{"record":{"id":"08d98de86f064e66","repo":"cypress-io/cypress","slug":"failed-to-parse-this-path-as-json-ast-object","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"Failed to parse \"${this.path}\" as JSON AST Object. ${printParseErrorCode(error)} at location: ${offset}.","messagePattern":"Failed to parse \"(.+?)\" as JSON AST Object\\. (.+?) at location: (.+?)\\.","errorType":"exception","errorClass":"Error","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"npm/cypress-schematic/src/schematics/utils/jsonFile.ts","lineNumber":52,"sourceCode":"      this.content = buffer.toString()\n    } else {\n      throw new Error(`Could not read '${path}'.`)\n    }\n  }\n\n  private _jsonAst: Node | undefined\n  private get JsonAst (): Node | undefined {\n    if (this._jsonAst) {\n      return this._jsonAst\n    }\n\n    const errors: ParseError[] = []\n\n    this._jsonAst = parseTree(this.content, errors, { allowTrailingComma: true })\n    if (errors.length) {\n      const { error, offset } = errors[0]\n\n      throw new Error(\n         `Failed to parse \"${this.path}\" as JSON AST Object. ${printParseErrorCode(\n           error,\n         )} at location: ${offset}.`,\n      )\n    }\n\n    return this._jsonAst\n  }\n\n  get (jsonPath: JSONPath): unknown {\n    const jsonAstNode = this.JsonAst\n\n    if (!jsonAstNode) {\n      return undefined\n    }\n\n    if (jsonPath.length === 0) {\n      return getNodeValue(jsonAstNode)","sourceCodeStart":34,"sourceCodeEnd":70,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/blob/0d85fdc91230885bca0a91df278312800a48b727/npm/cypress-schematic/src/schematics/utils/jsonFile.ts#L34-L70","documentation":"Thrown by the JSONFile.JsonAst getter when jsonc-parser's parseTree reports one or more ParseErrors against the file content. It surfaces the first error's code (human-readable via printParseErrorCode) and its byte offset, so you can locate the JSON syntax fault. The parser allows trailing commas, so the remaining fault classes are genuine syntax errors: unquoted keys, stray characters, unterminated strings, or a dangling comma in a position the parser tolerates differently.","triggerScenarios":"Calling JSONFile.get(jsonPath) (or any access that touches JsonAst) when the loaded file content contains invalid JSON. parseTree is invoked with { allowTrailingComma: true }, so trailing commas are tolerated; any other syntax violation populates the errors array and triggers the throw.","commonSituations":"A hand-edited package.json/angular.json/tsconfig.json with a typo (missing quote, extra brace, comment in a strict JSON file), a merge conflict left unresolved inside a JSON file, or a file corrupted by an editor/plugin that inserted BOM or non-JSON. The schematic runs against these files during `ng add`.","solutions":["Open the file named in `this.path` and navigate to the reported byte `offset` to find the syntax fault.","Validate the file with `npx json5 <file>` or `node -e \"JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync('<file>'))\"` to surface the precise error.","Fix the JSON (quote keys, remove comments, balance braces); remember trailing commas are allowed here but JSON5-only constructs like unquoted keys are not.","Re-run `ng add @cypress/schematic` once the file parses cleanly."],"exampleFix":"// before: tsconfig.json with a comment and unquoted key\n{\n  // compiler options\n  compilerOptions: { \"target\": \"es2020\", }\n}\n// after: valid JSON\n{\n  \"compilerOptions\": { \"target\": \"es2020\" }\n}","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"function safeParse(content: string, path: string) {\n  const errors: ParseError[] = []\n  parseTree(content, errors, { allowTrailingComma: true })\n  if (errors.length) throw new Error(`${path}: ${printParseErrorCode(errors[0].error)} @${errors[0].offset}`)\n}","typeGuard":"const isValidJsonContent = (s: string): boolean => { const e: ParseError[] = []; parseTree(s, e, { allowTrailingComma: true }); return e.length === 0 }","tryCatchPattern":"try {\n  jsonFile.get(['key'])\n} catch (e) {\n  if (e.message.startsWith('Failed to parse')) { /* run a JSON linter, report offset to user */ }\n  else throw e\n}","preventionTips":["Lint JSON files in CI with a JSON validator before running schematics.","Use a JSON-aware editor and avoid hand-adding comments to strict JSON files.","Resolve git merge conflicts in JSON files completely before invoking the schematic."],"tags":["angular","schematic","json","parse","config"],"backgroundTag":null,"analyzedSha":"0d85fdc91230885bca0a91df278312800a48b727","analyzedAt":"2026-08-12T16:24:28.056Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-08-12T23:17:12.415Z"}