Can't find package.json in directory in CircleCI build - continuous-integration

Question

I have a repo that contains two subprojects. Just for completeness a frontend project and a firebase cloud-function project (both using separate package.jsons). Now for this project, I want to start two jobs concurrently. But I can't get the setup done with CircleCI. I don't have any cache-configuration.
project structure
-creepy-stories
-.circleci
-cloud-functions
-functions
package.json
-frontend
package.json
config.yml
version: 2.1
jobs:
cloud-functions:
docker:
- image: circleci/node:10.8.0
working_directory: ~/creepy-stories/cloud-functions/functions
steps:
- checkout
- run: npm install
- run: npm run lint
- run: npm run build
frontend:
docker:
- image: circleci/node:10.8.0
working_directory: ~/creepy-stories/frontend
steps:
- checkout
- run: npm install
- run: npm run lint
- run: npm run build
- run: npm run test:coverage
workflows:
version: 2
cloud-functions_and_frontend:
jobs:
- cloud-functions
- frontend
So now my I guess my problem is the environment cant find my package.json file. The error that is printed looks as follows:
npm run lint
#!/bin/bash -eo pipefail
npm run lint
npm ERR! path /home/circleci/creepy-stories/frontend/package.json
npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! errno -2
npm ERR! syscall open
npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/home/circleci/creepy-stories/frontend/package.json'
npm ERR! enoent This is related to npm not being able to find a file.
npm ERR! enoent
npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR! /home/circleci/.npm/_logs/2019-04-20T13_08_45_252Z-debug.log
Exited with code 254
I don't know if it is right to set the working directory twice in my configuration, but it is at least set in two diff. jobs.
Update
I managed to get it work if I checkout the root of the Project and then cd to the needed folder and execute the scripts. But this isn't really DRY (don't repeat yourself) maybe some of you have a better solution:
version: 2.1
jobs:
cloud-functions:
docker:
- image: circleci/node:10.8.0
working_directory: ~/creepy-stories
steps:
- checkout
- run: cd cloud-functions/functions && npm install
- run: cd cloud-functions/functions && npm run lint
- run: cd cloud-functions/functions && npm run build
web:
docker:
- image: circleci/node:10.8.0
working_directory: ~/creepy-stories
steps:
- checkout
- run: cd web && npm install
- run: cd web && npm run lint
- run: cd web && npm run build
- run: cd web && npm run test:coverage
workflows:
version: 2
concurrently:
jobs:
- cloud-functions
- web

Answer 1

When you checkout, you automatically copy the root of the git repository into the current working directory. If you want your working directory to be a sub-directory of the root, you need to give the checkout step a path that copies the files into a parent of the working directory.
Example:
working_directory: ~/creepy-stories/cloud-functions
steps:
- checkout:
path: ~/creepy-stories
Link to the documentation: https://circleci.com/docs/2.0/configuration-reference/#checkout

Answer 2

I think you've got an added directory in the way.
You should add an extra run to your CircleCi frontend task that does a pwd and then a ls -la.
You'll probably find that the checkout has ended up inside a directory with the same name as your repo.
Edit to answer followup question:
If i remember correctly, the checkout command, always put it in the root of the server, so you can update the working directory to accommodate that. Like so
working_directory: ~/creepy-stories/web
steps:
- checkout
- run: npm install
- run: npm run lint
- run: npm run build
- run: npm run test:coverage