remix-run/remix · error · CliError

RMX_ROUTES_FILE_NOT_FOUND

RMX_ROUTES_FILE_NOT_FOUND

Error message

Could not find app/routes.ts. Run this command inside a Remix app.

What it means

findRemixAppRoot walks up from startDir looking for `app/routes.ts`; if no ancestor directory contains it, the CLI cannot locate a Remix app and throws this error telling you to run the command inside a Remix app.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/lib/route-map.ts:288

  if (typeof method !== 'string' || typeof pattern !== 'string') {
    throw new Error(`Route-map loader returned an invalid route leaf for "${name}".`)
  }

  return {
    children: [],
    key,
    kind,
    method,
    name,
    pattern,
  }
}

async function findRemixAppRoot(startDir: string): Promise<string> {
  let appRoot = await findAppRoot(startDir, 'app/routes.ts')

  if (appRoot == null) {
    throw routesFileNotFound(startDir)
  }

  return appRoot
}

function getRouteMapWorkerPath(): string {
  let currentFilePath = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)
  let extension = currentFilePath.endsWith('.ts') ? '.ts' : '.js'

  return fileURLToPath(new URL(`./load-route-map-worker${extension}`, import.meta.url))
}

function createRouteMapWorkerEnv(): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
  let env = { ...process.env }

  for (let key of Object.keys(env)) {
    if (key.startsWith('NODE_TEST_')) {
      delete env[key]

View on GitHub (pinned to 9696913134)

Solutions

1. cd into your Remix app directory (the one containing `app/routes.ts`) and re-run
2. If app/routes.ts was renamed/deleted, restore it
3. Verify the project was actually created with the current Remix template

Example fix

# before (in ~)
remix routes
# after (in project)
cd my-app && remix routes

import { stat } from 'node:fs/promises'
import path from 'node:path'
const findUp = async (dir: string): Promise<string | null> => {
  const candidate = path.join(dir, 'app', 'routes.ts')
  if (await stat(candidate).then(() => true, () => false)) return dir
  const parent = path.dirname(dir)
  return parent === dir ? null : findUp(parent)
}

const isRemixAppDir = (dir: string): Promise<boolean> =>
  stat(path.join(dir, 'app', 'routes.ts')).then(() => true, () => false)

catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof Error && error.code === 'RMX_ROUTES_FILE_NOT_FOUND') {
    // prompt for the project directory
  }
  throw error
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running a Remix CLI command in a directory that is not inside (or above) a project containing `app/routes.ts` — e.g. home dir, an empty folder, or a monorepo root where no ancestor has the file.

Common situations: cd'd into the wrong folder; scaffolding layout that puts the app in a nested workspace; deleted or renamed app/routes.ts.

Related errors

• hmr must be provided
• hmr requires watch mode
• Missing app/routes.ts path.
• Route module ${routesFile} must export a named "routes" valu
• RMX_ROUTE_MAP_LOADER_FAILED

AI-assisted analysis of remix-run/remix@9696913134 (2026-08-27). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d7ea003b8bcfd2d2. Report an issue: GitHub.