What causes "Error generating package data. " in nodejs/node?

Examine stderr output immediately preceding this message for the underlying linker/compiler error.

Error generating package data.

Error message

Error generating package data.

What it means

After generating object code via one of the platform-specific paths (pkg_generateLibraryFile on Linux, pkg_createWindowsDLL on MSVC, or pkg_createWithoutAssemblyCode), the result was non-zero. This is a generic catch-all for library file generation failures: linking errors, DLL creation failures, or individual data-file compilation errors.

Source

Thrown at deps/icu-small/source/tools/pkgdata/pkgdata.cpp:802

                        gencFilePath,
                        sizeof(gencFilePath),
                        true);
                    pkg_destroyOptMatchArch(optMatchArch);
#if U_PLATFORM_IS_LINUX_BASED
                    result = pkg_generateLibraryFile(targetDir, mode, gencFilePath);
#elif defined(WINDOWS_WITH_MSVC)
                    result = pkg_createWindowsDLL(mode, gencFilePath, o);
#endif
#elif defined(BUILD_DATA_WITHOUT_ASSEMBLY)
                    result = pkg_createWithoutAssemblyCode(o, targetDir, mode);
#else
                    fprintf(stderr, "Error- neither CAN_WRITE_OBJ_CODE nor BUILD_DATA_WITHOUT_ASSEMBLY are defined. Internal error.\n");
                    return 1;
#endif
                }

                if (result != 0) {
                    fprintf(stderr, "Error generating package data.\n");
                    return result;
                }
            }
#if !U_PLATFORM_USES_ONLY_WIN32_API
            if(!IN_STATIC_MODE(mode)) {
                /* Certain platforms uses archive library. (e.g. AIX) */
                if(o->verbose) {
                  fprintf(stdout, "# Creating data archive library file ..\n");
                }
                result = pkg_archiveLibrary(targetDir, o->version, reverseExt);
                if (result != 0) {
                    fprintf(stderr, "Error creating data archive library file.\n");
                   return result;
                }
#if U_PLATFORM != U_PF_OS400
                if (!noVersion) {
                    /* Create symbolic links for the final library file. */
#if U_PLATFORM == U_PF_OS390

View on GitHub (pinned to 1b2de5e052)

Solutions

Examine stderr output immediately preceding this message for the underlying linker/compiler error.
Verify all object files exist and are non-empty in the target directory.
Check that pkgDataFlags[LDIBCFLAGS], pkgDataFlags[LDLIBRARYPATH], and linker flags are correct for the platform.
Ensure the target directory is writable and has enough disk space.

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Before building, check that linker output directory is writable and has space
#include <sys/statvfs.h>
#include <unistd.h>

bool checkTargetDir(const char* dir) {
    if (access(dir, W_OK) != 0) return false;
    struct statvfs vfs;
    if (statvfs(dir, &vfs) == 0 && vfs.f_bavail * vfs.f_bsize < 1048576) return false;
    return true;
}

Prevention

Check linker flags in the options file before building.
Ensure all object files were generated in the prior step.
Run with verbose output to capture the underlying linker error.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling pkgdata in DLL or common mode on a platform where the object code generation block is compiled in (CAN_WRITE_OBJ_CODE or BUILD_DATA_WITHOUT_ASSEMBLY defined), but the linker or DLL creation step failed. The underlying function that failed depends on the platform: pkg_generateLibraryFile on Linux, pkg_createWindowsDLL on Windows MSVC.

Common situations: Missing linker flags in the options file; unresolved symbols during linking; Windows DLL creation failing due to missing .def file or export configuration; insufficient disk space or permissions in the target directory.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of nodejs/node@1b2de5e052 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cfb742f29ccb5c6d. Report an issue: GitHub.