RCTAppDelegate.h file not found after upgrading from 0.70.6 to 0.71.4

[RSchneider94]

Environment

System:
    OS: macOS 12.5
    CPU: (8) arm64 Apple M1
    Memory: 164.19 MB / 8.00 GB
    Shell: 5.8.1 - /bin/zsh
  Binaries:
    Node: 16.18.1 - /opt/homebrew/bin/node
    Yarn: 1.22.19 - /opt/homebrew/bin/yarn
    npm: 8.19.2 - /opt/homebrew/bin/npm
    Watchman: 2022.10.31.00 - /opt/homebrew/bin/watchman
  Managers:
    CocoaPods: 1.12.0 - /Users/rodrigoschneider/.rbenv/shims/pod
  SDKs:
    iOS SDK:
      Platforms: DriverKit 22.2, iOS 16.2, macOS 13.1, tvOS 16.1, watchOS 9.1
    Android SDK:
      API Levels: 31, 33
      Build Tools: 29.0.3, 30.0.3, 31.0.0
      System Images: android-33 | Google APIs ARM 64 v8a
      Android NDK: Not Found
  IDEs:
    Android Studio: 2021.3 AI-213.7172.25.2113.9123335
    Xcode: 14.2/14C18 - /usr/bin/xcodebuild
  Languages:
    Java: 17.0.1 - /usr/bin/javac
  npmPackages:
    @react-native-community/cli: Not Found
    react: 18.2.0 => 18.2.0
    react-native: 0.71.4 => 0.71.4
    react-native-macos: Not Found
  npmGlobalPackages:
    *react-native*: Not Found

Things I’ve done to figure out my issue

• [X] I used upgrade-helper to do my upgrade.

Upgrading version

From 0.70.6 to 0.71.4

Description

After upgrading everything as described in the RN Upgrade Helper Guide, even though I have entirely deleted my node_modules, yarn.lock, cleaned/deleted everything related to the Pods, I'm not able to build successfully my app with the following issue being presented on Xcode:

'RCTAppDelegate.h' file not found

Here is what's inside my AppDelegate.h:

#import <RCTAppDelegate.h>
#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

@interface AppDelegate : RCTAppDelegate

@end

Reproducible demo

Unfortunately I can't recreate a reproducible demo for this app. Just one thing that might help is that I'm currently using the react-native-firebase lib which asks me to do some changes in some iOS files as described here these are just the difference that my app has regarding the iOS files. Other than that, all looks the same as the Upgrade Guide.

[RSchneider94]

I give a try again following these steps again and using Xcode that build was still failing, but when trying to run directly the react-native run-ios command it has built successfully and worked.

[carldatu]

Same here.

[yshakouri]

Same issue on M1 !

[mdrajibsk8]

Anyone found any solution for this?

[ucheNkadiCode]

Still looking for a hero with a solution for this on M1 macs

[ucheNkadiCode]

@RSchneider94 would you mind please re-opening this issue and help investigate?

I'm also getting a "react/RCTEventEmitter.h" not found error as well

[mdrajibsk8]

I manage to solve this issue. What you need to do is simply install react-native manually instead of npm i

Run - npm i react-native@your_verion Also don't forget to clear your cache

[gezichenshan]

same issue. "react-native": "^0.71.1", "react-native": "^0.71.7" too,

[RSchneider94]

@RSchneider94 would you mind please re-opening this issue and help investigate?

I'm also getting a "react/RCTEventEmitter.h" not found error as well

sorry, my bad! wasn't suppose to close the issue, just comment, misclick 🙈

[mjstelly]

I manage to solve this issue. What you need to do is simply install react-native manually instead of npm i

Run - npm i react-native@your_verion Also don't forget to clear your cache

It didn't resolve the Xcode issue for me. I can launch the app from CLI. Xcode still throws that error. No idea why.

[ucheNkadiCode]

I threw an answer on StackOverflow, please let me know if it helps you!

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/75822104/rctappdelegate-h-file-not-found/76191070#76191070

[thanksyouall]

Same issue

[gezichenshan]

FEEDBACK: I asked our HR to drop the bad old mac and bought a new one, then all issues were resovled magically.

[enisinanaj]

Any news? I'm having the same issue since a couple of months with rn 0.71.8

[sabeti]

For those who still have this issue, first make sure you opened "projectName".xcworkspace and not "projectName".xcodeproj in XCode.

[laurensius]

Any news? I'm having the same issue on M1.

[enisinanaj]

Any news? I'm having the same issue on M1.

Please check this issue: https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/35818

[laurensius]

Any news? I'm having the same issue on M1.

Please check this issue: facebook/react-native#35818

OK! Thank you!

[zinzaducnm]

Any news? I'm having the same issue on M1.

Hope this helps. https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/35818#issuecomment-1736702622

[liplylie]

What worked for me was, in ios/Podfile, add:

target 'YourTargetName' do
    inherit! :complete
  end

Seems like there's an issue with XCode finding the location of RCTAppDelegate.h without it.

[potofpie]

FEEDBACK: I asked our HR to drop the bad old mac and bought a new one, then all issues were resovled magically.

Asked HR for a new laptop. They told me to go to the IT department...

[Wendy-Nam]

"RCTAppDelegate.h file not found" on M1 Mac (Apple Silicon)

Hi everyone! I think i've found one more potential solution for those facing the "RCTAppDelegate.h file not found" error while working on an M1 Mac.

If you've been using an M1 Mac (arm64) and have recently enabled Rosetta (x86_64) once for your terminal (e.g., in VSCode), switching back to the native terminal (arm64) may resolve the issue. I guess this error often occurs due to mismatched dependencies—those installed under Rosetta may conflict with those configured in the native environment.

(e.g., arm64-installed ruby, cocoapods, or rbenv caused conflicts when used with Rosetta for pod installation)

---

Steps to Resolve

1. Disable Rosetta for VSCode:

   • Open a Finder window, go to Applications, right-click on the VSCode app icon, select Get Info, and uncheck Open using Rosetta.

2. Clean Build: I ran the following script in the ios directory of the React Native project:

   #!/bin/bash
   
   # clean builds and caches 
   sudo rm -rf build
   sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData
   sudo rm -f Gemfile.lock
   gem cleanup
   sudo rm -rf Pods/ Podfile.lock
   pod cache clean --all
   
   # install and bundle new builds
   gem update --system
   bundle install --force --clean
   pod install --clean-install

   ➡️ Static Library(libPods-[YourProjectName].a) Generated!

3. Revert Frameworks:

   • In Xcode, navigate to Target > Build Phases > Link Binary with Libraries.
   • Replace Pods-[YourProjectName].framework with the static library libPods-[YourProjectName].a.
   • Scroll the page below, delete [CP] Copy Pods Resources if there are scripts generating Pods-[YourProjectName].framework related config or files.

This method worked for me, enabling iOS build immediately after this step.

---

Background

This issue occurred after integrating Firebase App Distribution via Fastlane and enabling Rosetta for VSCode. The dynamic Pods-[YourProjectName].framework replaced the static libPods.a, leading to build failures. Reverting to the native environment and performing a clean build resolved the issue.

---

Specs

• MacBook Air (M1, 2020), macOS 15.1
• React Native: 0.75.3
• Xcode: 16.1
• CocoaPods: 1.16.2
• Bundler: 2.5.23
• Nodes: 22.10.0

Podfile

I tried using dynamic symbolic links and explored several other potential solutions, but modifying the Podfile didn’t resolve the issue in my case.

require Pod::Executable.execute_command('node', ['-p',
'require.resolve(
"react-native/scripts/react_native_pods.rb",
{paths: [process.argv[1]]},
)', __dir__]).strip

# Define the iOS platform and minimum version
platform :ios, min_ios_version_supported
prepare_react_native_project!

# Check and configure framework linkage
linkage = ENV['USE_FRAMEWORKS']
if linkage != nil
  Pod::UI.puts "Configuring Pod with #{linkage}ally linked Frameworks".green
  use_frameworks! :linkage => linkage.to_sym
end

# Define the target for the React Native app
target 'reactCapsone' do
  config = use_native_modules!

  # React Native basic settings
  use_react_native!(
    :path => config[:reactNativePath],
    :app_path => "#{Pod::Config.instance.installation_root}/..",
    :hermes_enabled => false, # Disable Hermes
    :fabric_enabled => false  # Disable Fabric
  )

  # Post-install configuration
  post_install do |installer|
    # React Native post-install settings
    react_native_post_install(installer, :ccache_enabled => true)
  end
end

FYI

For Firebase, I only used the Fastlane CI plugin (gem 'fastlane-plugin-firebase_app_distribution' in ios/fastlane/Pluginfile). I later removed it and replaced the firebase_app_distribution() command with a direct Firebase CLI call in a sh() block, which resolved my issue. While I’m unsure of Firebase's direct impact on the problem, switching to Rosetta likely stemmed from the Firebase installation.

If Rosetta is required, I recommend reinstalling all related dependencies in the new architecture. Instead of continuing with a project initially created under the arm64 environment, consider setting up a fresh project specifically for Rosetta to avoid potential conflicts.

Some related discussions about M1, Rosetta, and Firebase:

• Solar2D Forum: iOS Native Implementation on M1
• StackOverflow: Firebase on Apple Silicon M1
• Firebase Release Notes for iOS

---

I hope this helps! If you have any questions or alternative solutions, feel free to share. 😊