commander.js: (1) does not exist, try --help

After calling

program.parse(process.argv);

I get

index-server(1) does not exist, try --help

Commands Run

$ node ../../lib/cmd/index.js server

Relevant Code

// index.js
const { root } = require('./root');
root.parse(process.argv);

//root.js
import * as root from "commander";
root
  .version(version, "-v, --version")
  .description("description")
  .option("-s, --select <id>", "select")
  .option("-e, --env <env>", "Environment to use for commands.")

export { root }

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 6 years ago
Reactions: 16
Comments: 15

Commits related to this issue

feat: 修改 bin 目录下名称与项目名称一致，避免出现这种错误 ‘error: trust-scripts-dev(1) does not exist, try --help’， ref: https://github.com/tj/commander.js/issues/786 — committed to Beace/trust-scripts by Beace 5 years ago

Most upvoted comments

Here is the workaround I am using for my project:

package.json:

... 
{
 "bin" : { "my-script": "./my-script.js" }
}
...

For windows the value ./my-script-<command-name> is used to try and find the executable file. For unix the key “my-script-<command-name>” is used to try and find the executable file.

If the key and value in package json bin is the same it works fine on both unix and windows. We wont get the not found error (which occurs if package.json 's package.bin is “my-script” : “./index.js”).

my-script.js

  var program = require('commander');
  program
    .command('start', 'Start application dev server.') // sub-command name
    .command('build', 'Build application artifacts.')
    .command('test', 'Run tests in application.')
    .command('generate', 'Generate application w/ scafolding.')
    .parse(process.argv);

Folder structure:

./my-scripts.js
./my-scripts-build.js
./my-scripts-start.js
./my-scripts-generate.js
./my-scripts-test.js

knyy on Aug 27, 2018

I have same issue on Mac! Windows works.

fabioricali on Aug 9, 2018

I was not able to reproduce with your code fragment, but it looks like you have (accidentally) invoked the Git-style sub-commands processing which searches for separate executables.

Do you have code like root.command("server", description) in your failing program?

shadowspawn on Apr 14, 2018

any update on this? ive tried @fabioricali and @knyy’s workarounds with no success.

i cannot reproduce the issue locally using yarn link or npm link but after publishing to npm and installing with yarn, the issue appears.

also, if i remove the globally installed yarn package and install with npm instead of yarn it works

jameelmoses on Oct 25, 2018

Thanks for the work-arounds @david-mohr

There is a change being prepared for release in Commander v2.20.0 which should help with the Yarn issue in particular: #935

shadowspawn on Apr 2, 2019

@shadowspawn did it make the 2.20.0 release - I fear not?

currently running 2.20.0 on MacOS it seems that even if one uses the .action syntax, the code still requires the gitstyle js file per command?

As a side question, is is possible to have global options, and commands, such that the global option provide the ability to override the commands behavior.

acds on Jun 26, 2019