ci: find a way to make it work

[KazuCocoa]

Run appium driver run xcuitest download-wda-sim  --platform=ios --outdir=/Users/runner/work/python-client/python-client/wda
node:internal/modules/package_json_reader:266
  throw new ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND(packageName, fileURLToPath(base), null);
        ^

Error [ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND]: Cannot find package 'appium' imported from /Users/runner/.appium/node_modules/appium-xcuitest-driver/scripts/download-wda-sim.mjs
    at Object.getPackageJSONURL (node:internal/modules/package_json_reader:266:9)
    at packageResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/resolve:767:81)
    at moduleResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/resolve:853:18)
    at defaultResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/resolve:983:11)
    at #cachedDefaultResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:731:20)
    at ModuleLoader.resolve (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:708:38)
    at ModuleLoader.getModuleJobForImport (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:310:38)
    at ModuleJob._link (node:internal/modules/esm/module_job:183:49) {
  code: 'ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND'
}

Node.js v22.20.0

https://github.com/appium/python-client/actions/runs/18627636752/job/53107861784 but, for example https://github.com/appium/java-client/actions/runs/18460537702/job/52590775529 worked. (both had newer than appium/appium-xcuitest-driver#2637 change)

I wondered what was wrong with this GitHub Actions. Current way is installing appium related things via run though. Some deps might be weird?

https://github.com/appium/ruby_lib_core/actions/runs/18627784681/job/53108204968 is also had the same error.

[mykola-mokhnach]

@KazuCocoa maybe try the same workaround as in appium/appium#21636 ?

[KazuCocoa]

Could be, but then this means we may need to put the workaround in our troubleshooting documentation since this behavior possibly widely occur

[KazuCocoa]

Ok, I see the reason. The "symlink" to the global appium module keeps only for latest installed driver/plugin.

e.g. install xcuitest first, then uia2. Then, symlink to appium in xcuitest driver was gone.

kazu $ appium driver install xcuitest
✔ Checking if 'appium-xcuitest-driver' is compatible
✔ Installing 'xcuitest'
ℹ Driver xcuitest@10.2.2 successfully installed
- automationName: XCUITest
- platformNames: ["iOS","tvOS"]
kazu $ ls -all ~/.appium/node_modules/appium-xcuitest-driver/node_modules | grep 'appium'
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 @appium
lrwxr-xr-x@   1 kazu  staff     63 Oct 19 10:24 appium -> /Users/kazu/.nvm/versions/node/v22.18.0/lib/node_modules/appium
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-idb
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-device
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-remotexpc
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-simulator
drwxr-xr-x@  11 kazu  staff    352 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-tuntap
drwxr-xr-x@  11 kazu  staff    352 Oct 19 10:24 appium-remote-debugger
drwxr-xr-x@  16 kazu  staff    512 Oct 19 10:24 appium-webdriveragent
drwxr-xr-x@   8 kazu  staff    256 Oct 19 10:24 appium-xcode
kazu $ appium driver install uiautomator2
✔ Checking if 'appium-uiautomator2-driver' is compatible
✔ Installing 'uiautomator2'
ℹ Driver uiautomator2@5.0.5 successfully installed
- automationName: UiAutomator2
- platformNames: ["Android"]
kazu $ ls -all ~/.appium/node_modules/appium-xcuitest-driver/node_modules | grep 'appium'
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 @appium
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-idb
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-device
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-remotexpc
drwxr-xr-x@   9 kazu  staff    288 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-simulator
drwxr-xr-x@  11 kazu  staff    352 Oct 19 10:24 appium-ios-tuntap
drwxr-xr-x@  11 kazu  staff    352 Oct 19 10:24 appium-remote-debugger
drwxr-xr-x@  16 kazu  staff    512 Oct 19 10:24 appium-webdriveragent
drwxr-xr-x@   8 kazu  staff    256 Oct 19 10:24 appium-xcode
kazu $ ls -all ~/.appium/node_modules/appium-uiautomator2-driver | grep 'appium'
kazu $ ls -all ~/.appium/node_modules/appium-uiautomator2-driver/node_modules | grep 'appium'
drwxr-xr-x@   8 kazu  staff    256 Oct 19 10:24 @appium
lrwxr-xr-x@   1 kazu  staff     63 Oct 19 10:24 appium -> /Users/kazu/.nvm/versions/node/v22.18.0/lib/node_modules/appium
drwxr-xr-x@  10 kazu  staff    320 Oct 19 10:24 appium-adb
drwxr-xr-x@   8 kazu  staff    256 Oct 19 10:24 appium-android-driver
drwxr-xr-x@  10 kazu  staff    320 Oct 19 10:24 appium-chromedriver
drwxr-xr-x@   8 kazu  staff    256 Oct 19 10:24 appium-uiautomator2-server
drwxr-xr-x@  10 kazu  staff    320 Oct 19 10:24 io.appium.settings

# then...
kazu $ appium driver run xcuitest download-wda-sim  --platform=ios --outdir=/Users/kazu/tmp/b/wda
node:internal/modules/package_json_reader:255
  throw new ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND(packageName, fileURLToPath(base), null);
        ^

Error [ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND]: Cannot find package 'appium' imported from /Users/kazu/.appium/node_modules/appium-xcuitest-driver/scripts/download-wda-sim.mjs
    at Object.getPackageJSONURL (node:internal/modules/package_json_reader:255:9)
    at packageResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/resolve:767:81)
    at moduleResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/resolve:853:18)
    at defaultResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/resolve:983:11)
    at ModuleLoader.defaultResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:783:12)
    at #cachedDefaultResolve (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:707:25)
    at ModuleLoader.resolve (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:690:38)
    at ModuleLoader.getModuleJobForImport (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:307:38)
    at ModuleJob._link (node:internal/modules/esm/module_job:183:49) {
  code: 'ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND'
}

Node.js v22.18.0
Error: ✖ Encountered an error when running 'download-wda-sim': Script exited with code 1

So, if the environment installs xcuitest driver as "last" installed appium module, it should not have this import error.

cc @mykola-mokhnach

I haven't read Appium code. I'll take a look tonight

[KazuCocoa]

(I expected the symlink to be kept for each node_modules)

[mykola-mokhnach]

Thanks for checking it @KazuCocoa

This looks really weird to me, perhaps some npm wizardry happens that we don't understand?

The code to create symlink is located in https://github.com/appium/appium/blob/d12a6a53cf06a30b450c67b829efde15b2f89ee1/packages/appium/lib/cli/extension-command.js#L459

[mykola-mokhnach]

I've created appium/appium#21664
Could you please check if that patch solves the problem?