usebruno/bruno · error · Error

Cannot copy, ${path.basename(source)} already exists in ${pa

Error message

Cannot copy, ${path.basename(source)} already exists in ${path.basename(destination)}

What it means

Thrown by copyPath when destination/path.basename(source) already exists. copyPath is a copy-into-directory primitive that refuses to overwrite, so any pre-existing entry with the source's basename at the destination aborts the copy before it starts.

Source

Thrown at packages/bruno-electron/src/utils/filesystem.js:412

    fsExtra.outputFileSync(safePath, data, options);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error(`Error writing file at ${safePath}:`, err);
    return Promise.reject(err);
  }
}

function safeWriteFileSync(filePath, data) {
  const safePath = getSafePathToWrite(filePath);
  fs.writeFileSync(safePath, data);
}

// Recursively copies a source <file/directory> to a destination <directory>.
const copyPath = async (source, destination) => {
  let targetPath = `${destination}/${path.basename(source)}`;

  const targetPathExists = await fsPromises.access(targetPath).then(() => true).catch(() => false);
  if (targetPathExists) {
    throw new Error(`Cannot copy, ${path.basename(source)} already exists in ${path.basename(destination)}`);
  }

  const copy = async (source, destination) => {
    const stat = await fsPromises.lstat(source);
    if (stat.isDirectory()) {
      await fsPromises.mkdir(destination, { recursive: true });
      const entries = await fsPromises.readdir(source);
      for (const entry of entries) {
        const srcPath = path.join(source, entry);
        const destPath = path.join(destination, entry);
        await copy(srcPath, destPath);
      }
    } else {
      await fsPromises.copyFile(source, destination);
    }
  };

  await copy(source, targetPath);

View on GitHub (pinned to 9bdd81c7bd)

Solutions

1. Pre-check existence of the target path and pick a unique name (generateUniqueName) before copying.
2. Prompt the user to overwrite, rename, or skip on collision.
3. If overwrite is genuinely desired, delete the target first or use a copy primitive that supports overwrite.

Example fix

// before
const targetPathExists = await fsPromises.access(targetPath).then(() => true).catch(() => false);
if (targetPathExists) {
  throw new Error(`Cannot copy, ${path.basename(source)} already exists in ${path.basename(destination)}`);
}

// after: de-collide
let target = `${destination}/${path.basename(source)}`;
target = await ensureUnique(target); // appends ' copy', ' copy 2', ...

const target = path.join(destination, path.basename(source));
if (await fsPromises.access(target).then(() => true).catch(() => false)) {
  throw new Error(`${path.basename(source)} already exists in ${destination}`);
}
await copyPath(source, destination);

async function copyTargetIsClear(source, destination) {
  const target = path.join(destination, path.basename(source));
  return fsPromises.access(target).then(() => false).catch(() => true);
}

try {
  await copyPath(source, destination);
} catch (err) {
  if (err.message.startsWith('Cannot copy')) {
    // pick a unique destination name and retry
    const unique = await generateUniqueTarget(source, destination);
    return copyPath(source, path.dirname(unique));
  }
  throw err;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Copying a folder/file into a destination that already contains an entry of the same name; duplicate copy operation; destination not cleaned between runs.

Common situations: Re-running a copy/duplicate-collection action; merging two trees where names collide; target directory already holds a prior version.

Related errors

• collection: ${collectionPath} already exists
• directory: ${dir} already exists
• Failed to export ${environmentType} environments.
• Failed to process ${parsedFile.fileName}: ${err.message}
• Failed to parse the file – ensure it is valid JSON or YAML

AI-assisted analysis of usebruno/bruno@9bdd81c7bd (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d2c469cd0bf42690. Report an issue: GitHub.