TypeError: Path must be a string. Received null

[Tom Esterez]

After upgrading ts-node from version 3.2 to 3.3, we started having this issue on our dev server. We can't reproduce it on our mac workstations.

It seams like this is introduced by the upgrade to v8flags@3.0.0.

We are downgrading as it fixes our issue but I wanted to let you know...

TypeError: Path must be a string. Received null
    at assertPath (path.js:7:11)
    at Object.basename (path.js:1355:5)
    at linux (/opt/apps/pbv4/release/08022017145510/node_modules/v8flags/config-path.js:19:25)
    at module.exports (/opt/apps/pbv4/release/08022017145510/node_modules/v8flags/config-path.js:32:10)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/opt/apps/pbv4/release/08022017145510/node_modules/v8flags/index.js:10:47)
    at Module._compile (module.js:570:32)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:579:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:487:32)
    at tryModuleLoad (module.js:446:12)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:438:3)
error Command failed with exit code 1.

[Blaine Bublitz]

Ping @Siilwyn

[Selwyn]

Thank you for reporting, I'm responsible for this change.
This error looks like it's coming from the user-home module returning null. Wondering if we should have a fallback or handle it on user-home module level.

Could you be so kind to start node and in the REPL run os.homedir() on the dev server and report the result?

Edit: if you have the time I would appreciate it if you also try homedir-polyfill, there's an open issue about moving to that polyfill which might solve this too.

[Philippe Roy]

@Siilwyn the result of os.homedir() is /root.
Hope it helps !
(btw, I work with @testerez )

[Selwyn]

Thank you! That means the user-home module is not behaving the same as os.homedir...

Could you try the following?
npm install homedir-polyfill; npm install user-home@1.1.1

console.log(
'user-home: ' + require('user-home'),
'\n',
'homedir-polyfill: ' + require('homedir-polyfill')()
);

[Philippe Roy]

@Siilwyn :

user-home: null
homedir-polyfill: /root

[Blaine Bublitz]

👍 on homedir-polyfill switch

[Tyler Kellen]

Nice debugging ya'll, and thanks @Siilwyn for tackling this so quickly.

[Selwyn]

This issue goes a bit further than expected, the logic for falling back is already in place but was basically 'skipped'.