{"id":"d4c40b3a9e3429c8","repo":"jestjs/jest","slug":"can-t-find-a-root-directory-while-resolving-a-conf","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"Can't find a root directory while resolving a config file path.\nProvided path to resolve: ${pathToResolve}\ncwd: ${cwd}","messagePattern":"Can't find a root directory while resolving a config file path\\.\nProvided path to resolve: (.+?)\ncwd: (.+?)","errorType":"exception","errorClass":"Error","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"packages/jest-config/src/resolveConfigPath.ts","lineNumber":52,"sourceCode":"    ? pathToResolve\n    : path.resolve(cwd, pathToResolve);\n\n  if (isFile(absolutePath)) {\n    return absolutePath;\n  }\n\n  // This is a guard against passing non existing path as a project/config,\n  // that will otherwise result in a very confusing situation.\n  // e.g.\n  // With a directory structure like this:\n  //   my_project/\n  //     package.json\n  //\n  // Passing a `my_project/some_directory_that_doesnt_exist` as a project\n  // name will resolve into a (possibly empty) `my_project/package.json` and\n  // try to run all tests it finds under `my_project` directory.\n  if (!fs.existsSync(absolutePath)) {\n    throw new Error(\n      \"Can't find a root directory while resolving a config file path.\\n\" +\n        `Provided path to resolve: ${pathToResolve}\\n` +\n        `cwd: ${cwd}`,\n    );\n  }\n\n  return resolveConfigPathByTraversing(\n    absolutePath,\n    pathToResolve,\n    cwd,\n    skipMultipleConfigError,\n  );\n}\n\nconst resolveConfigPathByTraversing = (\n  pathToResolve: string,\n  initialPath: string,\n  cwd: string,","sourceCodeStart":34,"sourceCodeEnd":70,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/jestjs/jest/blob/f49721c78e195558b40913977c9230f5b7f559d8/packages/jest-config/src/resolveConfigPath.ts#L34-L70","documentation":"resolveConfigPath first checks if the resolved path is a file; if not, it checks existence. If the path does not exist on disk at all (neither file nor directory), it throws this guard error. This prevents a non-existent project/config path from accidentally resolving to a parent directory's package.json and running unrelated tests.","triggerScenarios":"Running `jest --config ./missing.config.js` or `jest ./nonexistent-dir` where the path resolves to something that does not exist.","commonSituations":"Typo in the --config path; running jest from the wrong working directory; deleted/moved config files after a refactor.","solutions":["Verify the path exists: list the file or directory you passed","Correct typos in the --config argument or project path","Run jest from the directory containing the config if using a relative path"],"exampleFix":"// before\njest --config ./jest.confug.js  // typo\n// after\njest --config ./jest.config.js","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"import * as fs from 'node:fs';\nimport * as path from 'node:path';\nconst abs = path.isAbsolute(p) ? p : path.resolve(cwd, p);\nif (!fs.existsSync(abs)) {\n  throw new Error(`Path does not exist: ${abs}`);\n}","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":null,"preventionTips":["Validate --config paths in CI before the test step","Use absolute config paths in CI to avoid cwd drift"],"tags":["config","path","cli"],"analyzedSha":"f49721c78e195558b40913977c9230f5b7f559d8","analyzedAt":"2026-08-03T20:16:28.571Z","schemaVersion":2}