vuejs/vue-cli · error · Error

The package.json file at

Error message

The package.json file at '${packagePath}' does not exist

What it means

Thrown by getPackageJson in getPkg.js when fs.readFileSync fails to read the package.json file at the resolved path. The catch block converts any file-system error (ENOENT, EACCES, etc.) into this message. This function is used to load the project's package.json during CLI operations.

Solutions

Ensure you are running the command in the project root that contains package.json.
Check that package.json exists: `ls package.json`.
If vuePlugins.resolveFrom is set, verify that the target path exists and contains a valid package.json.
Check file permissions: `ls -la package.json`.

Example fix

# before
$ cd /wrong/dir && vue serve
Error: package.json does not exist
# after
$ cd /path/to/vue-project
$ ls package.json
$ vue serve

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const { existsSync } = require('fs');
const path = require('path');
const packagePath = path.join(projectPath, 'package.json');
if (!existsSync(packagePath)) {
  console.error(`No package.json found at ${packagePath}. Run this command in a project root.`);
  process.exit(1);
}

Try / catch

try {
  const pkg = getPkg(context);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.includes('does not exist')) {
    console.error('package.json not found. Ensure you are in the project root.');
    process.exit(1);
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Always run Vue CLI commands from the project root containing package.json.
If using vuePlugins.resolveFrom, ensure the referenced path is valid.
Check file permissions if the file exists but is unreadable.

When it happens

Trigger: Running a Vue CLI command in a directory that has no package.json, or where the project path resolves incorrectly (e.g., via vuePlugins.resolveFrom pointing to a non-existent directory). Also when file permissions prevent reading.

Common situations: Running `vue` commands outside a Vue project directory. Corrupted or deleted package.json. A vuePlugins.resolveFrom field in package.json pointing to a path that no longer exists. Permission issues on the file system.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of vuejs/vue-cli@7eb93c169c (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7994452fa0151550. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/@vue/cli/lib/util/getPkg.js:14

// Get the package.json containing all the `vue-cli-pluin-*` dependencies
// See issue #1815

const fs = require('fs')
const path = require('path')

function getPackageJson (projectPath) {
  const packagePath = path.join(projectPath, 'package.json')

  let packageJson
  try {
    packageJson = fs.readFileSync(packagePath, 'utf-8')
  } catch (err) {
    throw new Error(`The package.json file at '${packagePath}' does not exist`)
  }

  try {
    packageJson = JSON.parse(packageJson)
  } catch (err) {
    throw new Error('The package.json is malformed')
  }

  return packageJson
}

module.exports = function getPkg (context) {
  const pkg = getPackageJson(context)
  if (pkg.vuePlugins && pkg.vuePlugins.resolveFrom) {
    return getPackageJson(path.resolve(context, pkg.vuePlugins.resolveFrom))
  }
  return pkg
}

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