The "Cannot find program" error is usually caused by the program path configured by the launch.json file of VSCode Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug or the file does not exist. 1. Check whether the "program" or "runtimeArgs" configuration items in launch.json correctly point to the entry file, such as app.js or src/index.js; 2. Confirm that the entry file actually exists and is spelled correctly; 3. Use the ${workspaceFolder} macro to avoid path problems; 4. Make sure to work in the project root directory to prevent relative path confusion; 5. Try to manually run node app.js to troubleshoot code or dependency problems; 6. Confirm the recommended entry file according to the project type, such as Node.js using app.js, React Vite using browser debugging, and TypeScript needs to be compiled first.

When you start debugging, you see the VSCode Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug error "Cannot find program", usually because it cannot find the entry file you want to run. This problem is common in new projects that have just configured the debugging environment, or incorrect paths are written.

Why does this error occur?

The core reason for this error is usually that the program path configured in the launch.json file is incorrect or does not exist at all. VSCode Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug will try to load the specified program file (such as app.js , index.js or other entry files) when starting the debugger. If it cannot be found, this error will be reported.

Common situations include:

• File name is spelled incorrectly, such as written inde.js
• The path is incorrect, such as the file is in src/ directory, but the configuration only contains the root directory.
• The program file does not exist (not created yet)

How to solve it: Check launch.json configuration

Open the .vscode/launch.json file, find the "program" item, and make sure it points to the correct entry file. For example:

 {
  "type": "node",
  "request": "launch",
  "runtimeExecutable": "nodemon",
  "runtimeArgs": ["--inspect=9229", "app.js"],
  "restart": true,
  "console": "integratedTerminal",
  "internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen"
}

Or if you are running a JS file directly:

 {
  "type": "node",
  "request": "launch",
  "runtimeExecutable": "node",
  "runtimeArgs": ["--inspect=9229", "${workspaceFolder}/app.js"],
  "restart": true,
  "console": "integratedTerminal"
}

Key points:

• Check if app.js exists
• Use ${workspaceFolder} to avoid path problems
• If the file is in a subdirectory, such as src/index.js , you need to write the full path

Other possible reasons and suggestions

Sometimes the problem is not on launch.json , but it also needs to be checked elsewhere:

• Confirm that you really have the entry file
  For example, if you are writing a Node.js project, you should at least have a file similar to index.js or app.js If not, the program will naturally be "cannot be found".

• Check whether the workspace structure is chaotic
  If you open a subfolder in a large project instead of the root directory of the project, it may cause a relative path error.

• Try running manually to see if there is any problem
  Enter node app.js in the terminal, and if the error also reports that the module or file cannot be found, it means that the problem is not in VSCode Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug Cannot find program error on debug, but in your code itself, the path or dependency is problematic.

Common practice reference: Recommended configurations for different project types

The common entry files for different types of projects are different. Here are some configuration suggestions for common project types:

• Node.js basic project : use app.js or index.js as the entry
• Express project : generally also app.js or bin/www
• React Vite project : Usually you don't need to configure debug by yourself, just use the browser to debug it
• TypeScript project : Pay attention to whether the path exists after compilation. Some projects need to be built first and then debugged.

Basically that's it. When you encounter problems, first look at the configuration file and then see if the file exists. Most of the time you can locate it.

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