Bug: react-devtools 7.0.1 - Electron failed to install correctly

[dougg0k]

React version: Latest

Steps To Reproduce

1. Install react-devtools as global package.
2. Try running it.

Link to code example:

The current behavior

❯ react-devtools         
~/.local/share/mise/installs/npm-react-devtools/7.0.1/5/.pnpm/electron@23.3.13/node_modules/electron/index.js:17
    throw new Error('Electron failed to install correctly, please delete node_modules/electron and try installing again');
    ^

Error: Electron failed to install correctly, please delete node_modules/electron and try installing again
    at getElectronPath (~/.local/share/mise/installs/npm-react-devtools/7.0.1/5/.pnpm/electron@23.3.13/node_modules/electron/index.js:17:11)
    at Object.<anonymous> (~/.local/share/mise/installs/npm-react-devtools/7.0.1/5/.pnpm/electron@23.3.13/node_modules/electron/index.js:21:18)
    at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1761:14)
    at Object..js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1893:10)
    at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1481:32)
    at Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1300:12)
    at TracingChannel.traceSync (node:diagnostics_channel:328:14)
    at wrapModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:245:24)
    at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1504:12)
    at require (node:internal/modules/helpers:152:16)

Node.js v24.12.0

The expected behavior

To open the devtools window.

Additional Info

❯ ll ~/.local/share/mise/installs/npm-react-devtools/7.0.1/5/.pnpm/electron@23.3.13/node_modules/electron 
Octal Permissions Links Size User    Group   Date Modified    Name
0755  drwxr-xr-x      1    - user user 2025-12-13 08:30  node_modules/
0644  .rw-r--r--      1 8,2k user user 2025-12-13 08:30  checksums.json
0755  .rwxr-xr-x      1  612 user user 2025-12-13 08:30  cli.js*
0644  .rw-r--r--      1 761k user user 2025-12-13 08:30  electron.d.ts
0644  .rw-r--r--      1  659 user user 2025-12-13 08:30  index.js
0644  .rw-r--r--      1 3,1k user user 2025-12-13 08:30  install.js
0644  .rw-r--r--      1 1,1k user user 2025-12-13 08:30  LICENSE
0644  .rw-r--r--      1  589 user user 2025-12-13 08:30  package.json
0644  .rw-r--r--      1 5,4k user user 2025-12-13 08:30 󰂺 README.md

I tried to set ELECTRON_OVERRIDE_DIST_PATH to the electron installed locally.

ELECTRON_OVERRIDE_DIST_PATH="/usr/bin/electron"

But then, no error occur, but also doesnt work.

❯ react-devtools                                                                         

~

Perhaps if electron were upgraded to latest. Latest being extra/electron39 39.2.7-1 [installed], yet it is still using version 23.

---

Even if one argued to install older electron version, it's no longer available.

extra/electron 1:39-1 [installed]
    Meta package providing the latest available stable Electron build
extra/electron27 27.3.11-10
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
extra/electron31 31.7.7-4
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
extra/electron34 34.5.8-1
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
extra/electron35 35.7.5-1
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
extra/electron36 36.9.3-1 [installed: 36.9.3-1.1]
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
extra/electron37 37.5.1-1
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
extra/electron38 38.7.2-1 [installed]
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
extra/electron39 39.2.7-1 [installed]
    Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies