CircleCI workspace: attach path does not match persist in CI

A downstream job ran attach_workspace at a different at: path than the upstream persist_to_workspace root:, so the expected files are not where the job looks. Files are present, just under the wrong relative path.

What this error means

A later step fails with "no such file or directory" for an artifact that an earlier job persisted, even though the persist step succeeded.

cp: cannot stat 'dist/app.js': No such file or directory
Exited with code exit status 1

Common causes

The attach path differs from the persist root

persist_to_workspace used root: . with paths: [dist], but attach_workspace used at: /tmp/ws, so files land under a different relative path than expected.

A path listed for persist was not produced

The persist step listed a path the job never created, so nothing was stored for the downstream job to attach.

How to fix it

Keep root and at paths consistent

1. Choose one workspace root and reuse it in both jobs.
2. Persist relative paths under that root.
3. Attach at the same root and reference files relative to it.

# upstream
- persist_to_workspace:
    root: .
    paths: [dist]
# downstream
- attach_workspace:
    at: .
- run: cp dist/app.js out/

List the attached tree to confirm layout

Print the workspace after attaching so the actual file paths are visible.

- run: find . -maxdepth 2 -name 'app.js'

How to prevent it

• Use one consistent workspace root across jobs.
• Persist only paths the job actually creates.
• Reference attached files relative to the attach at: path.

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