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

fix-dyld-missing-symbol-called-errors-on-m1-macs.md

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.