next-zombie 🧟

> Fix "ENOENT _buildManifest.js.tmp" error automatically
>
> Turbopack crash recovery | Auto-restart for Next.js 13.4+

![npm version](https://www.npmjs.com/package/next-zombie)
![npm downloads](https://www.npmjs.com/package/next-zombie)
![License: MIT](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
![Node.js](https://nodejs.org/)

Turbopack is fast. But it crashes. Cache corruption, _buildManifest.js.tmp errors, random ENOENT failures — sound familiar?

next-zombie watches your Next.js dev server and automatically restarts it when Turbopack crashes. No more manual restarts. No more rm -rf .next. Just keep coding.

Works with Next.js 13.4+ using Turbopack (especially useful in 15+ where Turbopack is default)

The Problem

Turbopack (Next.js 13.4+) is blazing fast, but unstable:

``⨯ [Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '.next/static/development/_buildManifest.js.tmp']`

When does this happen? - Next.js 13.4-14.x with--turboflag - Next.js 15+ (Turbopack is default) - Next.js 16+ (same Turbopack issues)

Your choices: 1. Disable Turbopack — Stable but slower (next dev --turbo=false) 2. Use next-zombie — Keep Turbopack speed + auto-recovery

`Quick Start`

`bash npx next-zombie`

That's it. Your dev server now auto-recovers from crashes.

`Install`

`bash npm install -D next-zombie

`or`


pnpm add -D next-zombie
or

yarn add -D next-zombie

Add to package.json:

`json { "scripts": { "dev": "next-zombie" } }`

`Features`

| Feature | Description | |---------|-------------| | Auto-Recovery | Detects crashes and restarts in ~700ms | | Keyboard Shortcuts | Interactive controls: restart, clear cache, open browser | | Browser Auto-Refresh | Automatically refreshes browser after restart | | Auto Install | Fixes missing modules with automatic npm install | | Port Conflict Resolution | Automatically finds next available port | | Cache Cleanup | Clears.nextbefore restart | | Smart PM Detection | Detects npm/pnpm/yarn/bun from lockfile | | Cross-Platform | Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows | | Session Report | Detailed stats with error breakdown on exit | | Zero Config | Works with your existingdev script |

`How It Works`

`next-zombie │ ├─► Clean .next cache │ ├─► Start: pnpm run dev │ ├─► Monitor stdout/stderr │ │ │ ├─► Cache error detected? │ │ │ │ │ └─► Kill process tree │ │ └─► Restart (after 500ms) │ │ │ └─► Process crashed? │ │ │ └─► Restart (after 200ms) │ └─► Ctrl+C → Clean exit`

`Keyboard Shortcuts`

next-zombie runs in interactive mode with keyboard controls:

`┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 🧟 next-zombie v1.8.0 │ │ Press: r=restart c=clear o=open h=help q=quit │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘`

| Key | Action | |-----|--------| |r| Restart dev server manually | |c | Clear .nextcache (without restart) | |o | Open browser (localhost:PORT) | |h| Show keyboard shortcuts help | |q| Quit | |Enter | Add blank line (for log separation) |

> Note: Keyboard shortcuts are disabled in non-TTY environments (CI, pipes).

`Detected Errors`

next-zombie auto-restarts on Turbopack internal errors only (not user code errors):

Cache temp file corruption: -_buildManifest.js.tmpENOENT -build-manifest.json.tmpEPERM -_devMiddlewareManifest errors

Turbopack panics: -FATAL: An unexpected Turbopack error occurred- Rust panic messages (panicked at turbopack/...)

Cache directory errors: -.next/static/development/ENOENT -.next/cache/ENOENT - Windows EPERM on.tmp files

NOT restarted (user code errors): -SyntaxError, TypeError, ReferenceError-Module not founderrors - API/runtime errors

`Port Conflict Resolution`

When port 3000 (or any port) is already in use, next-zombie automatically tries the next port:

`Error: listen EADDRINUSE: address already in use :::3000

[next-zombie] Port 3000 in use [next-zombie] Trying port 3001... [next-zombie] Starting Next.js dev server on port 3001...`

No more manually killing processes or adding --port flags!

`Browser Auto-Refresh`

After a restart, your browser automatically refreshes when the server is ready. No setup needed!

`┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 🧟 next-zombie v1.8.0 │ │ Proxy ready on http://localhost:3000 │ │ Auto-refresh enabled (no setup needed!) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘`

How it works: - next-zombie runs a proxy server on port 3000 - Next.js runs internally on port 3001 - The proxy automatically injects auto-refresh script into HTML - When server restarts → browser refreshes automatically!

Just open http://localhost:3000 and you're done. Press o to open browser.

`Auto Install`

Missing a module? next-zombie automatically runs npm install and restarts:

`Module not found: Can't resolve 'lodash'

[next-zombie] Missing module: lodash [next-zombie] Running npm install... [next-zombie] Install completed [next-zombie] Restarting...`

This catches: -Cannot find module 'xxx'-Module not found: Can't resolve 'xxx'-Cannot find package 'xxx'

To disable: next-zombie --no-auto-install

`Usage`

`bash

`Default: runs 'dev' script`


next-zombie
Custom script

next-zombie start
With arguments

next-zombie dev --port 3001
Disable auto browser refresh

next-zombie --no-refresh
Disable auto install

next-zombie --no-auto-install
Keep .next cache (don't clear on restart)

next-zombie --no-clear


Options

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| |--no-clear | Don't clear .nextcache on restart | |--no-refresh| Disable auto browser refresh | |--no-auto-install| Disable auto npm install on module errors | |-h, --help| Show help message | |-V, --version | Show version number |

`Package Manager Detection`

next-zombie detects your package manager automatically:

1. Lockfile (priority): pnpm-lock.yaml→ pnpm 2. Fallback: How you ran it (npx → npm)

So even with npx next-zombie, it runs pnpm run dev if you have pnpm-lock.yaml.

`Session Report`

On exit (Ctrl+C), next-zombie shows a detailed session report:

`┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 📊 Session Report │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Uptime: 2h 15m │ │ Restarts: 7 │ │ Avg interval: 19m │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Errors: │ │ • buildManifest.tmp (5x) │ │ • FATAL Turbopack (2x) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘

💡 Tip: Frequent crashes may indicate Turbopack instability. Try: next dev --turbo=false (use Webpack instead)`

The report includes: - Total uptime and restart count - Average time between crashes - Error breakdown by type (top 5) - Helpful tips based on error patterns

`Requirements`

- Node.js >= 18.0.0 - Next.js project

`Contributing`

Found a new error pattern that should trigger auto-restart? Open an issue!

`FAQ`

Q: Which Next.js versions are supported?

Next.js 13.4+ with Turbopack enabled. This includes: - 13.4-14.x: When usingnext dev --turbo- 15.x+: Turbopack is default (most useful here) - 16.x+: Same Turbopack issues, same solution

If you're not using Turbopack (--turbo=false), you don't need this tool.

Q: Does this fix the Turbopack bugs?

No. It's a workaround. When Turbopack crashes, next-zombie restarts your server automatically so you don't have to.

Q: Should I use this in production?

No. This is for development only. Production builds (next build`) don't have this issue.

Q: Why not just disable Turbopack?

You can! But Turbopack is significantly faster. next-zombie lets you keep that speed while handling the occasional crash.

License

MIT © relkimm