ruvnet/ruflo · error · Error

package.json not found

Error message

package.json not found

What it means

Publisher.publishToNpm() reads package.json from the directory passed to new Publisher(cwd) — defaulting to process.cwd() — and throws before build or publish if the file is missing. Every subsequent step (version read, private check, npm publish) depends on it, so the guard fires first.

Source

Thrown at v3/@claude-flow/deployment/src/publisher.ts:43

      dryRun = false,
      registry,
      otp,
      skipBuild = false,
      buildCommand = 'npm run build'
    } = options;

    const result: PublishResult = {
      packageName: '',
      version: '',
      tag,
      success: false
    };

    try {
      // Read package.json
      const pkgPath = join(this.cwd, 'package.json');
      if (!existsSync(pkgPath)) {
        throw new Error('package.json not found');
      }

      const pkg: PackageInfo = JSON.parse(readFileSync(pkgPath, 'utf-8'));

      if (pkg.private) {
        throw new Error('Cannot publish private package');
      }

      result.packageName = pkg.name;
      result.version = pkg.version;

      // Run build if not skipped
      if (!skipBuild) {
        console.log('Building package...');
        this.execCommand(buildCommand);
      }

      // Construct npm publish command arguments (without 'npm' prefix for execNpmCommand)

View on GitHub (pinned to fa13ee4ad6)

Solutions

1. Construct the Publisher with the package directory: new Publisher('packages/foo').publishToNpm(...)
2. Or set the process cwd to the package before constructing (run the script from inside the package directory)
3. Guard with existsSync(join(cwd, 'package.json')) before calling publishToNpm and fail with your own clearer message

Example fix

// before
const publisher = new Publisher(); // cwd = monorepo root, no package.json there
await publisher.publishToNpm(); // throws: package.json not found

// after
const publisher = new Publisher(join(repoRoot, 'packages/cli'));
await publisher.publishToNpm();

import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
import { join } from 'node:path';
const pkgDir = join(repoRoot, 'packages/cli');
if (!existsSync(join(pkgDir, 'package.json'))) throw new Error(`no package.json in ${pkgDir}`);
await new Publisher(pkgDir).publishToNpm();

When it happens

Trigger: new Publisher('/wrong/dir').publishToNpm(); running a release script from a monorepo root when the publishable package lives in packages/foo; default-cwd construction inside a CLI started outside any package directory.

Common situations: Monorepos where publishable packages sit in subdirectories; CI invoking the publish step from the repository root; typo in the cwd constructor argument.

Related errors

• package.json not found
• Cannot publish private package
• Failed to import OpenAI
• Pinata upload failed (HTTP ${res.status}): ${JSON.stringify(
• module loaded but is missing expected OAuth exports

AI-assisted analysis of ruvnet/ruflo@fa13ee4ad6 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4ad2a83cbe0a59fc. Report an issue: GitHub.