paperclipai/paperclip · critical · Error

Package package.json not found at ${packageJsonPath}

Error message

Package package.json not found at ${packageJsonPath}

What it means

packLocalPackage expects a real package directory containing package.json; it existsSync-checks the path and throws if absent before attempting to read name/version. This runs during plugin scaffolding when bundling a local shared package (e.g. @paperclip/shared) for the SDK harness.

Source

Thrown at packages/plugins/create-paperclip-plugin/src/index.ts:93

}

function getRepoRootFromSdkPath(sdkPath: string): string {
  return path.resolve(sdkPath, "..", "..", "..");
}

function getLocalSharedPackagePath(sdkPath: string): string {
  return path.resolve(getRepoRootFromSdkPath(sdkPath), "packages", "shared");
}

function isInsideDir(targetPath: string, parentPath: string): boolean {
  const relative = path.relative(parentPath, targetPath);
  return relative === "" || (!relative.startsWith("..") && !path.isAbsolute(relative));
}

function packLocalPackage(packagePath: string, outputDir: string): string {
  const packageJsonPath = path.join(packagePath, "package.json");
  if (!fs.existsSync(packageJsonPath)) {
    throw new Error(`Package package.json not found at ${packageJsonPath}`);
  }

  const packageJson = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(packageJsonPath, "utf8")) as {
    name?: string;
    version?: string;
  };
  const packageName = packageJson.name ?? path.basename(packagePath);
  const packageVersion = packageJson.version ?? "0.0.0";
  const tarballFileName = `${packageName.replace(/^@/, "").replace("/", "-")}-${packageVersion}.tgz`;
  const sdkBundleDir = path.join(outputDir, ".paperclip-sdk");

  fs.mkdirSync(sdkBundleDir, { recursive: true });
  execFileSync("pnpm", ["build"], { cwd: packagePath, stdio: "pipe" });
  execFileSync("pnpm", ["pack", "--pack-destination", sdkBundleDir], { cwd: packagePath, stdio: "pipe" });

  const tarballPath = path.join(sdkBundleDir, tarballFileName);
  if (!fs.existsSync(tarballPath)) {
    throw new Error(`Packed tarball was not created at ${tarballPath}`);

View on GitHub (pinned to 67001ec6eb)

Solutions

1. Run create-paperclip-plugin from within the Paperclip monorepo root so getRepoRootFromSdkPath resolves correctly.
2. If passing --sdk-path, point it at the packages/shared directory that contains package.json.
3. Verify packages/shared/package.json exists in your checkout (git status / missing submodule).

Example fix

// before: run from a directory whose packages/shared has no package.json
$ cd /tmp && create-paperclip-plugin ...
// after
$ cd /path/to/paperclip-monorepo && create-paperclip-plugin ...

import fs from 'node:fs';
import path from 'node:path';
function ensurePackageJson(pkgDir: string): void {
  if (!fs.existsSync(path.join(pkgDir, 'package.json'))) {
    throw new Error(`Cannot scaffold: missing ${path.join(pkgDir, 'package.json')}`);
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: getLocalSharedPackagePath resolved a directory that does not contain package.json — e.g. the create-paperclip-plugin tool is being run from outside the Paperclip monorepo, the repo layout changed, or the SDK path argument points at the wrong location.

Common situations: Running the scaffolder against a fork where packages/shared was renamed/moved; invoking from a shallow checkout missing that directory; wrong --sdk-path argument.

Related errors

• Packed tarball was not created at ${tarballPath}
• Invalid template '${template}'. Expected one of: ${VALID_TEM
• Invalid plugin name. Must be lowercase and may include scope
• Could not locate local Paperclip skills directory. Expected
• Export output path ${root} exists and is not a directory.

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@67001ec6eb (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f8935e82acf5da76. Report an issue: GitHub.