React npm start not working : 'No version of chokidar available'

Question

I cloned my already working React-Typescript app on Github Pages, from Github and wanted to make some changes. I ran npm install and installed all the dependencies but when I run npm start, I got this error;

I don't know what chokidar is and I looked a little bit and I think it's unrelated to my project. Still I tried to npm install chokidar and I got another error like this;

Also tried npm audit fix as well. Fixed some stuff but nothing changed.

So I can't open the development server. Additionally, this is the package.json file;

// package.json
{
  "name": "panflix",
  "homepage": "https://absolutezero13.github.io/meerkast/",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "dependencies": {
    "@testing-library/jest-dom": "^5.11.4",
    "@testing-library/react": "^11.1.0",
    "@testing-library/user-event": "^12.1.10",
    "@types/enzyme": "^3.10.8",
    "@types/jest": "^26.0.15",
    "@types/node": "^12.0.0",
    "@types/react": "^17.0.0",
    "@types/react-dom": "^17.0.0",
    "@types/redux-devtools": "^3.0.47",
    "axios": "^0.21.1",
    "enzyme": "^3.11.0",
    "firebase": "^8.2.7",
    "gh-pages": "^3.1.0",
    "history": "^4.10.1",
    "react": "^17.0.1",
    "react-bootstrap": "^1.5.0",
    "react-dom": "^17.0.1",
    "react-redux": "^7.2.2",
    "react-router-dom": "^5.2.0",
    "react-scripts": "4.0.2",
    "redux": "^4.0.5",
    "redux-devtools-extension": "^2.13.8",
    "redux-thunk": "^2.3.0",
    "typescript": "^4.1.2",
    "web-vitals": "^1.0.1"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "predeploy": "npm run build",
    "deploy": "gh-pages -d build",
    "start": "react-scripts start",
    "build": "react-scripts build",
    "test": "react-scripts test",
    "eject": "react-scripts eject"
  },
  "eslintConfig": {
    "extends": [
      "react-app",
      "react-app/jest"
    ]
  },
  "browserslist": {
    "production": [
      ">0.2%",
      "not dead",
      "not op_mini all"
    ],
    "development": [
      "last 1 chrome version",
      "last 1 firefox version",
      "last 1 safari version"
    ]
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/react-redux": "^7.1.16",
    "@types/react-router-dom": "^5.1.7"
  }
}

I tried npm install -g chokidar and it is installed. But I'm getting the same error as before "no version chokidar is available."

Other react projects are working fine.

Answer 1

I had the same issue. What worked for me is forcing updates on local npm packages:

npm update --force

Before

$ npm list chokidar
[email protected]
└─┬ [email protected]
  └─┬ [email protected]
    └── [email protected]

After

$ npm list chokidar
[email protected]
└─┬ [email protected]
  ├─┬ [email protected]
  │ └── [email protected]
  └─┬ [email protected]
    └─┬ [email protected]
      ├── [email protected]
      └─┬ [email protected]
        └── [email protected]

Update

We found that NPM 7 was the issue. Downgrading to NPM 6.14.12 works without any changes.