thedotmack/claude-mem · critical

Critical: code.json mode file missing

Error message

Critical: code.json mode file missing

What it means

Thrown by ModeManager.loadMode() when the fallback chain itself fails: a missing/invalid mode triggered the catch, which recursively calls loadMode('code'), and that too threw — meaning code.json (the always-required base mode) is absent from every modeDir. This is terminal because there is no further fallback.

Source

Thrown at src/services/domain/ModeManager.ts:122

    if (!inheritance.hasParent) {
      try {
        const mode = this.loadModeFile(modeId);
        this.activeMode = mode;
        this.activeModeId = modeId;
        logger.debug('SYSTEM', `Loaded mode: ${mode.name} (${modeId})`, undefined, {
          types: mode.observation_types.map(t => t.id),
          concepts: mode.observation_concepts.map(c => c.id)
        });
        return mode;
      } catch (error) {
        if (error instanceof Error) {
          logger.warn('WORKER', `Mode file not found: ${modeId}, falling back to 'code'`, { message: error.message });
        } else {
          logger.warn('WORKER', `Mode file not found: ${modeId}, falling back to 'code'`, { error: String(error) });
        }
        if (modeId === 'code') {
          throw new Error('Critical: code.json mode file missing');
        }
        return this.loadMode('code');
      }
    }

    const { parentId, overrideId } = inheritance;

    let parentMode: ModeConfig;
    try {
      parentMode = this.loadMode(parentId);
    } catch (error) {
      if (error instanceof Error) {
        logger.warn('WORKER', `Parent mode '${parentId}' not found for ${modeId}, falling back to 'code'`, { message: error.message });
      } else {
        logger.warn('WORKER', `Parent mode '${parentId}' not found for ${modeId}, falling back to 'code'`, { error: String(error) });
      }
      parentMode = this.loadMode('code');
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to d768ba3643)

Solutions

1. Restore the bundled modes directory — reinstall the plugin or copy modes/code.json from the package into packageRoot/modes.
2. Verify getPackageRoot() resolves to the directory that actually contains modes/code.json.
3. If running from source, ensure the build/sync step copied src/modes (or plugin/modes) into place.
4. As a last resort, manually place a valid code.json in dataDir/modes.

Example fix

// before — modes/code.json missing from all modeDirs
manager.loadMode('anything');
// logs 'Mode file not found: anything, falling back to code'
// then throws 'Critical: code.json mode file missing'

// after — restore the base mode
// copy from package into the durable user modes dir
cp node_modules/claude-mem/modes/code.json ~/.claude-mem/modes/code.json

import { existsSync } from 'fs';
// Ensure the base mode exists before any loadMode call.
const codePresent = modeDirs.some(d => existsSync(join(d, 'code.json')));
if (!codePresent) {
  throw new Error('modes/code.json missing — reinstall the plugin or restore the file before continuing');
}

function baseModeAvailable(modeDirs: string[]): boolean {
  return modeDirs.some(d => existsSync(join(d, 'code.json')));
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any missing mode triggers fallback to 'code'; if modes/code.json is also missing (deleted, never installed, package corrupted), the recursive loadMode('code') re-enters the catch and throws this critical error.

Common situations: Plugin install was partial and the bundled modes/ directory (which ships code.json) is absent; a cleanup script deleted all .json modes; package was unpacked without preserving the modes directory; getPackageRoot() resolves to the wrong location so packageRoot/modes is empty.

Related errors

• Mode file not found: ${modeId}.json (searched: ${this.modeDi
• installPluginDependencies: no package.json at ${targetDir}
• Folder does not exist: ${folderPath}
• Invalid mode inheritance: ${modeId}. Only one level of inher
• Invalid mode ID: ${modeId}

AI-assisted analysis of thedotmack/claude-mem@d768ba3643 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/71b6c8fb3de85a1d. Report an issue: GitHub.