NPM, cannot find 'graceful-fs', no matter what I do

Had the same problem. Don't download npm from aptitude or apt-get. Instead try:

git clone git://github.com/isaacs/npm.git
cd npm/scripts
chmod +x install.sh
sudo ./install.sh

saw it here: NPM can't install appjs. Error: Cannot find module 'graceful-fs'

I had the same problem.

sudo npm install 

solved it for me.

I was also using Ubuntu 12.04, and was having this same issue (though I don't think it's specifically Ubuntu's fault).

grimbo@grimbo-ubuntu-12:~/git/SyntaxHighlighter$ npm

module.js:340
    throw err;
          ^
Error: Cannot find module 'graceful-fs'
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (module.js:338:15)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:280:25)
    at Module.require (module.js:362:17)
    at require (module.js:378:17)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/usr/share/npm/lib/utils/ini.js:32:10)
    at Module._compile (module.js:449:26)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:467:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:356:32)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:312:12)
    at Module.require (module.js:362:17)

So i tried to work out where npm was running from:

grimbo@grimbo-ubuntu-12:~/git/SyntaxHighlighter$ sudo find / -name npm
/etc/bash_completion.d/npm
/usr/bin/npm
/usr/local/bin/npm
/usr/local/n/versions/0.8.7/bin/npm
/usr/local/n/versions/0.8.7/lib/node_modules/npm
/usr/local/n/versions/0.8.7/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm
/usr/share/lintian/overrides/npm
/usr/share/doc/npm
/usr/share/npm
/usr/share/doc-base/npm
/usr/lib/nodejs/npm
/var/lib/doc-base/documents/npm

For reference, these were a couple of the links:

/usr/bin/npm -> ../share/npm/bin/npm-cli.js*
/usr/local/n/versions/0.8.7/bin/npm -> ../lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js*

Confirmation that it was "/usr/bin/npm" that was being used:

grimbo@grimbo-ubuntu-12:~/git/SyntaxHighlighter$ which npm
/usr/bin/npm

So I tried to call the latest one specifically, which seemed to do the trick:

grimbo@grimbo-ubuntu-12:~/git/SyntaxHighlighter$ /usr/local/n/versions/0.8.7/bin/npm install
npm WARN package.json SyntaxHighlighter@3.0.83 No README.md file found!
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/less
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/jake
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js/-/uglify-js-1.3.3.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/less
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/less/-/less-1.3.0.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch/-/minimatch-0.2.6.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/less/-/less-1.3.0.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/uglify-js/-/uglify-js-1.3.3.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch/-/minimatch-0.2.6.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/jake
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/jake/-/jake-0.3.14.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/jake/-/jake-0.3.14.tgz
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/utilities
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch/-/minimatch-0.0.5.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/utilities
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/utilities/-/utilities-0.0.11.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache/-/lru-cache-2.0.1.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch/-/minimatch-0.0.5.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/utilities/-/utilities-0.0.11.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache/-/lru-cache-2.0.1.tgz
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache/-/lru-cache-1.0.6.tgz
npm http 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/lru-cache/-/lru-cache-1.0.6.tgz
npm WARN prefer global jake@0.3.14 should be installed with -g
uglify-js@1.3.3 node_modules/uglify-js

less@1.3.0 node_modules/less

minimatch@0.2.6 node_modules/minimatch
+-- lru-cache@2.0.1

jake@0.3.14 node_modules/jake
+-- utilities@0.0.11
+-- minimatch@0.0.5 (lru-cache@1.0.6)

Ultimately, it looks like maybe because I've had other versions of node and npm installed in the past, it just got confused.

So after installing node_js and npm, I was having the same problem

my-app$ locate graceful-fs
/usr/lib/nodejs/graceful-fs
... some other junk we don't care about ...
my-app$ export NODE_PATH=/usr/lib/nodejs
my-app$ npm update
... it works ...

By default Node looks for modules within your project in ../CollinsProject/node_modules.

Try moving graceful-fs to this folder and it should work.

If you want to install the module to be used globally (across other projects), then move the graceful-fs folder to /usr/local/lib/node_modules.

I'm a self confessed muppet when it comes to linux but rfumbled my way onto a solution. I'm running ubuntu 12.04 and was having the same issue. Tried this and it worked for me, maybe a better man than me can explain why and might even work for you:

sudo npm install socket.io

I had previously installed npm and node from git and all appeared to be working until I tried to install less and got the same error as OP.

The same also happens on Windows if you install in a custom directory. You have to uninstall and install again under default path.

Had similar problem on Ubuntu while installing phonegap, fixed it with

sudo npm install graceful-fs

I came across the same problem and after searching online, the only thing that worked for me was to reinstall nodejs, nodejs-dev and npm. I followed the directions from this site: https://github.com/joyent/node/wiki/installing-node.js-via-package-manager

Just for my two cents. I install with

sudo npm install -g graceful-fs

This install graceful-fs globally and it solved my issue.