Railway: No Start Command Could Be Found

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Set a Start Command manually

   Copy steps
   1. Open the service Settings in Railway
   2. Find the Start Command field and enter a command that runs your app
   3. Redeploy
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Use the command for your framework

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   1. Node.js: node main.js (or index.js, server.js, app.js)
   2. Next.js: npx next start --port $PORT
   3. Nuxt: node .output/server/index.mjs
   4. FastAPI: uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port $PORT
   5. Flask: gunicorn main:app; Django: gunicorn myproject.wsgi
   6. Rails: bundle exec rails server -b 0.0.0.0 -p $PORT
   7. Vite or CRA static site: serve --single --listen $PORT dist (or build), with serve installed locally
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

The build finishes but the deploy fails with 'No start command could be found'.

Why it happens

• Node.js project without a start script in package.json
• Python project without a main.py and not a detected Django app
• Ruby project that is not a detected Rails app
• Static site or unusual project layout Railpack cannot detect

This guide also covers

• railway no start command could be found
• railpack no start command
• railway deploy failed no start command

Other Railway errors

• Railway Application Failed to Respond (502)
• Railway Slow Deployments and Slow App
• Railway Node.js SIGTERM Handler Not Running
• Railway ENOTFOUND redis.railway.internal
• Railway Postgres: Could Not Locate a Valid Checkpoint Record
• Railway SSL Certificate Stuck or Not Working (526, 525, Too Many Redirects)
• Railway 405 Method Not Allowed on POST Requests
• Railway Services Stopped: Trial Credits Ran Out