What causes "Exiting to avoid overwriting files" in remix-run/react-router?

Re-run and answer yes at the prompt, or add --overwrite to skip the question

remix-run/react-router · warning · Error

Exiting to avoid overwriting files

Error message

Exiting to avoid overwriting files

What it means

In an interactive shell, when file collisions are detected the CLI asks 'Do you wish to continue?' (initial answer false). Answering 'no' throws this error to abort scaffolding cleanly, leaving existing files untouched. It is a deliberate user cancellation, not a malfunction.

Solutions

Re-run and answer yes at the prompt, or add --overwrite to skip the question
Scaffold into a fresh empty directory instead
Delete or move the colliding files listed in the prompt, then re-run

Example fix

# before: prompted, answered no -> abort
npx create-react-router ./existing-dir

# after: decide up front
npx create-react-router ./existing-dir --overwrite

Defensive patterns

Strategy: fallback

Try / catch

try {
  await createReactRouter(args);
} catch (e) {
  if ((e as Error).message === "Exiting to avoid overwriting files") {
    // Deliberate user cancellation — exit cleanly, existing files are untouched
    process.exit(0);
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Use --overwrite up front when overwriting is intended — the prompt defaults to 'no'
Scaffold into an empty directory to avoid the prompt entirely
In automation, never leave the overwrite decision to an interactive prompt

When it happens

Trigger: Declining the overwrite confirmation prompt after the CLI listed files in the target directory that the template would overwrite.

Common situations: Intentional cancel after seeing the collision list; users realizing mid-scaffold they picked the wrong directory.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of remix-run/react-router@6beaca3952 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bbb15fec95b51d08. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/create-react-router/index.ts:415

      if (ctx.debug) {
        debug(`Colliding files:${getFileList("          ")}`);
      }

      let { overwrite } = await ctx.prompt({
        name: "overwrite",
        type: "confirm",
        label: title("overwrite"),
        message:
          `Your project directory contains files that will be overwritten by\n` +
          `             this template (you can force with \`--overwrite\`)\n\n` +
          `             Files that would be overwritten:` +
          `${getFileList("               ")}\n\n` +
          `             Do you wish to continue?\n` +
          `             `,
        initial: false,
      });
      if (!overwrite) {
        throw new Error("Exiting to avoid overwriting files");
      }
    }
  }

  await cp(ctx.tempDir, ctx.cwd, {
    filter(src) {
      // We never copy .git/ or node_modules/ directories since it's highly
      // unlikely we want them copied - and because templates are primarily
      // being pulled from git tarballs which won't have .git/ and shouldn't
      // have node_modules/
      let file = stripDirectoryFromPath(ctx.tempDir, src);
      let isIgnored = IGNORED_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORIES.includes(file);
      if (isIgnored) {
        if (ctx.debug) {
          debug(`Skipping copy of ${file} directory from template`);
        }
        return false;
      }

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