# Error: ENOSPC: System limit for number of file watchers reached

**Code:** `ENOSPC` · **Category:** npm · **Seen on:** npm

Linux ran out of inotify watches — dev servers watching large projects hit the limit.

## Meaning

Not disk space: it’s fs.inotify.max_user_watches (often 8192). Webpack/Vite/Jest watching node_modules exhausts it.

## Common causes

- Low inotify limit
- Watching node_modules or large folders
- Many projects/IDEs watching at once

## Quick fix

1. Raise the limit: fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288
2. Exclude node_modules from watchers

## Detailed fix by platform

### Linux

1. `echo fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288 | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/99-inotify.conf && sudo sysctl --system`

## How to diagnose

1. **Limit** — cat /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches
2. **Recent change** — Did it start after a deploy, upgrade, or configuration change? Compare with the last working version.

---
Source: [WhatIsMyError](https://whatismyerror.com/errors/npm/enospc-file-watchers-limit)