Package ${JSON.stringify(packageName)} has no builders defin

Error message

Package ${JSON.stringify(packageName)} has no builders defined.

What it means

A builder package must declare a 'builders' field in its package.json pointing to its builders manifest JSON. resolveBuilder throws when the resolved package.json has no such field, meaning the package exports no builders.

Source

Thrown at packages/angular_devkit/architect/node/node-modules-architect-host.ts:159

      throw new Error(
        'Circular builder alias references detected: ' + [...seenBuilders, builderStr],
      );
    }

    const [packageName, builderName] = builderStr.split(':', 2);
    if (!builderName) {
      throw new Error('No builder name specified.');
    }

    // Resolve and load the builders manifest from the package's `builders` field, if present
    const packageJsonPath = localRequire.resolve(packageName + '/package.json', {
      paths: [basePath],
    });

    const packageJson = JSON.parse(readFileSync(packageJsonPath, 'utf-8')) as { builders?: string };
    const buildersManifestRawPath = packageJson['builders'];
    if (!buildersManifestRawPath) {
      throw new Error(`Package ${JSON.stringify(packageName)} has no builders defined.`);
    }

    let buildersManifestPath = path.normalize(buildersManifestRawPath);
    if (path.isAbsolute(buildersManifestRawPath) || buildersManifestRawPath.startsWith('..')) {
      throw new Error(
        `Package "${packageName}" has an invalid builders manifest path: "${buildersManifestRawPath}"`,
      );
    }

    buildersManifestPath = path.join(path.dirname(packageJsonPath), buildersManifestPath);
    const buildersManifest = JSON.parse(
      readFileSync(buildersManifestPath, 'utf-8'),
    ) as BuilderSchema;
    const buildersManifestDirectory = path.dirname(buildersManifestPath);

    // Attempt to locate an entry for the specified builder by name
    const builder = buildersManifest.builders?.[builderName];
    if (!builder) {

View on GitHub (pinned to bb72145f9a)

Solutions

Verify the package name in the builder string is the intended builder package.
Check the package.json of the package for a 'builders' field.
Use a different/older package version that defines builders, or publish the manifest.

Example fix

// before (package.json of my-builders)
{"name": "my-builders", "version": "1.0.0"}
// after
{"name": "my-builders", "version": "1.0.0", "builders": "./builders.json"}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const pkg = require.resolve(`${packageName}/package.json`, { paths: [process.cwd()] });
if (!require(pkg).builders) throw new Error(`Package "${packageName}" has no builders defined.`);

Try / catch

try { await host.resolveBuilder(`${packageName}:x`); } catch (e) { if (String(e.message).includes('has no builders defined')) { /* pick the correct builder package */ } else throw e; }

Prevention

Confirm the package is a builder package (has 'builders' in package.json) before referencing it.
Check `npm view <pkg> builders` before adding a dependency.
Pin package versions to avoid upgrades that drop builder support.

When it happens

Trigger: Referencing a builder in an ordinary npm package (no 'builders' key in package.json), or referencing the wrong package name in the builder identifier.

Common situations: Typo'd package name so an unrelated package is resolved; using a library package instead of a builder package; a package that removed builder support in a newer version.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of angular/angular-cli@bb72145f9a (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1a17295ad574d77c. Report an issue: GitHub.