nvm: how to avoid env: node: No such file or directory

Operating system and version: macOS 10.13.2 (17C88)
nvm debug output:

nvm --version: v0.33.8
$TERM_PROGRAM: iTerm.app
$SHELL: /usr/local/bin/zsh
$HOME: /Users/song
$NVM_DIR: '$HOME/.nvm'
$PREFIX: ''
$NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX: ''
$NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR: ''
$NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR: ''
shell version: 'zsh 5.4.2 (x86_64-apple-darwin15.6.0)'
uname -a: 'Darwin 17.3.0 Darwin Kernel Version 17.3.0: Thu Nov 9 18:09:22 PST 2017; root:xnu-4570.31.3~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64'
OS version: Mac 10.13.2 17C88
curl: /usr/bin/curl, curl 7.54.0 (x86_64-apple-darwin17.0) libcurl/7.54.0 LibreSSL/2.0.20 zlib/1.2.11 nghttp2/1.24.0
wget: /usr/local/bin/wget, GNU Wget 1.19.2 built on darwin15.6.0.
git: git: aliased to hub (hub), git version 2.15.0
grep: /usr/bin/grep, grep (BSD grep) 2.5.1-FreeBSD
awk: /usr/bin/awk, awk version 20070501
sed: illegal option -- -
usage: sed script [-Ealn] [-i extension] [file ...]
       sed [-Ealn] [-i extension] [-e script] ... [-f script_file] ... [file ...]
sed: /usr/bin/sed,
cut: illegal option -- -
usage: cut -b list [-n] [file ...]
       cut -c list [file ...]
       cut -f list [-s] [-d delim] [file ...]
cut: /usr/bin/cut,
basename: illegal option -- -
usage: basename string [suffix]
       basename [-a] [-s suffix] string [...]
basename: /usr/bin/basename,
rm: illegal option -- -
usage: rm [-f | -i] [-dPRrvW] file ...
       unlink file
rm: rm: aliased to trash (trash),
mkdir: illegal option -- -
usage: mkdir [-pv] [-m mode] directory ...
mkdir: /bin/mkdir,
xargs: illegal option -- -
usage: xargs [-0opt] [-E eofstr] [-I replstr [-R replacements]] [-J replstr]
             [-L number] [-n number [-x]] [-P maxprocs] [-s size]
             [utility [argument ...]]
xargs: /usr/bin/xargs,
nvm current: v8.9.4
which node: $NVM_DIR/versions/node/v8.9.4/bin/node
which iojs: iojs not found
which npm: $NVM_DIR/versions/node/v8.9.4/bin/npm
npm config get prefix: $NVM_DIR/versions/node/v8.9.4
npm root -g: $NVM_DIR/versions/node/v8.9.4/lib/node_modules

nvm ls output:

default -> 8 (-> v8.9.4)
node -> stable (-> v8.9.4) (default)
stable -> 8.9 (-> v8.9.4) (default)
iojs -> N/A (default)

How did you install nvm? (e.g. install script in readme, homebrew): install script
What steps did you perform? I commented the loading nvm script in shell to make my terminal loads faster, then load nvm whenever I need Node.js
What happened? env: node: No such file or directory shows up every new terminal opened
What did you expect to happen? nothing like that shows up even I am not loading nvm(or, I am not using Node.js)
Is there anything in any of your profile files (.bashrc, .bash_profile, .zshrc, etc) that modifies the PATH?

If you are having installation issues, or getting “N/A”, what does curl -I --compressed -v https://nodejs.org/dist/ print out?

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 6 years ago
Reactions: 2
Comments: 18 (3 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

On macOS High Sierra, I had to run sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(brew --prefix)/* source and then run brew link --overwrite node

+152

RyanPWalker on Dec 5, 2018

On newer macos with readonly /usr/bin, do this instead (assuming node only installed through nvm, not brew):

sudo ln -s "$(which node)" /System/Volumes/Data/usr/local/bin

+47

wiegell on Aug 7, 2022

Try nvm alias default node

+36

ljharb on Jan 7, 2018

On macOS High Sierra, I had to run sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(brew --prefix)/* source and then run brew link --overwrite node

@RyanPWalker this would only work if you installed node through homebrew. This wouldn’t work if you opted not to install node and only use nvm directly.

@mrsoftware’s suggestion would work in this case assuming that you use bash, and not something else like fish. You’ll have to re-link it though each time you change your node version if in case you want those shebang lines to use the selected node version.

edit: or if linking to /usr/bin/node is not permitted, you can link it to /usr/local/bin. Those shebangs should still work with that.

+30

dcefram on Nov 30, 2020

use this comment to create a symlink:

sudo ln -s "$(which node)" /usr/bin/node

+27

mrsoftware on Jul 11, 2020

sudo ln -s "$(which node)" /usr/local/bin/node

This work for me

Norcy on Feb 26, 2024

On newer macos with readonly /usr/bin, do this instead (assuming node only installed through nvm, not brew):
sudo ln -s "$(which node)" /System/Volumes/Data/usr/local/bin

it worked for me, using chip m1, thanks a lot!!

maganezf on Feb 26, 2024

On newer macos with readonly /usr/bin, do this instead (assuming node only installed through nvm, not brew):
sudo ln -s "$(which node)" /System/Volumes/Data/usr/local/bin

it’s working for me, in chip m2, Thank’s

mssoliveira on Feb 26, 2024

@ljharb sorry for the confusion, I was meaning env: node: No such file or directory. After another peek, it seems the long loading time is an issue posted by others at multiple times, so I am closing this one. FWIW, my workaround is to use nvm in bash instead of zshell.

casprwang on Jan 8, 2018