NPM start does not work.

Node: v12.6.0 npm: 6.10.0

Note: I put the project directory into the Trash, and ran npm start in there and it worked. Does anyone have any idea why it's working?

What I've tried:

1. Used initialization commands as given by create-react-app:

    npx create-react-app my-app
    cd my-app
    npm start

2. installed the latest version of npm

3. installed the latest version of node

4. reinstalled node modules

5. deleted node and npm and reinstalled

sh: react-scripts: command not found
npm ERR! file sh
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall spawn
npm ERR! new@0.1.0 start: `react-scripts start`
npm ERR! spawn ENOENT
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the new@0.1.0 start script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     /Users/work/.npm/_logs/2019-07-09T16_26_11_301Z-debug.log

npm ls react

└── react@16.8.6

{
  "name": "new",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^16.8.6",
    "react-dom": "^16.8.6",
    "react-scripts": "3.0.1"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "start": "react-scripts start",
    "build": "react-scripts build",
    "test": "react-scripts test",
    "eject": "react-scripts eject"
  },
  "eslintConfig": {
    "extends": "react-app"
  },
  "browserslist": {
    "production": [
      ">0.2%",
      "not dead",
      "not op_mini all"
    ],
    "development": [
      "last 1 chrome version",
      "last 1 firefox version",
      "last 1 safari version"
    ]
  }
}

Full Error Log

0 info it worked if it ends with ok
1 verbose cli [
1 verbose cli   '/Users/work/.nvm/versions/node/v12.6.0/bin/node',
1 verbose cli   '/Users/work/.nvm/versions/node/v12.6.0/bin/npm',
1 verbose cli   'start'
1 verbose cli ]
2 info using npm@6.10.0
3 info using node@v12.6.0
4 verbose run-script [ 'prestart', 'start', 'poststart' ]
5 info lifecycle new@0.1.0~prestart: new@0.1.0
6 info lifecycle new@0.1.0~start: new@0.1.0
7 verbose lifecycle new@0.1.0~start: unsafe-perm in lifecycle true
8 verbose lifecycle new@0.1.0~start: PATH: /Users/work/.nvm/versions/node/v12.6.0/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/npm-lifecycle/node-gyp-bin:/Users/work/Documents/Summer_2019_Study/Node/odin-node/Project2:MiniMessageBoard/frontend/new/new/node_modules/.bin:/usr/local/mysql/bin:/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin:/Users/work/.nvm/versions/node/v12.6.0/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/Current/Commands:/Applications/Postgres.app/Contents/Versions/latest/bin
9 verbose lifecycle new@0.1.0~start: CWD: /Users/work/Documents/Summer_2019_Study/Node/odin-node/Project2:MiniMessageBoard/frontend/new/new
10 silly lifecycle new@0.1.0~start: Args: [ '-c', 'react-scripts start' ]
11 info lifecycle new@0.1.0~start: Failed to exec start script
12 verbose stack Error: new@0.1.0 start: `react-scripts start`
12 verbose stack spawn ENOENT
12 verbose stack     at ChildProcess.<anonymous> (/Users/work/.nvm/versions/node/v12.6.0/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/npm-lifecycle/lib/spawn.js:48:18)
12 verbose stack     at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:203:13)
12 verbose stack     at maybeClose (internal/child_process.js:1021:16)
12 verbose stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:283:5)
13 verbose pkgid new@0.1.0
14 verbose cwd /Users/work/Documents/Summer_2019_Study/Node/odin-node/Project2:MiniMessageBoard/frontend/new/new
15 verbose Darwin 17.7.0
16 verbose argv "/Users/work/.nvm/versions/node/v12.6.0/bin/node" "/Users/work/.nvm/versions/node/v12.6.0/bin/npm" "start"
17 verbose node v12.6.0
18 verbose npm  v6.10.0
19 error file sh
20 error code ELIFECYCLE
21 error errno ENOENT
22 error syscall spawn
23 error new@0.1.0 start: `react-scripts start`
23 error spawn ENOENT
24 error Failed at the new@0.1.0 start script.
24 error This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
25 verbose exit [ 1, true ]

react-scripts won't install even after trying several times

What can I do now?

I am thinking there is an error with Node. I have both a /usr/local npm file as well as an npm file within nvm folder.

Answer 1

You can see debug option above scripts object. just run it and you are good to go.

Answer 2

I had same problem like yours. I tried all the answers on this post and none helped me. I had the trouble in the path, it had a non acepted character (double dot in my case ':').

I modified the path and the problem was solved. Maybe for this reason your project runs on trash.

Check your path to ensure that it's right and it doesn't contains a non acepted character. Also to can try to move the project folder to the root of your disk and try starting up from there.

Answer 3

Run these steps in this order

rm -rf node_modules (or if this does not work remove with the force flag rm -rf node_modules -- force

rm ./package-lock.json (or if this does not work try) rm .\package-lock.json

npm run clean (or if this does not work) npm cache clean (or if this does not work) npm cache clean --force

npm install -g npm@latest

npm uninstall -g create-react-app npm install -g create-react-app

If the create react-app does not work reinstall npm install --save react react-dom react-scripts (and any other dependencies)

Answer 4

Please, try the following inside your terminal:

First remove all node_modules:

rm -fr node_modules/

followed by:

npm install npm@latest -g

npm install -g create-react-app

npm init react-app my-app

Answer 5

This might be because you might have installed create-react-app globally in the past. Uninstall the earlier create-react-app with the following command.

sudo npm uninstall -g create-react-app 

Remove the already created project directory followed by installation of your my-app

rm -rf my-app
npx create-react-app my-app

Source : https://create-react-app.dev/docs/getting-started/#quick-start