Setup instructions that do not match the app

1. Compare the documented starting point.

   Open README and the project folder side by side. Find the directory where the instructions say to run commands. Check that package.json exists there if the instructions use npm. In a multi-folder project, the root and app directory may have different scripts.

2. List what npm can run.

   In that directory’s terminal, run npm run without a script name. It lists the scripts declared in package.json. Compare that list with every npm run command in the setup instructions, especially setup, build and start.

3. Check the promised input files.

   Open each example configuration file named by the README. Compare the variable names with what the code reads. Record missing files or mismatched names. Do not invent secret values or copy production credentials just to get past the next instruction.

4. Record the first mismatch.

   Write down the documented command, working directory and actual script or file that disagrees. If the named script is absent, stop before substituting a similar-looking command. If everything exists, continue the README in the isolated copy and preserve the first failing output.

WORKSDocumented commands and files exist, and the isolated setup produces the documented result.

BROKENA required command or input file is missing.

FAKEDThe handoff claims setup passed while the documented procedure cannot be run.

Ranked in the order to investigate, not by claimed frequency.

1. The README names a script that is not declared.

   Add the intended setup script with a defined outcome, or correct the instructions to the real supported command. Then repeat the instructions from another clean copy to ensure the fix is reproducible.

2. The command is being run in the wrong directory.

   State the required directory explicitly and show which package owns the command. Check that paths to configuration files also make sense from that directory.

3. The app silently creates missing setup state.

   Decide whether automatic initialization is an intentional feature. Document and test it, or make missing setup fail clearly. Do not claim a separate setup step passed when it was never run.

• A project using another package manager may have a different lockfile and installation procedure. Follow that project’s declared workflow rather than converting it during diagnosis.
• A command can exist and still fail later because a service or configuration value is missing. Script presence is the first check, not proof of a working installation.

When to stop and hand it over

Stop if setup requests real customer credentials, destructive database resets or commands you cannot account for. Hand over the README, script list and missing-file names. Ask for a repeatable clean-start procedure and its actual results.