thedotmack/claude-mem · error · Error

CLAUDE_CODE_PATH is set to

Error message

CLAUDE_CODE_PATH is set to ${describedPath} — the file exists but could not be executed (${probe.detail}). A launcher script whose interpreter (shebang) is missing, or a native-installer stub pointing at a deleted version directory, fails this way. Reinstall the Claude Code CLI or point CLAUDE_CODE_PATH at a working binary.

What it means

The configured CLAUDE_CODE_PATH file exists, but the OS could not launch it at all (probe.launchFailed). The library names the two canonical causes — a launcher script whose shebang interpreter is missing, or a native-installer stub pointing at a deleted version directory — and asks the user to reinstall or re-point the setting.

Solutions

Reinstall Claude Code CLI (`npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code` or re-run the native installer) to restore a working binary
Inspect the file's first line (`head -1 <path>`); fix or remove a broken shebang in wrapper scripts
Point CLAUDE_CODE_PATH at a known-good binary, or delete the setting to use PATH discovery

Example fix

// before (wrapper script)
#!/usr/local/bin/node9   // interpreter no longer installed
...

// after
#!/usr/bin/env node
...

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import { readFileSync, existsSync } from 'fs';
const p = settings.CLAUDE_CODE_PATH;
if (p && existsSync(p)) {
  const first = readFileSync(p, 'utf8').split('\n')[0];
  if (first.startsWith('#!')) {
    const interp = first.slice(2).trim();
    const ipath = interp.startsWith('/usr/bin/env') ? undefined : interp;
    if (ipath && !existsSync(ipath)) console.warn(`Broken shebang interpreter: ${ipath}`);
  }
}

Type guard

null

Try / catch

try {
  await findClaudeExecutable();
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.includes('could not be executed')) {
    console.error('Reinstall the CLI or fix the shebang/launcher at CLAUDE_CODE_PATH');
  } else throw e;
}

Prevention

Use `#!/usr/bin/env node` style shebangs that resolve on any machine
Re-run the native installer after pruning version directories
Verify wrapper scripts with a direct execution test before configuring them

When it happens

Trigger: existsSync passed, but probeCandidate's spawn fails at launch (ENOENT of the interpreter named in the shebang, or the native-installer stub's target version directory no longer exists).

Common situations: Editing a `claude` wrapper script by hand and breaking the shebang; the native installer's `~/.local/share/claude/versions/<x>` directory pruned while the stub symlink/script remained; permissions making the interpreter unresolvable.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of thedotmack/claude-mem@d8bc9755e7 (2026-09-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3a48575deaaba7ac. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/shared/find-claude-executable.ts:399

        `CLAUDE_CODE_PATH is set to ${describedPath} (${probe.version}) but that CLI is too old for claude-mem — ` +
        `it rejects flags every memory agent spawn requires (${probe.detail}). ${updateInstructions()}`
      );
    }
    if (looksLikeDesktopAppPath(configuredPath)) {
      throw new Error(
        `Found desktop app at ${describedPath} but it doesn't support headless mode. ` +
        `Install Claude Code CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`
      );
    }
    // existsSync passed above, so the file is really there — the probe failed.
    // Split the two ways that happens. A launch failure (ENOENT from a launcher
    // whose shebang interpreter is missing, or a native-installer stub pointing
    // at a deleted version directory) means the OS never ran the file; a
    // re-check of the path cannot fix it, so name the likely cause. A process
    // that ran but exited non-zero, timed out, or printed no version is a
    // different problem — do not claim it "could not be executed".
    if (probe.launchFailed) {
      throw new Error(
        `CLAUDE_CODE_PATH is set to ${describedPath} — the file exists but could not be executed (${probe.detail}). ` +
        `A launcher script whose interpreter (shebang) is missing, or a native-installer stub pointing at a deleted version directory, fails this way. ` +
        `Reinstall the Claude Code CLI or point CLAUDE_CODE_PATH at a working binary.`
      );
    }
    throw new Error(
      `CLAUDE_CODE_PATH is set to ${describedPath} — the file ran but failed its version probe (${probe.detail}). ` +
      `It may be the wrong program, or a wrapper that errors before printing a version. ` +
      `Ensure CLAUDE_CODE_PATH points at a working Claude Code CLI binary.`
    );
  }

  // --- 2. Probe every discovered candidate ---------------------------------
  const capable: Array<{ path: string; version: string; key: [number, number, number]; order: number }> = [];
  const incompatible: Array<{ path: string; version: string; detail: string }> = [];

  const candidates = discoverCandidates();
  for (let order = 0; order < candidates.length; order++) {

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