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Fix `dyld[]: missing symbol called` errors when running Node.js programs on M1 Macs (apple silicon)

Problem

If you're getting this kind of error when running Node.js programs with binary dependencies that don't support M1 yet, e.g.:

$ yarn test
dyld[51175]: missing symbol called
dyld[51176]: missing symbol called

Solution

tl;dr: (Re)install a x64 build of Node.js.

Steps to follow

  1. Start a new shell using Rosetta2

    $ arch -x86_64 zsh
  2. In that shell, reinstall the x64 version of Node.js

    $ nvm use system
    $ nvm cache clear
    $ nvm uninstall 16 # or the version you need
    $ nvm install 16   # or the version you need
    $ nvm use 16       # or the version you need
  3. Still in that shell, reinstall and build npm dependencies from scratch

    $ rm -rf node_modules
    $ yarn cache clean
    $ yarn install
  4. Whenever you come back to your project (e.g. after restarting), don't forget to select that same version of Node.js!

    $ nvm use 16 # or the one you installed in step 2

Troubleshooting

If you still see the error:

  • Try (re)installing your dependencies with npm install instead of yarn install.

  • It could be that the node command is not linked to nvm.

    • To check that, run nvm use 16; nvm ls and check that the little arrow (->) targets v16.
    • If it targets system, you may want to uninstall any other installation of node (e.g. which node; brew uninstall node), then retry the whole procedure.
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