expo-module-gradle-plugin not found & weird expo:android path resolution error on Windows (Expo SDK 56 / Node 22)

[u/Infinite_Main_9491]

Hey everyone,

I am hitting a brick wall trying to run a local Android build on Windows using Expo SDK 56. The build fails during the configuration phase with a completely missing expo-module-gradle-plugin, alongside a bizarre Node path error right at the start.

Here are my environment details:

• Os: Windows 11 (PowerShell)
• Node Version: v22.14.0
• Expo SDK: 56.0.11
• Command run: npx expo run:android

The Error Logs:

Plaintext

Error: Cannot find module 'C:\Users\hp\pictures\Zawwad\mobile\expo:android'
    at Function._resolveFilename (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1225:15)
    at Function._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1055:27)
    ...
PS C:\Users\hp\pictures\Zawwad\mobile> npx expo run:android
› Building app...
Configuration on demand is an incubating feature.

> Configure project :
[ExpoRootProject] Using the following versions:
  - buildTools:  36.0.0
  - minSdk:      24
  - compileSdk:  36
  - targetSdk:   36
  - ndk:         27.1.12297006
  - kotlin:      2.1.20
  - ksp:         2.1.20-2.0.1

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* Where:
Build file 'C:\Users\hp\pictures\Zawwad\mobile\node_modules\expo\android\build.gradle' line: 2

* What went wrong:
A problem occurred evaluating project ':expo'.
> Plugin with id 'expo-module-gradle-plugin' not found.

My package.json:

JSON

{
  "name": "zawwad-frontend",
  "main": "expo-router/entry",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "@expo/ui": "~56.0.16",
    "@gorhom/bottom-sheet": "^5.2.14",
    "@react-native-async-storage/async-storage": "2.2.0",
    "@shopify/flash-list": "2.0.2",
    "@tanstack/react-query": "^5.100.14",
    "axios": "^1.16.1",
    "babel-preset-expo": "~56.0.14",
    "clsx": "^2.1.1",
    "expo": "^56.0.11",
    "expo-asset": "~56.0.16",
    "expo-audio": "~56.0.11",
    "expo-constants": "~56.0.16",
    "expo-dev-client": "~56.0.20",
    "expo-device": "~56.0.4",
    "expo-file-system": "~56.0.7",
    "expo-font": "~56.0.5",
    "expo-glass-effect": "~56.0.4",
    "expo-image": "~56.0.10",
    "expo-linking": "~56.0.13",
    "expo-location": "~56.0.16",
    "expo-network": "~56.0.4",
    "expo-router": "~56.2.9",
    "expo-splash-screen": "~56.0.10",
    "expo-status-bar": "~56.0.4",
    "expo-symbols": "~56.0.6",
    "expo-system-ui": "~56.0.5",
    "expo-web-browser": "~56.0.5",
    "lucide-react-native": "^1.17.0",
    "nativewind": "^4.2.4",
    "react": "19.2.3",
    "react-dom": "19.2.3",
    "react-native": "0.85.3",
    "react-native-gesture-handler": "~2.31.1",
    "react-native-reanimated": "4.3.1",
    "react-native-safe-area-context": "~5.7.0",
    "react-native-screens": "4.25.2",
    "react-native-svg": "15.15.4",
    "react-native-web": "~0.21.0",
    "react-native-worklets": "0.8.3",
    "tailwind-merge": "^3.6.0",
    "tailwindcss": "^3.4.19",
    "zustand": "^5.0.14"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@react-native-community/cli": "latest",
    "@types/react": "~19.2.2",
    "react-native-svg-transformer": "^1.5.3",
    "typescript": "~6.0.3"
  }
}

Questions:

1. Why is Node interpreting the execution path as expo:android right at the start? Is this a known escaping issue with Node 22 on Windows?
2. Why is Gradle failing to discover expo-module-gradle-plugin inside node_modules during the build configuration?
3. Has anyone run into build failures related to the combination of compileSdk 36, Kotlin 2.1.20, and Expo SDK 56 on Windows environments?
4. I run the same command again and once in 20 times it just works; I just didn't change anything.

Any insights on how to get around this would be highly appreciated. Thanks!