Can't find Node.js binary "node" using nvm

Describe the bug

I got in the trace:

“Can’t find Node.js binary “node”: path does not exist. Make sure Node.js is installed and in your PATH, or set the “runtimeExecutable” in your launch.json”

when I run such configuration:

{
    "name": "test",
    "request": "launch",
    "type": "node",
    "program": "${workspaceFolder}/index.js",
    "trace": true
}

I use nvm to manage my node install, and the PATH env is set, so I do not want to use runtimeExecutable nor runtimeVersion or anything else that will link to a specific node version. I want to keep using the latest version of node and this managed via nvm only. Just for info, if I set runtimeExecutable or runtimeVersion it launch OK.

If I launch the js script manually in the vscode terminal it launch OK (it finds the node binary).

VS Code Version: Version: 1.62.3 Commit: ccbaa2d27e38e5afa3e5c21c1c7bef4657064247 Date: 2021-11-17T08:00:36.721Z Electron: 13.5.2 Chrome: 91.0.4472.164 Node.js: 14.16.0 V8: 9.1.269.39-electron.0 OS: Linux x64 5.4.0-91-generic

JavaScript Debugger (Nightly) v2021.11.1217 (the problem is seen also on standard version of JavaScript Debugger)

nvm: 0.39.0

env
NVM_INC=/home/username/.nvm/versions/node/v16.13.1/include/node
NVM_DIR=/home/username/.nvm
NVM_CD_FLAGS=
NVM_BIN=/home/username/.nvm/versions/node/v16.13.1/bin
PATH=/home/username/.nvm/versions/node/v16.13.1/bin:/home/username/.cargo/bin:/home/username/.local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin

The terminal is bash.

[adamchenwei]

Ok, my solution is to completely remove the launch.json from the .vscode folder then restart VSCode

[gaston-23]

I’m started to get this error too, on the latest VSCode @ macosx with M1:

code --version
1.68.1
30d9c6cd9483b2cc586687151bcbcd635f373630
arm64

Symptoms are the same:

• Intergrated terminal has correct path, nvm is working, node binary is there etc.

  • I also have "terminal.integrated.inheritEnv": true, but this seems have no effect on js-debug extension in any way

• JS debugger can’t attach, because node is not in PATH - We did not find node on your PATH, so we cannot enable auto-attach in your environment.

• In developer tools of VSCode process.env.PATH looks wrong: process.env.PATH - '/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin'

• Setting up debug.javascript.defaultRuntimeExecutable: {} and pointing it to a node biinary also does not help.

• Interesting that this error happens even when "debug.javascript.autoAttachFilter": "disabled".

Error message stack trace if this helps :

onDidChangeNotification | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:802
-- | -- | --
  | (anonymous) | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:802
  | invoke | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | deliver | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | fire | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | addNotification | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:802
  | notify | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1988
  | (anonymous) | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1724
  | _showMessage | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1724
  | $showMessage | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1724
  | _doInvokeHandler | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1731
  | _invokeHandler | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1731
  | _receiveRequest | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1731
  | _receiveOneMessage | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1731
  | (anonymous) | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:1731
  | invoke | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | deliver | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | fire | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | fire | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:83
  | _receiveMessage | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:83
  | (anonymous) | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:83
  | invoke | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | deliver | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | fire | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:67
  | acceptChunk | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:83
  | (anonymous) | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:83
  | L | @ | workbench.desktop.main.js:3181
  | emit | @ | node:events:390
  | addChunk | @ | node:internal/streams/readable:315
  | readableAddChunk | @ | node:internal/streams/readable:289
  | Show 2 more frames

in my case, I had the same issue with the process.env.PATH and i fixed adding to settings.json “debug.javascript.defaultRuntimeExecutable”: { “pwa-node”: “/path/to/.nvm/versions/node/vX.X.X/bin/node” },

Hope this helps someone !