jestjs/jest · error · Error

Binary in package "${pkg.name}" with name "${binName}" at ${

Error message

Binary in package "${pkg.name}" with name "${binName}" at ${binPath} does not exist

What it means

buildUtils.mjs getPackages() validates each package.json; for packages with a `bin` field it iterates each {binName, binPath} and resolves the path against the package directory. At buildUtils.mjs:124, if the resolved bin file does not exist on disk, it throws. This catches declared CLI entry points that are missing before the package can be built/published.

Source

Thrown at scripts/buildUtils.mjs:125

      assert.strictEqual(
        pkg.types,
        './build/index.d.ts',
        `Package "${pkg.name}" should have "./build/index.d.ts" as types`,
      );
    } else {
      assert.strictEqual(
        pkg.main,
        './index.js',
        `Package "${pkg.name}" should have "./index.js" as main`,
      );
    }

    if (pkg.bin) {
      for (const [binName, binPath] of Object.entries(pkg.bin)) {
        const fullBinPath = path.resolve(packageDir, binPath);

        if (!fs.existsSync(fullBinPath)) {
          throw new Error(
            `Binary in package "${pkg.name}" with name "${binName}" at ${binPath} does not exist`,
          );
        }
      }
    }

    return {packageDir, pkg};
  });
}

export function getPackagesWithTsConfig() {
  return getPackages().filter(p =>
    fs.existsSync(path.resolve(p.packageDir, 'tsconfig.json')),
  );
}

export const INLINE_REQUIRE_EXCLUDE_LIST =
  /packages\/expect|(jest-(circus|diff|get-type|jasmine2|matcher-utils|message-util|regex-util|snapshot))|pretty-format\//;

View on GitHub (pinned to f49721c78e)

Solutions

Create the bin file at the declared path, or correct the path in package.json `bin` to point where the file actually lives.
Ensure any build step that generates the bin file runs before getPackages()/buildUtils validation.
Confirm the path is relative to the package directory (it is resolved via path.resolve(packageDir, binPath)).

Example fix

// before (package.json)
"bin": { "mycli": "./cli.js" }
// (./cli.js missing; actual file is ./bin/cli.js)
// after
"bin": { "mycli": "./bin/cli.js" }

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const fs = require('fs'), path = require('path');
function assertBinFilesExist(pkg, packageDir) {
  if (!pkg.bin) return;
  for (const [name, rel] of Object.entries(pkg.bin)) {
    const full = path.resolve(packageDir, rel);
    if (!fs.existsSync(full)) {
      throw new Error(`Binary '${name}' at ${rel} missing for ${pkg.name}`);
    }
  }
}

Type guard

function binsExist(pkg, packageDir) {
  if (!pkg.bin) return true;
  return Object.values(pkg.bin).every(rel => fs.existsSync(path.resolve(packageDir, rel)));
}

Prevention

Create the bin file in the same commit that declares it in package.json.
Keep bin paths relative to the package directory and verify them after renames.
If the bin is a build output, ensure the build runs before the bin-existence validation step.

When it happens

Trigger: Running the build utility (getPackages is called by build.mjs/buildTs.mjs) for a package whose package.json `bin` points at a path that hasn't been built or was renamed — e.g. "bin": { "jest": "./bin/jest.js" } when ./bin/jest.js does not exist.

Common situations: Declaring a bin entry before creating the file; renaming the bin script but not the package.json field; the bin target living in a build output dir that hasn't been generated yet at validation time; relative path typos.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jestjs/jest@f49721c78e (2026-08-03). Data as JSON: /data/errors/c4529b4ee4cdf326.json. Report an issue: GitHub.