nodejs/node · error · ValueError

Can't use path {path} in a {self.__class__.__name__}

Error message

Can't use path {path} in a {self.__class__.__name__}

What it means

Raised by the path-parsing logic in a PBXCopyFilesBuildPhase (copy-files / resources copy phase) when a destination path does not match any recognized pattern: it is not an absolute path (starting with '/'), does not start with a known Xcode variable like $(DEVELOPER_RESOURCES), $(HOME), $(SDKROOT), $(SRCROOT), or $(BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR). A bare relative path is not valid for a copy-files destination, so the code raises ValueError rather than silently misplacing the file.

Source

Thrown at tools/gyp/pylib/gyp/xcodeproj_file.py:2179

                            )
                    else:
                        # subfolder = 16 from above
                        # The second element of the path is an unrecognized variable.
                        # Include it and any remaining elements in relative_path.
                        relative_path = path_tree_match.group(3)

            else:
                # The path starts with an unrecognized Xcode variable
                # name like $(SRCROOT).  Xcode will still handle this
                # as an "absolute path" that starts with the variable.
                subfolder = 0
                relative_path = path
        elif path.startswith("/"):
            # Special case.  Absolute paths are in dstSubfolderSpec 0.
            subfolder = 0
            relative_path = path[1:]
        else:
            raise ValueError(f"Can't use path {path} in a {self.__class__.__name__}")

        self._properties["dstPath"] = relative_path
        self._properties["dstSubfolderSpec"] = subfolder


class PBXBuildRule(XCObject):
    _schema = XCObject._schema.copy()
    _schema.update(
        {
            "compilerSpec": [0, str, 0, 1],
            "filePatterns": [0, str, 0, 0],
            "fileType": [0, str, 0, 1],
            "isEditable": [0, int, 0, 1, 1],
            "outputFiles": [1, str, 0, 1, []],
            "script": [0, str, 0, 0],
        }
    )

View on GitHub (pinned to 1b2de5e052)

Solutions

1. Use an absolute path or a recognized Xcode variable: $(SRCROOT), $(BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR), $(HOME), $(SDKROOT), $(DEVELOPER_RESOURCES).
2. Prefix the path with $(SRCROOT)/ to anchor a source-tree-relative destination.
3. Check variable syntax: Xcode uses $(VAR_NAME) form, not $VAR_NAME.
4. For copy resources into the bundle, prefer $(BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR)/$(CONTENTS_FOLDER_PATH).

Example fix

# before
'destination_path': 'Resources/icons'
# after
'destination_path': '$(SRCROOT)/Resources/icons'

# Validate copy-files destination path before assignment
import re
_RECOGNIZED = re.compile(r'^(/|\$\((SRCROOT|BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR|HOME|SDKROOT|DEVELOPER_RESOURCES|CONTENTS_FOLDER_PATH)\))')
if not _RECOGNIZED.match(path):
    path = '$(SRCROOT)/' + path  # anchor relative paths

When it happens

Trigger: SetDstPath or equivalent is called with a relative path string like 'subdir/file' or 'foo' that doesn't begin with '/' or a recognized $(...) variable prefix. The path falls through all the elif branches to the final else.

Common situations: Specifying a relative destination path for a copy-files build phase in gyp config. Using a non-standard Xcode variable name. A typo in the variable syntax (e.g. '$SRCROOT' instead of '$(SRCROOT)').

Related errors

• Found multiple children with path ${child_path}
• Found multiple PBXVariantGroup children with name ${child_na
• Found multiple build files with path ${path}
• Found multiple build files for ${name}
• ninja not found in PATH

AI-assisted analysis of nodejs/node@1b2de5e052 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ff05db291c1d1acf. Report an issue: GitHub.