jestjs/jest · error · Error

Could not find a config file based on provided values: path:

Error message

Could not find a config file based on provided values:
path: "${initialPath}"
cwd: "${cwd}"
Config paths must be specified by either a direct path to a config
file, or a path to a directory. If directory is given, Jest will try to
traverse directory tree up, until it finds one of those files in exact order: ${JEST_CONFIG_EXT_ORDER.map(ext => `"${getConfigFilename(ext)}"`).join(' or ')}.

What it means

If tree traversal reaches the filesystem root without finding any jest.config.* file or a package.json with a jest key, this error is thrown listing the searched extensions in order. It tells the user what filenames Jest looks for and that either a direct file path or a directory (searched upward) is required.

Source

Thrown at packages/jest-config/src/resolveConfigPath.ts:118

        configFiles.push(absolutePath);
      } else {
        configFiles.push(packageJson);
      }
    }
  }

  if (!skipMultipleConfigError && configFiles.length > 1) {
    throw new ValidationError(...makeMultipleConfigsErrorMessage(configFiles));
  }

  if (configFiles.length > 0 || packageJson) {
    return configFiles[0] ?? packageJson;
  }

  // This is the system root.
  // We tried everything, config is nowhere to be found ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  if (pathToResolve === path.dirname(pathToResolve)) {
    throw new Error(makeResolutionErrorMessage(initialPath, cwd));
  }

  // go up a level and try it again
  return resolveConfigPathByTraversing(
    path.dirname(pathToResolve),
    initialPath,
    cwd,
    skipMultipleConfigError,
  );
};

const findPackageJson = (pathToResolve: string) => {
  const packagePath = path.resolve(pathToResolve, PACKAGE_JSON);
  if (isFile(packagePath)) {
    return packagePath;
  }

  return undefined;

View on GitHub (pinned to f49721c78e)

Solutions

1. Create a jest.config.js (or any supported extension) in the project root
2. Run jest from a directory that contains or is beneath a config file
3. Pass --config <absolute path> to point at an existing config
4. Add a jest key to package.json

Example fix

// before: no config present
npx jest
// after: create jest.config.js
export default {testEnvironment: 'node'};

import * as fs from 'node:fs';
import * as path from 'node:path';
function findConfigUp(dir: string): string | undefined {
  const exts = ['.js','.ts','.mjs','.mts','.cjs','.cts','.json'];
  let cur = dir;
  while (true) {
    const hit = exts.map(e => path.join(cur, 'jest.config'+e)).find(fs.existsSync);
    if (hit) return hit;
    const parent = path.dirname(cur);
    if (parent === cur) return undefined;
    cur = parent;
  }
}
if (!findConfigUp(process.cwd())) throw new Error('No jest config found');

When it happens

Trigger: Running jest in a directory with no config and no ancestor config; passing a project path that is outside any configured Jest project.

Common situations: Fresh project without a config; running jest from /tmp or a scratch dir; wrong cwd in CI; monorepo where a package lacks its own config and the root config lives elsewhere.

Related errors

• Can't find a root directory while resolving a config file pa
• Multiple configurations found Implicit config resolution d
• Filter ${filterPath} did not return a valid test list
• The --config option requires a JSON string literal, or a fil
• Cannot merge config in form of callback

AI-assisted analysis of jestjs/jest@f49721c78e (2026-08-03). Data as JSON: /data/errors/2ce8bf04661b3732.json. Report an issue: GitHub.