EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir (node_modules)

Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir (or EBUSY: resource busy or locked) means Windows refused to remove a file or folder inside node_modules, most often because something still has it open.

What it means

Both are system error codes that Node passes on. Node’s error page says EPERM is “an attempt was made to perform an operation that requires elevated privileges”. The libuv library, which Node uses for file work, describes EPERM as “operation not permitted” and EBUSY as “resource busy or locked”. The error also names the failing call in its syscall property, here rmdir.

The Windows error behind a lock is “The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process” (system error 32).

Why it happens

node_modules holds thousands of files. If one of them is in use, the whole delete stops. Typical holders:

• A dev server or node process that is still running in the folder.
• An editor or terminal that has its current folder inside the project.
• A build tool, watcher or language server that keeps a file open.
• A file that is read-only, or a path that is too long (see the path too long page).

How Devpit fixes or avoids it

Free Up Disk Space deletes node_modules for you and is built for this case.

• It lists a node_modules folder as junk when a package.json sits beside it. One without a package.json is shown as unverified and is never ticked for you. You always see a preview first, and the default answer is No.
• Before it removes anything, it renames the folder to a name ending in .devpit- and random letters. If a program holds a file, the rename fails before a single byte is deleted, so you never get a half-emptied folder.
• When that happens, the summary names the program when Windows can tell, for example: “Couldn’t delete api\node_modules — it’s open in Code.exe. Close it and press R to retry.” If Windows cannot name a program, it says another program has it open.
• Devpit never ends the program that holds the file. You close it and press R.
• It removes the folder’s contents in parallel, and it retries very long paths in the extended \\?\ form.
• If a run is stopped in the middle, the renamed folder is finished on the next start or from Settings, Resume. Devpit only finishes folders that carry its own marker file, never one that merely looks similar.

The manual fix

1. Stop the dev server. Press Ctrl+C in the terminal that runs it.
2. Close the editor window for that project, and any terminal whose folder is inside it.
3. Move your terminal out of the project, then delete the folder with rmdir. /s deletes the whole tree and /q skips the confirmation:

cd ..
rmdir /s /q my-project\node_modules

4. If it still fails, restart Windows and run the same command before you open anything else.
5. Rebuild later with npm install in the project folder.

/q deletes without asking. Check the path before you press Enter.

If the message talks about a long name instead, follow the path too long page.

Sources

• Node.js: Common system errors (EPERM) and error.syscall
• libuv: Error constants (UV_EBUSY, UV_EPERM)
• Microsoft: System error codes 0 to 499 (ERROR_SHARING_VIOLATION, 32)
• Microsoft: rmdir
• Devpit safety rules