remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

${result.file} was chosen as the entry point (reason = ${res

Error message

${result.file} was chosen as the entry point (reason = ${result.reason}) but it is a directory - it needs to be a file.

What it means

Thrown by findEntryPoint when the resolved entry path is a bundled-code directory (isBundledCode returned true, i.e. the path exists AND contains index.html) but the calling command passed allowDirectory=false. Remotion distinguishes source entry points (a .ts/.tsx file to bundle) from already-bundled serve directories; commands like render/studio that need a source file reject directories.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/entry-point.ts:68

	reason: FoundReason;
} => {
	const result = findEntryPointInner(args, remotionRoot, logLevel);
	if (result.file === null) {
		return result;
	}

	if (RenderInternals.isServeUrl(result.file)) {
		return result;
	}

	if (!existsSync(result.file)) {
		throw new Error(
			`${result.file} was chosen as the entry point (reason = ${result.reason}) but it does not exist.`,
		);
	}

	if (result.isDirectory && !allowDirectory) {
		throw new Error(
			`${result.file} was chosen as the entry point (reason = ${result.reason}) but it is a directory - it needs to be a file.`,
		);
	}

	return result;
};

const isBundledCode = (p: string) => {
	return existsSync(p) && existsSync(path.join(p, 'index.html'));
};

const findEntryPointInner = (
	args: (string | number)[],
	remotionRoot: string,
	logLevel: LogLevel,
): {
	file: string | null;
	isDirectory: boolean;

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

Pass the source entry file (e.g. src/index.tsx) instead of the bundled output directory.
If you intended to serve a pre-bundled directory, use a serve URL (http://localhost:port) which is detected earlier via RenderInternals.isServeUrl and returned without this check.
For commands that accept a directory (allowDirectory=true), confirm you are invoking the correct subcommand.

Example fix

// before
$ npx remotion render ./build MyComp out.mp4   # ./build has index.html
// after - point at the source file
$ npx remotion render ./src/index.tsx MyComp out.mp4

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import {existsSync, statSync} from 'node:fs';

const isSourceFile = (p: string) => {
  if (!existsSync(p)) return false;
  const stat = statSync(p);
  return stat.isFile() && /\.(ts|tsx|js|mjs)$/.test(p);
};

// ensure you pass a source file, not a bundle directory
if (!isSourceFile(entryPath)) {
  throw new Error('Pass a .ts/.tsx source entry file, not a directory');
}

Type guard

const isBundledDir = (p: string): boolean =>
  existsSync(p) && existsSync(path.join(p, 'index.html'));

Prevention

Distinguish serve URLs (http://...) from local paths before passing them in.
Never reuse a `remotion bundle` output directory as a render entry point.
If automating, assert the entry path is a file with statSync().isFile().

When it happens

Trigger: Passing a build output directory (containing index.html, e.g. a previously bundled public/ or dist/) as the entry point to a command that sets allowDirectory=false. Passing a serve-url-like local directory path when the command expects a source file.

Common situations: Pointing the CLI at a static bundle folder instead of src/index.tsx; reusing a directory left over from `remotion bundle`; confusing a serve URL (`http://localhost:3000`) with a local bundled directory.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5f990ef935f57fdf. Report an issue: GitHub.