refinedev/refine · warning

Refine will use `./build/index.js` as default

Error message

Refine will use `./build/index.js` as default

What it means

This is a console.warn emitted by the Refine CLI's `refine start` command when running a Remix project. Remix does not expose a conventional entry file that the runner can infer, so if no path argument is given in the package.json script, the CLI falls back to `./build/index.js` and warns about it. It is informational: the process still starts, just against an assumed default that may not exist.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/commands/runner/projectScripts.ts:72

    getBin: () => resolveBin("next"),
  },
  [ProjectTypes.REMIX]: {
    getDev: (args: string[]) => ["dev", ...args],
    getStart: (args: string[]) => {
      // remix-serve accepts a path to the entry file as an argument
      // if we have arguments, we will pass them to remix-serve and do nothing.
      // ex: `refine start ./build/index.js`
      const hasArgs = args?.length;
      if (hasArgs) {
        return args;
      }

      // otherwise print a warning and use `./build/index.js` as default
      console.log();
      console.warn(
        "🚨 Remix requires a path to the entry file. Please provide it as an argument to `refine start` command in package.json scripts",
      );
      console.warn("Refine will use `./build/index.js` as default");
      console.warn("Example: `refine start ./build/index.js`");
      console.log();

      return ["./build/index.js"];
    },
    getBuild: (args: string[]) => ["build", ...args],
    getBin: (type?: "dev" | "start" | "build") => {
      return resolveBin(type === "start" ? "remix-serve" : "remix");
    },
  },
  [ProjectTypes.REMIX_VITE]: {
    getDev: (args: string[]) => ["vite:dev", ...args],
    getStart: (args: string[]) => {
      // remix-serve accepts a path to the entry file as an argument
      // if we have arguments, we will pass them to remix-serve and do nothing.
      // ex: `refine start ./build/server/index.js`
      const hasArgs = args?.length;
      if (hasArgs) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 779d52a20e)

Solutions

1. Edit package.json and change `"start": "refine start"` to `"start": "refine start ./build/index.js"`
2. Verify the built entry file actually exists at ./build/index.js after running `refine build` (or `remix build`)
3. If your build outputs elsewhere (e.g. ./build/server/index.js), pass that path instead

Example fix

// before
"start": "refine start"
// after
"start": "refine start ./build/index.js"

// before start: assert the entry exists
import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
if (!existsSync('./build/index.js')) {
  console.error('Build output missing — run `refine build` first');
  process.exit(1);
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `refine start` (or `refine dev`/`refine build` via the runner) in a Remix project whose package.json script is exactly `refine start` with no positional entry-file argument (i.e., `hasArgs` is false for the classic Remix preset).

Common situations: Scaffolding a Remix app with the Refine CLI and forgetting to append the server entry path to the start script; projects migrated from other presets (Vite/Next) where an entry argument was never needed; older refine CLI versions that didn't require it.

Related errors

• Example: `refine start ./build/index.js`
• Refine will use `./build/server/index.js` as default
• Example: `refine start ./build/server/index.js`
• Invalid provider: ${providerId}
• Timed out while checking for updates.

AI-assisted analysis of refinedev/refine@779d52a20e (2026-08-27). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f9de31dbb5a67e0a. Report an issue: GitHub.