e2e tests fail because of missing package.json

Created by: matoilic

If you are reporting a bug, please fill in below. Otherwise feel free to remove this template entirely.

Can you reproduce the problem with latest npm?

Many errors, especially related to "missing modules", are due to npm bugs.

If you're using Windows, follow these instructions to update npm.

If you're using OS X or Linux, run this to update npm:

npm install -g npm@latest

cd your_project_directory
rm -rf node_modules
npm install

Then try to reproduce the issue again.

Can you still reproduce it?

Yes

Description

I was trying to fork react-scripts and extending it to have a more extended setup for my projects. While running the e2e tests they failed because create-react-app was not properly installed under $temp_cli_path. No node_modules folder was created. This also happened on all my CI nodes. Creating an empty package.json before running npm install $cli_path solved the issue.

I think more people could run into this issue and creating an empty package.json would make the e2e tests more stable.

Expected behavior

e2e tests should not fail on a fork with no changes.

Actual behavior

e2e tests failed.

Environment

Run these commands in the project folder and fill in their results:

npm ls react-scripts (if you haven’t ejected):
node -v: v7.4.0, v6.9.4
npm -v: 4.0.5, 3.10.10

Then, specify:

Operating system: OS X El Capitan
Browser and version: not browser related