--env-file-if-exists throws error when the .env file doesn't exist and when combined with --watch

[mkvlrn]

Version

23.7.0

Platform

Linux fedora 6.12.11-200.fc41.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Fri Jan 24 04:59:58 UTC 2025 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Subsystem

No response

What steps will reproduce the bug?

Run any script in a project where a .env file doesn't exist:

node --env-file-if-exists=.env --watch main.js

If the .env file exists or you don't use the --watch flag, script runs normally without throwing errors.

How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?

These need to be true for the problem to occur:

• use the flag --env-file-if-exists pointing to a non existing .env file, --env-file-if-exists=.env
• use the flag --watch

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

Script should run normally with the following message being printed right before it:

.env not found. Continuing without it.

What do you see instead?

An error stating .env was not found.

.env not found. Continuing without it.
node:internal/fs/watchers:247
    const error = new UVException({
                  ^

Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, watch '/home/mkvlrn/github/template-discordbot/.env'
    at FSWatcher.<computed> (node:internal/fs/watchers:247:19)
    at watch (node:fs:2551:36)
    at FilesWatcher.watchPath (node:internal/watch_mode/files_watcher:109:21)
    at FilesWatcher.filterFile (node:internal/watch_mode/files_watcher:128:12)
    at start (node:internal/main/watch_mode:78:13)
    at init (node:internal/main/watch_mode:148:15)
    at node:internal/main/watch_mode:160:1 {
  errno: -2,
  syscall: 'watch',
  code: 'ENOENT',
  path: '/home/mkvlrn/github/template-discordbot/.env',
  filename: '/home/mkvlrn/github/template-discordbot/.env'
}

Node.js v23.7.0
.env not found. Continuing without it.
node:events:485                                                                                       
      throw er; // Unhandled 'error' event
      ^

Error: write EPIPE
    at target._send (node:internal/child_process:877:20)
    at target.send (node:internal/child_process:751:19)
    at #createModuleJob (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:552:15)
    at #getJobFromResolveResult (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:312:34)
    at ModuleLoader.getModuleJobForImport (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:280:41)
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)
    at async onImport.tracePromise.__proto__ (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:582:25)
Emitted 'error' event on process instance at:
    at node:internal/child_process:881:39
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:85:11) {
  errno: -32,
  code: 'EPIPE',
  syscall: 'write'
}

Node.js v23.7.0

Additional information

Neither --watch nor --env-file /--env-file-if-exists documentations warn about not combining these flags.

[juanarbol]

Interesting...

[juanarbol]

This seems to be fixed in upstream.

./node --env-file-if-exists=.env --watch main.js
.env not found. Continuing without it.
.env not found. Continuing without it.
Hola mundo
Completed running 'main.js'

Thanks for this report, please make sure you use LTS releases. See https://github.com/nodejs/release?tab=readme-ov-file#release-schedule

This bug is fixed in v22.13.1.

$ node -v
v22.13.1

$ node --env-file-if-exists=.env --watch main
.env not found. Continuing without it.
.env not found. Continuing without it.
Hola mundo
Completed running 'main'

I'll proceed to close this issue as it is fixed and released

[mkvlrn]

Thanks for looking into it. I was using latest (23) because of the removal of the --experimental-strip-types flag and never even tried with LTS - that was a terrible oversight of mine. Too excited to run those ts files!

[juanarbol]

Please be careful :)

[aduh95]

@juanarbol rather than pushing users off of Current releases (we want users to use Current releases, it's the whole point of having them), it would more useful to use the report to tag the relevant folks and make sure the bug doesn't make its way into an LTS release – which has happen, see #57040