Fixing Expo + npm ERR_INVALID_URL and Permission Issues on WSL

Problem Summary

When running Expo inside WSL, npm errors appear such as:

• ERR_INVALID_URL
• expo: Permission denied

Cause: Windows Node/NPM is being used inside WSL, and Windows-mounted paths block Linux permissions.

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Fix Instructions

1. Use WSL Terminal

Open your Linux shell (Ubuntu app) instead of PowerShell/CMD.

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2. Ensure Node and npm are Linux-native

Install Node.js inside WSL:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Check:

which node
which npm

Expected: /usr/bin/node and /usr/bin/npm

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3. Keep project inside WSL filesystem

Move if currently on Windows mount:

mv /mnt/c/Users/yourname/projects/cma-lokomotif-expo ~/projects/
cd ~/projects/cma-lokomotif-expo

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4. Fix missing executable permission

chmod +x ./node_modules/.bin/expo

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5. Clean reinstall deps

rm -rf node_modules
npm install

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6. Run Expo

npx expo start --no-open

Open the displayed URL manually in a Windows browser if needed.

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Notes

• No need to install Expo CLI globally — npx is enough.
• Avoid running npm commands from Windows paths (\\wsl.localhost\...).

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This setup prevents npm URL resolution errors and file permission issues when developing React Native (Expo) inside WSL.