# Unable to update any nodes from the palette

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** docker\
**Created:** [4 May 2025 09:55 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875 "2025-05-04T09:55:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 16\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 09:55 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/1 "2025-05-04T09:55:51Z")

</div>

Hi all,

Getting the following log when trying to update any node within the `palette manger`..  
First thoughts are a permissions error, but I'm able to make changes to flows and they save properly in the `flows.json` file.  
Any ideas I can try to resolve?

NodeRed `4.0.9` is running in a `docker` container on a `Raspberry Pi4` 8gb.

````auto

2025-05-04T09:46:44.091Z npm install --no-audit --no-update-notifier --no-fund --save --save-prefix=~ --omit=dev --engine-strict node-red-contrib-bigtimer@2.8.6

2025-05-04T09:46:51.340Z [err] npm error code ENOTEMPTY

2025-05-04T09:46:51.341Z [err] npm error syscall rename

2025-05-04T09:46:51.341Z [err] npm error path /data/node_modules/engine.io

2025-05-04T09:46:51.341Z [err] npm error dest /data/node_modules/.engine.io-A0yD1XTu

2025-05-04T09:46:51.342Z [err] npm error errno -39

2025-05-04T09:46:51.342Z [err] npm error ENOTEMPTY: directory not empty, rename '/data/node_modules/engine.io' -> '/data/node_modules/.engine.io-A0yD1XTu'

2025-05-04T09:46:51.349Z [err] npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /data/.npm/_logs/2025-05-04T09_46_44_423Z-debug-0.log

2025-05-04T09:46:51.365Z rc=217```
````

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 09:57 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/2 "2025-05-04T09:57:50Z")

</div>

> [@dougle03](#):
>
> ```auto
> 2025-05-04T09:46:51.342Z [err] npm error ENOTEMPTY: directory not empty, rename '/data/node_modules/engine.io' -> '/data/node_modules/.engine.io-A0yD1XTu'
> 
> ```

This is (was) very common issue with many [many threads](https://discourse.nodered.org/search?q=ENOTEMPTY) on this forum alone.

I forget now why it happens (probably a bad NPM version or interrupted installation) but the fix is simple. Delete `/data/node_modules/.engine.io-A0yD1XTu`

PS, what version of `node -v` and `npm -v` are you rocking?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:09 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/3 "2025-05-04T10:09:13Z")

</div>

Hi Steve, thanks for your response.  
I'm struggling to find `.engine.io-A0yD1XTu` or any file with `A0yD1XTu` in it's title.  
Am I being dumb, or missing something obvious?

`node is 20.19.0`  
`npm is 10.8.2`

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:12 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/4 "2025-05-04T10:12:36Z")

</div>

Since you are running in docker, you will need to [go into the docker container](https://kodekloud.com/blog/docker-exec/) - thats where you will find `/data/node_modules/.engine.io-A0yD1XTu`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:19 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/5 "2025-05-04T10:19:39Z")

</div>

> [@Steve-Mcl](#):
>
> .engine.io-A0yD1XTu

Looking, but can't find this in the list.  
No files start with a `.` and no folders starting with `engine`...  
I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but at a loss...  
Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:22 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/6 "2025-05-04T10:22:17Z")

</div>

Correction, there is a folder called `engine`, but nothing inside with `A0yD1XTu`  
Ta

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:22 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/7 "2025-05-04T10:22:33Z")

</div>

did you go inside the docker container?

did you find the `/data` dir?

did you `ls` with `-a` e.g. `ls -a` (files starting with `.` are hidden)

```auto
cd /data/node_modules
ls -a

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/8 "2025-05-04T10:25:44Z")

</div>

Ahh ok, now I see the `.` folder, but it won't let me `cd` into it...  
is there a modifier I need to `cd` to hidden folders?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/9 "2025-05-04T10:29:35Z")

</div>

just delete it. its a failed update.

```auto
# remove recursive
rm -rf /data/node_modules/.engine.io-A0yD1XTu
# check it is gone
ls -a /data/node_modules/

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:32 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/10 "2025-05-04T10:32:46Z")

</div>

Ohh dear.  
I did the above.  
Then tried to update the node and now getting the same error, but different code:  
`npm error dest /data/node_modules/.engine.io-parser-FXeX7bsL`  
The `FXeX7bsL` is new... lol

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:34 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/11 "2025-05-04T10:34:34Z")

</div>

it might have been there to start with.

in short, any directories in `node_modules` that look like "`.` `something` `-random-chars`" is a duff install.

just keep deleting the ENOTEMPTY directories.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:34 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/12 "2025-05-04T10:34:43Z")

</div>

Here's the full log:

````auto

2025-05-04T10:31:28.206Z npm install --no-audit --no-update-notifier --no-fund --save --save-prefix=~ --omit=dev --engine-strict node-red-contrib-bigtimer@2.8.6
2025-05-04T10:31:35.346Z [err] npm error code ENOTEMPTY
2025-05-04T10:31:35.346Z [err] npm error syscall rename
2025-05-04T10:31:35.348Z [err] npm error path /data/node_modules/engine.io-parser
2025-05-04T10:31:35.348Z [err] npm error dest /data/node_modules/.engine.io-parser-FXeX7bsL
2025-05-04T10:31:35.349Z [err] npm error errno -39
2025-05-04T10:31:35.349Z [err] npm error ENOTEMPTY: directory not empty, rename '/data/node_modules/engine.io-parser' -> '/data/node_modules/.engine.io-parser-FXeX7bsL'
2025-05-04T10:31:35.356Z [err] npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /data/.npm/_logs/2025-05-04T10_31_28_522Z-debug-0.log
2025-05-04T10:31:35.372Z rc=217```
````

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/13 "2025-05-04T10:35:16Z")

</div>

> [@Steve-Mcl](#):
>
> just keep deleting the ENOTEMPTY directories.

Is there a wildcard that I can use to do them all at once?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 10:38 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/14 "2025-05-04T10:38:02Z")

</div>

just crack on - there will not be many.

just list them out then do em 1 by 1

e.g.

```auto
cd /data/node_modules
find . -maxdepth 1 -type d -name ".*-*"

```

or

```auto
cd /data/node_modules
ls -ad .*-*

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dougle03](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dougle03/32/32979_2.png) [@dougle03](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dougle03)\
**Post date:** [4 May 2025 11:46 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/15 "2025-05-04T11:46:22Z")

</div>

Thank you. Cycled through, about 6 in the end.  
Now updating without issue. Many thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [18 May 2025 11:46 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unable-to-update-any-nodes-from-the-palette/96875/16 "2025-05-18T11:46:31Z")

</div>

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