Fix · Node, npm and build

JavaScript heap out of memory

Blocks your work

What you may see

The build or dev server crashes with a long memory message
It gets slower and slower and then dies

Most likely cause

The process needs more memory than Node allows by default: a very large project, a big import, or an endless loop that keeps adding data.

Check first (about two minutes)

Does it die at the same point every time (a loop) or only on big projects (real size)?

The fix prompt

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The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

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Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows Node.js, npm and build tools and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

THE PROBLEM
JavaScript heap out of memory

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
The process needs more memory than Node allows by default: a very large project, a big import, or an endless loop that keeps adding data.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Find what was running when it died (the last lines before the crash).
2. Look for an endless loop or a huge file or image being read into memory; fix that first.
3. If the project is simply big, show me how to raise the limit for this command only (NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=4096) without changing the computer.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- The command finishes and memory stays steady in Activity Monitor or Task Manager.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not delete features to save memory.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Find what was running when it died (the last lines before the crash).
Look for an endless loop or a huge file or image being read into memory; fix that first.
If the project is simply big, show me how to raise the limit for this command only (NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=4096) without changing the computer.

Do not do this

Do not set the memory to a huge number without a reason.
Do not delete features to save memory.

Fix it Build ran out of memory or took too long on Vercel

Try another entry