thedotmack/claude-mem · error · Error

Transcript watch config not found: ${resolvedPath}

Error message

Transcript watch config not found: ${resolvedPath}

What it means

Thrown by loadTranscriptWatchConfig when the transcript watch config file does not exist at the resolved path (after ~ expansion). The loader refuses to proceed without a config file rather than silently using defaults, so transcript ingestion cannot start until a config is present.

Source

Thrown at src/services/transcripts/config.ts:67

      ...config,
      watches,
    },
    removed: config.watches.length - watches.length,
  };
}

export function expandHomePath(inputPath: string): string {
  if (!inputPath) return inputPath;
  if (inputPath.startsWith('~')) {
    return join(homedir(), inputPath.slice(1));
  }
  return inputPath;
}

export function loadTranscriptWatchConfig(path = DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH): TranscriptWatchConfig {
  const resolvedPath = expandHomePath(path);
  if (!existsSync(resolvedPath)) {
    throw new Error(`Transcript watch config not found: ${resolvedPath}`);
  }
  const raw = readFileSync(resolvedPath, 'utf-8');
  const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as TranscriptWatchConfig;
  if (!parsed.version || !parsed.watches) {
    throw new Error(`Invalid transcript watch config: ${resolvedPath}`);
  }
  if (!parsed.stateFile) {
    parsed.stateFile = DEFAULT_STATE_PATH;
  }
  return parsed;
}

export function writeSampleConfig(path = DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH): void {
  const resolvedPath = expandHomePath(path);
  const dir = dirname(resolvedPath);
  if (!existsSync(dir)) {
    mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
  }

View on GitHub (pinned to d768ba3643)

Solutions

1. Generate the sample config by calling writeSampleConfig() (or the CLI equivalent) to create the file at the resolved path.
2. Verify the resolved path printed in the message and ensure its parent directory exists and is writable.
3. If using a custom path, confirm it is absolute or correctly ~-prefixed and points to an existing file.
4. Re-run onboarding / setup which writes the default transcript watch config.

Example fix

// before: loadTranscriptWatchConfig()  // file absent -> throws
// after:  if (!existsSync(resolved)) writeSampleConfig(); loadTranscriptWatchConfig();

import { existsSync } from 'fs';
import { loadTranscriptWatchConfig, writeSampleConfig, expandHomePath, DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH } from './config';
function loadOrInitConfig(path = DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH) {
  const resolved = expandHomePath(path);
  if (!existsSync(resolved)) writeSampleConfig(resolved);
  return loadTranscriptWatchConfig(resolved);
}

try { config = loadTranscriptWatchConfig(path); }
catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message.startsWith('Transcript watch config not found')) {
    writeSampleConfig(path); // bootstrap then retry
    config = loadTranscriptWatchConfig(path);
    return;
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: loadTranscriptWatchConfig(path) calls existsSync(resolvedPath) and it returns false. The default path comes from paths.transcriptsConfig(); a custom path may be passed. ~ is expanded via expandHomePath before the check.

Common situations: First run before onboarding has written the config, the config file deleted/moved, a custom path argument that points nowhere, or HOME not set so ~ expansion resolves oddly. Common right after install if the sample config bootstrap was skipped.

Related errors

• server startup configuration is invalid: - ${line}
• Mode file not found: ${modeId}.json (searched: ${this.modeDi
• Corrupt JSON in ${GEMINI_SETTINGS_PATH}, refusing to overwri
• Corrupt hooks.json at ${WINDSURF_HOOKS_JSON_PATH}, refusing
• SyncClient requires a non-empty hubUrl (CLAUDE_MEM_CLOUD_SYN

AI-assisted analysis of thedotmack/claude-mem@d768ba3643 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7b1425e7fd97450b. Report an issue: GitHub.