Error when trying to run rspec: `require': cannot load such file — rails_helper (LoadError)

Question

I am trying to run rspec for Ruby on Rails. I am running Rails 4.1.1. I have installed the gem, have established a spec folder with some tests. I have created a directory

Answer 1

I had the same error but there was no reference to rails_helper anywhere and we weren't even using rails.

However, I eventually found that my ~/.rspec was requiring rails_helper (presumably from creating rails app in the past) which was causing the issue ...

$ cat ~/.rspec
--color
--format documentation
--require spec_helper
--require rails_helper

The fix is as simple as removing that line. Hope this helps someone else grappling with the same issue!