JsonSyntaxException: Expected BEGIN_OBJECT but was STRING at line 1 column 1

What the log looks like

com\.google\.gson\.JsonSyntaxException: java\.lang\.IllegalStateException: Expected BEGIN_OBJECT but was STRING at line 1 column 1 path \$
Caused by: java\.lang\.IllegalStateException: Expected BEGIN_OBJECT but was STRING at line 1 column 1 path \$

How to fix it

1. Look at the crash report lines directly underneath `at com.google.gson.Gson.fromJson` to identify what was reading the broken file (for example, `SodiumGameOptions.load` points to Sodium, and `InstanceManager.loadInstances` points to an ATLauncher instance).
2. If a mod class is listed right below `Gson.fromJson`, open your `.minecraft/config` folder, delete that mod's `.json` config file (such as `sodium-options.json`), and relaunch the game so it generates a clean default file.
3. If the error appears in your launcher log (such as ATLauncher failing to load an instance), open the affected instance folder, check `instance.json` for corruption, and either restore a backup or copy your `mods` and `saves` folders into a newly created instance.
4. If you cannot tell which mod owns the broken file, sort your `.minecraft/config` folder by 'Date modified' and open the most recently modified `.json` files in a text editor—delete any file that looks empty, filled with spaces/`NUL` blocks, or does not begin with `{`.

Check your own log