Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm · error · Error

FFMPEG candidate path not found.

Error message

FFMPEG candidate path not found.

What it means

Thrown (and immediately caught/logged) by FFMPEGWrapper.ffmpegPath() when `which ffmpeg`/`where ffmpeg` returns output but the first newline-split line is empty after trimming. Because the throw sits inside a try/catch, the message is only logged; the caller always receives the downstream "FFMPEG binary not found." error instead. It is an internal diagnostic, not a propagated exception.

Source

Thrown at collector/utils/WhisperProviders/ffmpeg/index.js:41

    console.log(`\x1b[35m[FFMPEG]\x1b[0m ${text}`, ...args);
  }

  /**
   * Locates ffmpeg binary.
   * Uses fix-path on non-Windows platforms to ensure we can find ffmpeg.
   *
   * @returns {Promise<string>} Path to ffmpeg binary
   * @throws {Error}
   */
  async ffmpegPath() {
    if (this._ffmpegPath) return this._ffmpegPath;
    await patchShellEnvironmentPath();

    try {
      const which = process.platform === "win32" ? "where" : "which";
      const result = execSync(`${which} ffmpeg`, { encoding: "utf8" }).trim();
      const candidatePath = result?.split("\n")?.[0]?.trim();
      if (!candidatePath) throw new Error("FFMPEG candidate path not found.");
      if (!this.isValidFFMPEG(candidatePath))
        throw new Error("FFMPEG candidate path is not valid ffmpeg binary.");

      this.log(`Found FFMPEG binary at ${candidatePath}`);
      this._ffmpegPath = candidatePath;
      return this._ffmpegPath;
    } catch (error) {
      this.log(error.message);
    }

    throw new Error("FFMPEG binary not found.");
  }

  /**
   * Validates that path points to a valid ffmpeg binary.
   * Runs ffmpeg -version command.
   *
   * @param {string} pathToTest - Path of ffmpeg binary

View on GitHub (pinned to 526360e320)

Solutions

1. Install ffmpeg and confirm `which ffmpeg` prints a real path in the same shell the Node process uses.
2. If Node is GUI-launched, ensure PATH includes /opt/homebrew/bin and /usr/local/bin (patchShellEnvironmentPath already attempts this).
3. Set an explicit PATH or FFMPEG location in the process environment before invoking Whisper.

Example fix

// before
const result = execSync(`${which} ffmpeg`, { encoding: "utf8" }).trim();
const candidatePath = result?.split("\n")?.[0]?.trim();

// after — fall back to a known binary location
let candidatePath = result?.split("\n")?.[0]?.trim();
if (!candidatePath && fs.existsSync("/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg")) {
  candidatePath = "/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg";
}

const { execSync } = require("child_process");
function ffmpegOnPath() {
  try {
    const out = execSync(`${process.platform === "win32" ? "where" : "which"} ffmpeg`, {
      encoding: "utf8", stdio: "pipe"
    }).trim();
    return out.split("\n")[0].trim().length > 0;
  } catch { return false; }
}
// before enabling Whisper: if (!ffmpegOnPath()) warn user;

try {
  const p = await ffmpeg.ffmpegPath();
} catch (e) {
  // 20 is swallowed; caller sees error 22 "FFMPEG binary not found."
  if (e.message === "FFMPEG binary not found.") { /* guide install */ }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: `execSync(`${which} ffmpeg`)` returns only whitespace/newlines, so `result.split("\n")[0].trim()` yields an empty string and the `if (!candidatePath)` guard fires.

Common situations: A shell alias/function named ffmpeg that echoes nothing; a broken PATH entry that `which` resolves but prints blank; rare edge where `which` emits a bare newline; tampered PATH in a container.

Related errors

• FFMPEG binary not found.
• FFMPEG candidate path is not valid ffmpeg binary.
• Input file ${inputPath} does not exist.
• FFMPEG conversion failed
• Audio conversion failed.

AI-assisted analysis of Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm@526360e320 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6579725735a3d24a. Report an issue: GitHub.