Cannot find module 'yargs' error [Solved]

The “Cannot find module ‘yargs’” error occurs due to one of the following reasons:

1. The yargs module is not installed in the correct project directory.

2. Using the module without installing it in the project.

3. Installed the module in a global context and trying to access in project local context.

To solve the error “Cannot find module ‘yargs’”, open the project root folder in your terminal and run the following command to install the yargs module.

npm install yargs

For TypeScript, you need to install the typings:

npm install --save-dev @types/yargs

Now, you can import the yargs module like this in your project:

const yargs = require('yargs/yargs')
const { hideBin } = require('yargs/helpers')
const argv = yargs(hideBin(process.argv)).argv

if (argv.ships > 3 && argv.distance < 53.5) {
  console.log('Plunder more riffiwobbles!')
} else {
  console.log('Retreat from the xupptumblers!')
}

If you want to install a particular version of ‘yargs’ module, you can use the following command.

npm install yargs@17.6.0

If you’re still facing the error, then follow the below steps to resolve it.

1. Remove the node_modules folder and package-lock.json file, inside your project directory by using the below command.

rm-rf node_modules package-lock.json

or you can remove it manually by right-clicking on it and select the delete option.

2. Clear the npm cache.

npm clean cache --force

3. Re-install the node modules again by running the npm install command.

Verify now if you’ve installed it correctly or not by opening the package.json file and check for yargs module in the dependencies object.

 "dependencies": {
     //...
    "yargs": "^17.6.0",

    //.. other packages
 }

Conclusion

The can’t find module yargs error occurs, if you’re trying to access a yargs module that is not currently installed in your project. To solve the error install the yargs module in your project directory by running the npm install yargs command.

If you use the TypeScript, you should install the typings by using the following command npm i @types/yargs --save-dev.