Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, lstat '

Help
1

I’m running a Next.js 15 App Router project with Clerk authentication. Locally, the app compiles and runs fine using npm run dev, but during build or deployment on Vercel, I encounter the following error:

Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, lstat '/vercel/path0/.next/server/app/(dashboard)/page_client-reference-manifest.js'

This appears to be related to a missing internal file that Next.js expects but does not generate. I also encounter 404 errors for other assets like:

  • /_next/static/css/app/layout.css
  • /_next/static/chunks/app/layout.js
  • /_next/static/chunks/app/page.js
  • /_next/static/chunks/app-pages-internals.js

Expected behavior:
All necessary files (including page_client-reference-manifest.js) should be generated during the build process, and the app should deploy successfully.
Expected: Vercel should generate this file like it does locally and allow a successful build.

What I’ve Tried So Far:

  • Cleaned .next, node_modules, and package-lock.json
  • Verified 'use client' is used correctly in Clerk pages
  • Re-ran npm install, npm run build
  • Redeployed on Vercel with “Clear Build Cache”
  • Checked that no Clerk components are imported into server components
    • rm -rf .next node_modules && npm install
  • Verified that page.tsx exists under all routed directories inside (dashboard)
  • Verified use client is at the top of all Clerk-related pages
  • Confirmed page_client-reference-manifest.js does generate locally
  • Cleaned and cleared build cache on Vercel multiple times
  • Ensured no imports from route-specific layouts/pages into shared components

Folder Structure
app/
├── layout.tsx
├── page.tsx
├── (dashboard)/
│ ├── layout.tsx
│ ├── page.tsx
│ ├── resumes/
│ │ └── page.tsx
│ ├── resumebuilder/
│ │ └── page.tsx
│ └── editor/
│ └── page.tsx
└── (auth)/
└── sign-in/
└── [[…sign-in]]/
└── page.tsx

Dev Tools + Logs

  • Vercel fails only when building in production — not locally.
  • No broken imports or missing files on local machine.
  • Local next build output does generate page_client-reference-manifest.js under:
.next/server/app/(dashboard)/resumes/
.next/server/app/(dashboard)/editor/
...
  • Why does Vercel not generate page_client-reference-manifest.js on deploy, even though it works locally?
  • Is this a Vercel cache, edge config, or internal optimization issue?
  • Are there any known issues with (segment)/layout.tsx files and manifest generation?
2

There’s another community post with 404 debugging tips that might be helpful. Please give these solutions a try and let us know how it goes.

A human should be around soon to offer more advice. But you can also get helpful information quickly by asking v0.

3

I have looked at the other discussions and I have not been able to resolve my issue.