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node --watch won't restart after SyntaxError [ERR_INVALID_TYPESCRIPT_SYNTAX] and the file is subsequently modified #61153

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#61232
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node --watch won't restart after SyntaxError [ERR_INVALID_TYPESCRIPT_SYNTAX] and the file is subsequently modified#61153
#61232
Labels
loadersIssues and PRs related to ES module loaders.strip-typesIssues and PRs related to TypeScript type stripping.watch-modeIssues and PRs related to watch mode.

Description

@gitenstuff
gitenstuff
opened on Dec 23, 2025

Version

v24.11.1

Platform

linux

Subsystem

No response

What steps will reproduce the bug?

Run bash node --watch app.ts

  • edit app.ts => if you make a change without causing a syntax error, e.g., edit a string, copy/delete lines, then --watch works as expected.
  • however it the edit causes SyntaxError [ERR_INVALID_TYPESCRIPT_SYNTAX]: then app.ts will not be restarted, no matter how the file is subsequently modified, e.g., fixed the syntax error.

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

Always

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

Node should restart every time the file is changed

What do you see instead?

Run node --watch app.ts

Completed running 'app.ts'. Waiting for file changes before restarting...

Now start editing. If the file you are editing gets saved (auto save 5 seconds on this machine) while you are in the middle of typing a line then output is the Syntax Error exception as expected.

Restarting 'app.ts'
node:internal/modules/run_main:107
    triggerUncaughtException(
    ^

file:///home/user/dev/rfc/app.ts:38
      throw new Error(`"${this.cmd}" not found on system path`
    }
    ^
  }

SyntaxError [ERR_INVALID_TYPESCRIPT_SYNTAX]: Expected ',', got '}'
    at parseTypeScript (node:internal/modules/typescript:72:36)
    at processTypeScriptCode (node:internal/modules/typescript:146:42)
    at stripTypeScriptModuleTypes (node:internal/modules/typescript:209:22)
    at ModuleLoader.<anonymous> (node:internal/modules/esm/translators:660:29)
    at #translate (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:541:20)
    at afterLoad (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:594:29)
    at ModuleLoader.loadAndTranslate (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:599:12)
    at #createModuleJob (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:623:36)
    at #getJobFromResolveResult (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:329:34)
    at ModuleLoader.getModuleJobForImport (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:294:41) {
  code: 'ERR_INVALID_TYPESCRIPT_SYNTAX'
}

Node.js v24.11.1
Failed running 'app.ts'. Waiting for file changes before restarting...

Meanwhile you finish typing your line and now all of the syntax is peachy clean within a few more seconds.

  • app.ts is never restarted no matter what changes are made to it
  • Neither manual save nor auto-save will trigger a restart.
  • Mediation is ctrl-c, followed by node --watch app.ts

Additional information

No response

Activity

  1. marco-ippolito commented on Dec 23, 2025

    @marco-ippolito
    marco-ippolito
    on Dec 23, 2025
    Member

    I cannot reproduce on macos

  2. gitenstuff commented on Dec 23, 2025

    @gitenstuff
    gitenstuff
    on Dec 23, 2025
    Author

    @marco-ippolito
    I'm not surprised to hear it's not reproducing. Otherwise there would be a ton of issues ...
    I did additional testing: --watch works as expected when app crashes on any other unhandled exception. It only stops working when node crashes with a syntax error...

  3. marco-ippolito
    added
    linuxIssues and PRs related to the Linux platform.
    watch-modeIssues and PRs related to watch mode.
    strip-typesIssues and PRs related to TypeScript type stripping.
    on Dec 23, 2025

  4. Xstoudi commented on Dec 23, 2025

    @Xstoudi
    Xstoudi
    on Dec 23, 2025
    Contributor

    I cannot reproduce on Linux Mint either.

  5. gitenstuff commented on Dec 23, 2025

    @gitenstuff
    gitenstuff
    on Dec 23, 2025
    Author

    Can you please give me some guidelines regarding desktop capture video which can be posted or linked to here so y'all don't think i'ma crazy?

  6. juanarbol commented on Dec 27, 2025

    @juanarbol
    juanarbol
    on Dec 27, 2025
    Member

    can't repro in Linux

    const foo: number = "bar";
console.log(foo);
    node --watch /tmp/watch.ts
    bar
Completed running '/tmp/watch.ts'. Waiting for file changes before restarting...
Restarting '/tmp/watch.ts'
/tmp/watch.ts:3

struct {};
       ^

SyntaxError [ERR_INVALID_TYPESCRIPT_SYNTAX]: Expected ';', '}' or <eof>
    at parseTypeScript (node:internal/modules/typescript:72:36)
    at processTypeScriptCode (node:internal/modules/typescript:146:42)
    at stripTypeScriptModuleTypes (node:internal/modules/typescript:209:22)
    at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1713:15)
    at Object..js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1893:10)
    at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1481:32)
    at Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1300:12)
    at TracingChannel.traceSync (node:diagnostics_channel:328:14)
    at wrapModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:245:24)
    at Module.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (node:internal/modules/run_main:154:5) {
  code: 'ERR_INVALID_TYPESCRIPT_SYNTAX'
}

Node.js v24.11.1
Failed running '/tmp/watch.ts'. Waiting for file changes before restarting...
Restarting '/tmp/watch.ts'
bar
Completed running '/tmp/watch.ts'. Waiting for file changes before restarting...
  7. juanarbol
    added
    needs more infoIssues awaiting more information or a reproducible example from the author.
    on Dec 27, 2025

  8. juanarbol commented on Dec 27, 2025

    @juanarbol
    juanarbol
    on Dec 27, 2025
    Member

    Can you please give me some guidelines regarding desktop capture video which can be posted or linked to here so y'all don't think i'ma crazy?

    The easiest for all of us to look at the better. Use anything that works for you and us.

  9. robsimmons commented on Dec 29, 2025

    @robsimmons
    robsimmons
    on Dec 29, 2025

    Here's me replicating (OSX 15.6.1 (24G90), Node.js v24.7.0)

    Screen.Recording.2025-12-29.at.3.52.11.PM.mov

  10. robsimmons commented on Dec 29, 2025

    @robsimmons
    robsimmons
    on Dec 29, 2025

    OH! I can only replicate when "type": "module" is set in package.json, that's probably a big clue. Replicator @gitenstuff and non-replicators @marco-ippolito and @Xstoudi, can you try out switching to type-module and see if that makes a difference in either direction?

  11. gitenstuff commented on Dec 30, 2025

    @gitenstuff
    gitenstuff
    on Dec 30, 2025
    Author

    @robsimmons
    Weird, now I can't replicate with "type"="commonjs" nor "type"="module"

    $ node --version
v24.11.1

$ uname -rsi
Linux 5.14.0-611.13.1.el9_7.x86_64 x86_64

  12. robsimmons commented on Dec 30, 2025

    @robsimmons
    robsimmons
    on Dec 30, 2025

    I am still able to replicate with node v24.12.0 exactly as shown in the video above. (As shown in the video, that was using v24.7.0). And I found this issue because a colleague using Windows encountered the same issue.

  13. Xstoudi commented on Dec 30, 2025

    @Xstoudi
    Xstoudi
    on Dec 30, 2025
    Contributor

    Yep, can now reproduce, but only when type is module.

    $ node -v
v24.12.0

$ uname -rsi
Linux 6.14.0-37-generic x86_64

  14. 2 remaining items

  15. Xstoudi commented on Dec 31, 2025

    @Xstoudi
    Xstoudi
    on Dec 31, 2025
    Contributor

    I git bisected it to 2fafe4c

  16. Renegade334
    added
    loadersIssues and PRs related to ES module loaders.
    and removed
    linuxIssues and PRs related to the Linux platform.
    needs more infoIssues awaiting more information or a reproducible example from the author.
    on Dec 31, 2025

  17. Xstoudi commented on Jan 1, 2026

    @Xstoudi
    Xstoudi
    on Jan 1, 2026
    Contributor

    Happens because watch:import event is never emitted as this.loadAndTranslate throws a syntax error before. I opened a PR to fix it, hope it's the way to fix it.

  18. robsimmons commented on Jan 2, 2026

    @robsimmons
    robsimmons
    on Jan 2, 2026

    @Xstoudi I really appreciate you doing the digging to fix this!

  19. nodejs-github-bot
    closed this as completedin #61232on Jan 15, 2026
  20. pull
    added a commit that references this issue on Jan 15, 2026

    esm: ensure watch mode restarts after syntax errors

    1654684
  21. aduh95
    added a commit that references this issue on Jan 20, 2026

    esm: ensure watch mode restarts after syntax errors

    2db4893
  22. aduh95
    added a commit that references this issue on Jan 27, 2026

    esm: ensure watch mode restarts after syntax errors

    13af640
  23. Renegade334
    marked node --watch bails on invalid import syntax #62022 as a duplicate of this issue on Feb 27, 2026
  24. Renegade334
    marked node --test --watch hangs on invalid import syntax #62021 as a duplicate of this issue on Feb 27, 2026
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