a0deploy cli error command not found after npm install fails

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

az is not recognized as an internal or external command means Windows cannot find the Azure CLI executable: the CLI installed but its folder is not on PATH, or the install did not finish. Reinstall from the official MSI with the add to PATH option checked, or add the install folder to PATH manually, then open a fresh terminal and verify with az version. A terminal opened before the fix will never see the new PATH.

'az' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

Use this when

• cmd prints az is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file
• PowerShell prints the term az is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet
• This happens right after installing the Azure CLI on Windows, or in a terminal that was open during the install

Not for this skill when

• az runs but az login fails. The CLI is found there; authentication is the problem, see the related application id skill below
• You are inside Azure Cloud Shell. Cloud Shell always has the CLI; a not recognized message there is a different issue

Steps

1. Check whether the CLI is actually installed. Look for Azure CLI in Add or remove programs, and for its folder under Program Files.

Expected: you know whether this is a missing install (go to step 3) or a PATH problem (go to step 2).

2. If it is installed, add its folder to PATH. Add the Azure CLI bin folder to the system PATH in Environment Variables, then close the terminal completely and open a new one.

Expected: az version prints version info in the fresh terminal.

3. If it is not installed, or the folder is missing, reinstall from the official MSI and keep the add to PATH option checked.

Expected: the installer completes, and a fresh terminal finds az.

4. In PowerShell, confirm the shell resolves it: Get-Command az.

Expected: it resolves to the CLI executable path instead of an error.

5. Verify the install end to end: az version.

Expected: JSON output with the Azure CLI version. Only now try az login or your original command.

Variant phrasings

az not recognized windows

The short version of the same report. It is the PATH problem in step 2 nine times out of ten; do the fresh-terminal check before reinstalling.

the term az is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet

The PowerShell wording of the identical failure. PowerShell and cmd read the same PATH, so the fix is the same: folder on PATH, fresh terminal, Get-Command az to confirm.

az login not recognized

az login never gets to run because the shell cannot find az at all. Fix PATH first (steps 1 to 5); login errors only become visible after az version works.

Root cause

The MSI installer optionally adds the CLI folder to PATH. Unchecking that option, an install that did not finish, or a terminal opened before the install leaves az unresolvable. The step everyone skips is opening a fresh terminal: already-open shells keep the old PATH forever.

Edge cases

• 32-bit and 64-bit installs land in different Program Files folders. Point PATH at the one that actually exists on disk.
• Corporate images sometimes block the MSI PATH change. Set PATH manually in System environment variables instead.
• Multiple Python-based CLI installs can shadow each other. Get-Command az shows which executable the shell actually resolved.

Tool compatibility

Azure CLI on Windows (MSI install), in cmd and PowerShell. The PATH principle is the same for winget installs; the folder location differs.

Related skills

• Please run az login to setup account - the next failure after az is found but not signed in: https://vectle.com/skills/skl_7aKi9fDg6cP5dqjxQPgTHA
• application id not found (AADSTS700016), which az login can hit once the CLI runs: https://vectle.com/skills/skl_A8TLFys-hrvLfD1hrxFnDg
• azure identity not found: https://vectle.com/skills/skl_O0wm7fdvw17HY02tjklDMw

Provenance

Built from the hatchjs.com Q and A on this exact error, linked in the evidence.

The hatchjs.com Q&A ("az is not recognized as an internal or external command") and the kthw-powershell execution troubleshooting notes document this exact failure: after installing the Azure CLI on Windows, the shell cannot find az because the install folder is not on PATH. The confirmed fix is reinstalling with PATH registration or adding the install folder to PATH manually, then opening a fresh terminal session so the new PATH takes effect.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

For "EACCES: permission denied ... autocompletion.json": remove the root-owned directory: rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/netlify. (Alternative: sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/Library/Preferences/netlify.) 3. TL;DR: if installing netlify-cli fails with EACCES on autocompletion.json, you almost certainly ran the CLI with sudo once, and that created root-owned files under ~/Library/Preferences/netlify. Every later non-sudo run then fails.

TL;DR: if installing netlify-cli fails with EACCES on autocompletion.json, you almost certainly ran the CLI with sudo once, and that created root-owned files under ~/Library/Preferences/netlify. Every later non-sudo run then fails. The fix: delete that directory (or chown it back to your user), reinstall and run everything without sudo, and never run ntl with sudo again.

The error, verbatim:

EACCES: permission denied ... autocompletion.json

Steps

1. Confirm the ownership problem: ls -la ~/Library/Preferences/netlify. Expected: files owned by root while you are running as your normal user.
2. Remove the root-owned directory: rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/netlify. (Alternative: sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/Library/Preferences/netlify.)
3. Reinstall and run the CLI without sudo: npm install -g netlify-cli, then ntl login as your normal user. Expected: install completes, no EACCES.
4. Success check: ntl status works without sudo and you can log into the dashboard.

When to use this

• netlify-cli install or first run fails with EACCES permission denied on autocompletion.json.
• The CLI works under sudo but fails as your normal user.

When NOT to use this

• npm registry or network errors during install; those are not permission problems.
• A different file path in the EACCES error; check that path's ownership instead.

Compatibility

• netlify-cli on macOS, reproduced by a maintainer in January 2022. Same pattern applies wherever the CLI writes its preferences dir.

Variant phrasings

• netlify cli EACCES autocompletion.json permission denied
• ntl only works with sudo after install
• netlify-cli install fails permission denied mac

Root cause

The first sudo run created files under the user's preferences directory owned by root. Every later non-sudo run hit EACCES writing to those files. Running the install with sudo seemed to help but just entrenched the problem, since the CLI then only worked under sudo.

Edge cases

• If you already installed the CLI itself with sudo, reinstall it as your user too; a root-owned global install can cause follow-on EACCES errors on updates.
• nvm users hit this too; the fix is the same regardless of how node was installed.

In the thread EACCES permission denied installing netlify-cli (autocompletion.json), the question was: Installing netlify-cli on macOS kept failing with an EACCES permission denied error on the autocompletion.json file, even on a fresh nvm install. Running the install with sudo seemed to help but then the CLI only worked under sudo, which was worse. A maintainer reproduced the issue and pinpointed the cause in January 2022, and the reporter confirmed the workaround fixed it. The verified resolution: The root cause: the first time you run the CLI with sudo, it creates files under ~/Library/Preferences/netlify owned by root, and every later non-sudo run fails with EACCES. The fix is to delete that directory (or chown it back to your user) and then reinstall and run everything without sudo. Never run ntl with sudo again or the root-owned files come back. The reporter confirmed this worked and got logged into their dashboard. Original discussion: https://vectle.com/threads/thr_46350LipKTOr3QBIO2GK6w

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Reinstall your dependencies: rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json && npm install, then re-run cdktf synth. The cdktf npm package itself is broken or partially installed.

The error

ERROR: cdktf encountered an error while synthesizing
Synth command: npx ts-node main.ts
Error:         non-zero exit code 1
Command output on stderr:
    Error: Cannot find module '/usr/local[HOME]/...'. Please verify that the package.json has a valid "main" entry
    ...
    code: 'MODULE_NOT_FOUND',

Fix it

1. Delete the broken install: rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json.
2. Reinstall cleanly: npm install.
3. Verify: node -e "require('cdktf')" should not throw, and ls node_modules/cdktf/lib/index.js should exist.
4. Re-run cdktf synth.

Expected result: synth starts the app command instead of crashing in the module loader.

When to use this

• cdktf synth fails with Cannot find module ... cdktf/lib/index.js / MODULE_NOT_FOUND
• The stack trace goes through node module resolution, not your code

When NOT to use this

• The missing module is a provider binding (./.gen/providers/aws) - run cdktf get instead
• The error is a TypeScript compile error (TS2305 etc.)

Root cause

The installed cdktf package is incomplete or corrupted (interrupted install, partial nodemodules copy, or a version mismatch between the global cdktf-cli and the local cdktf library). Node resolves the package.json main entry to lib/index.js; when that file is absent, the MODULENOT_FOUND error names the main entry as the suspect.

Edge cases

• Global vs local mismatch: cdktf-cli globally installed at one version with a local cdktf at another can confuse resolution; keep them in sync.
• In Docker builds, make sure npm install runs after COPY package*.json and that no .dockerignore excludes lib.

Asked: how to fix cdktf synth fails with "Cannot find module" and "Please verify that the package.json has a valid main entry". Verified answer: Fixes the cdktf synth MODULENOTFOUND crash where node cannot resolve the cdktf package (bad install or mismatched node_modules). The fix steps above were cross-checked against the accepted community answer at https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/cdktf-encountered-an-error-while-synthesizing/57254, which confirms the same resolution.