Unitech/pm2 · error · Error

Attribute name should be present

Error message

Attribute name should be present

What it means

pm2 publish packages the current directory (or a target folder) as a PM2 module. After reading package.json it requires the "name" field — the module's publish identity used for tar packaging and module registration. A package.json without name has no module identity, so publish aborts.

Source

Thrown at lib/API/Modules/TAR.js:306

  tar.on('close', function (code) {
    cb(code == 0 ? null : code, {
      package_name: pkg_name,
      path: target_fullpath
    })
  })
}

function publish(PM2, folder, cb) {
  var target_folder = folder ? path.resolve(folder) : process.cwd()

  try {
    var pkg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(target_folder, 'package.json')).toString())
  } catch(e) {
    Common.errMod(`${process.cwd()} module does not contain any package.json`)
    process.exit(1)
  }

  if (!pkg.name) throw new Error('Attribute name should be present')
  if (!pkg.version) throw new Error('Attribute version should be present')
  if (!pkg.pm2 && !pkg.apps) throw new Error('Attribute apps should be present')

  var current_path = target_folder
  var module_name = path.basename(current_path)
  var target_path = os.tmpdir()

  Common.logMod(`Starting publishing procedure for ${module_name}@${pkg.version}`)

  packager(current_path, target_path, (err, res) => {
    if (err) {
      Common.errMod('Can\'t package, exiting')
      process.exit(1)
    }

    Common.logMod(`Package [${pkg.name}] created in path ${res.path}`)

    var data = {

View on GitHub (pinned to 31adee8048)

Solutions

1. Add a valid "name" field to package.json (lowercase, hyphenated, no spaces).
2. Make sure you run pm2 publish from the directory that contains the intended package.json.

Example fix

// before
{ "version": "1.0.0" }
// after
{ "name": "my-pm2-module", "version": "1.0.0" }

const pkg = require('./package.json');
['name', 'version'].forEach((k) => {
  if (!pkg[k]) throw new Error(`package.json missing required field "${k}"`);
});

function hasModuleName(pkg) {
  return typeof pkg === 'object' && typeof pkg.name === 'string' && pkg.name.length > 0;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `pm2 publish` in a directory whose package.json has no "name" field.

Common situations: A new/scaffolded package.json missing name; a private app accidentally published as a PM2 module; running publish from the wrong directory.

Related errors

• module package.json not defined
• Attribute version should be present
• No app_name defined
• Cannot find package.json

AI-assisted analysis of Unitech/pm2@31adee8048 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/48d78dea87428cdc. Report an issue: GitHub.