Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: Watchman crawl failed. Retrying once with node crawler

Watchman crawl failed. Retrying once with node crawler.

Quick Answer: Create an empty .watchmanconfig file in your project's root folder.

The error message 'Watchman crawl failed. Retrying once with node crawler' typically occurs when Watchman isn't running or configured correctly in the project's root folder.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • Watchman not running or configured correctly in the project's root folder.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Method 1: Create an Empty .watchmanconfig File

  1. Step 1: Create a new empty file named `.watchmanconfig` in the project's root folder.

Method 2: Initialize a Git or HG Repository

  1. Step 1: Open the project's root folder in a terminal or command prompt and initialize a new Git or HG repository using the following commands:
git inithg init

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'Watchman crawl failed. Retrying once with node crawler' error and get your project up and running smoothly.

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