Require , Global and Stack are not available

[FLYINGSKATE]

Description

Android Devices on Debug Builds it shows : Require , Global and Stack are not available

Steps to reproduce

Please connect with us we have following Index JS files

/**
 * @format
 */
import 'react-native-gesture-handler'; 
import 'react-native-url-polyfill/auto';
import {AppRegistry} from 'react-native';
import App from './App';
import {name as appName} from './app.json';

AppRegistry.registerComponent(appName, () => App);



///Metro-config.js File
const { getDefaultConfig, mergeConfig } = require("@react-native/metro-config");

const defaultConfig = getDefaultConfig(__dirname);
const { resolver: { sourceExts, assetExts } } = defaultConfig;

const config = {
  transformer: {
    babelTransformerPath: require.resolve("react-native-svg-transformer"),
    getTransformOptions: async () => ({
      transform: {
        experimentalImportSupport: false,
        inlineRequires: true,
      },
    }),
  },
  resolver: {
    assetExts: assetExts.filter((ext) => ext !== "svg").concat(['png', 'jpg', 'jpeg']),
    sourceExts: [...sourceExts, "svg"],
    resolverMainFields: ["sbmodern", "react-native", "browser", "main"],
  },
};

module.exports = mergeConfig(defaultConfig, config);

React Native Version

0.76.2

Affected Platforms

Runtime - Android

Output of npx @react-native-community/cli info

Environment
	•	React Native Version: 0.76.2
	•	React Version: 18.3.1
	•	Node Version: >=18
	•	Package Manager: npm
	•	Hermes: Tried both enabled and disabled
	•	Architecture: Tried both New and Old
	•	Metro Config: Default from 0.76.2 (with @react-native/metro-config)
	•	CLI: @react-native-community/cli 15.0.1
	•	OS: macOS 15.1.1

⸻

Issue Summary

When building the debug version of the Android app using npx react-native run-android, the latest changes in logic and UI are not reflected. The app appears to use a stale or outdated JS bundle. Additionally, Hot Reload and Fast Refresh do not work.

On iOS (Debug and Release), everything works correctly. This issue only occurs on Android in debug mode.

⸻

Steps Tried (All Failed)
	1.	Cleared caches and reinstalled dependencies:

rm -rf node_modules
rm -rf android/.gradle
rm -rf android/app/build
rm -rf android/build
rm -rf android/app/src/main/assets
npm cache clean --force
npm install


	2.	Reset Metro bundler cache:

npx react-native start --reset-cache


	3.	Manually generated the Android bundle:

mkdir -p android/app/src/main/assets
npx react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res


	4.	Toggled Hermes and Architecture:
	•	Enabled and disabled enableHermes: true/false
	•	Enabled and disabled newArchEnabled: true/false in gradle.properties
	5.	Copied Android folder from a new React Native project:
	•	This temporarily fixed Hot Reload and Fast Refresh.
	•	However, it caused a runtime error:

require is not defined
at anonymous global (index.android.bundle)


	6.	Attempted to patch require manually:
	•	Added a custom polyfill or fallback function for require in the entry point (index.js) to bypass the require is not defined error.
	•	This caused further issues or did not resolve the underlying problem, and may have interfered with Metro or bundler behavior.
	7.	Verified dev settings:
	•	Fast Refresh enabled from the Dev Menu.
	•	Confirmed app is in Dev Mode (_DEV_ === true).
	•	Debugging enabled in build.gradle:

debug {
    debuggable true
}



⸻

Current Roadblocks
	•	Android debug builds continue to use old JS bundle and logic.
	•	Changes in JS files are not reflected after builds.
	•	Hot Reload / Fast Refresh don’t function as expected.
	•	Manual bundle generation leads to JS runtime error: require is not defined.
	•	Attempts to polyfill require in entry file didn’t resolve the issue.
	•	iOS builds (debug & release) work perfectly.

⸻

Expected Behavior
	•	Android debug build should reflect latest changes automatically.
	•	Hot Reload and Fast Refresh should work properly.
	•	Manual bundle generation should not break runtime execution.
	•	Android debug behavior should match iOS debug behavior.

⸻

Request for Help

Requesting support from:
	•	React Native Core Team
	•	Meta Engineers
	•	Community Experts

Need guidance on:
	•	Why Android debug builds are not syncing with latest JS code
	•	How to resolve stale bundle / caching problems
	•	Why require fails post bundling or Android folder replacement
	•	Recommended stable fix or workaround

Stacktrace or Logs

Can't Find Variable : require , stack : index.android.bundle:2.35
global code@index.android.bundle:2:2024

Reproducer

https://github.com/FDV-Team/FitWell-NishantTeam/tree/Ashraf_2025

Screenshots and Videos

[react-native-bot]

Warning

Unsupported version: It looks like your issue or the example you provided uses an unsupported version of React Native.

Due to the number of issues we receive, we're currently only accepting new issues against one of the supported versions. Please upgrade to latest and verify if the issue persists (alternatively, create a new project and repro the issue in it). If you cannot upgrade, please open your issue on StackOverflow to get further community support.

[react-native-bot]

Warning

Unsupported version: It looks like your issue or the example you provided uses an unsupported version of React Native.

Due to the number of issues we receive, we're currently only accepting new issues against one of the supported versions. Please upgrade to latest and verify if the issue persists (alternatively, create a new project and repro the issue in it). If you cannot upgrade, please open your issue on StackOverflow to get further community support.

[react-native-bot]

Warning

Missing reproducer: We could not detect a reproducible example in your issue report. Please provide either:

• If your bug is UI related: a Snack
• If your bug is build/upgrade related: a project using our Reproducer Template
• Otherwise send us a Pull Request with the RNTesterPlayground.js edited to reproduce your bug.

[cipolleschi]

@FLYINGSKATE thanks for the issue. Version 0.76 is not supported anymore.
Any chance that you can try the project on a more recent version?

I also suggest to:

1. create a new app with npx @react-native-community/cli init MyApp —version latest —skip-install
2. run yarn
3. run yarn android
4. try to change a js file.

If this works, there is something in your configuration that is wrong.
Start to adding pieces from the index.js of your project to the index.js of the newly created app, until you identify the part that fails.

Once this happen, you might either:

1. understand the problem and fix it in your project
   or
2. come back here and report what you found.

[react-native-bot]

This issue is waiting for author's feedback since 24 days. Please provide the requested feedback or this will be closed in 7 days.

[react-native-bot]

This issue was closed because the author hasn't provided the requested feedback after 7 days.