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fs.rmSync() cannot remove broken symbolic link #61020
Description
Activity
This doesn't appear to be specific to Windows, I can reproduce on Linux in v24.11.1 and v25.2.1 (but not in v22.21.0):
- if
symlinkpoints to a file, thenrmSyncunlinks it as expected - if
symlinkpoints to a directory, thenrmSyncthrowsERR_FS_EISDIR(rmworks as expected) - if
symlinkpoints to an invalid path, thenrmSyncis a no-op but does not throw (rmworks as expected)
Reacted by YuchenD and ifreefly- if
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on Sep 25, 2026
Version
v24.12.0
Platform
Subsystem
No response
What steps will reproduce the bug?
fs.rmSync() fail to remove broken symlinks.
The same operation works correctly in Node.js 22 and earlier.
How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?
Everytime
Only happens when:
What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?
fs.rmSync() should remove the symlink even if it's broken
What do you see instead?
rmSync fails silently, and the broken symlink remains on disk.
Additional information
Not sure if it is related to #58768