[BUG] EPERM during npm install (breakage between npm 6.9 and 6.13)

[jgehrcke]

• This is with NodeJS v12.13.1.
• I am running an npm install . in a Docker container in CI.
• With NPM 6.13.2 it fails with EPERM during child process creation (stdout/err below).
• With NPM 6.9.2 it suceeds.
• I did not carefully bisect, i.e. I did not try npm 6.10.x or 6.11.x.
• There are no obvious permission issues: the unix user executing the npm install . in the container has as of my (I think rather experienced) judgement all required privileges that it needs to do things; the EPERM during child process creation came completely out-of-the-blue for me.
• The fact that the install "just works" with NPM 6.9.2 leads me to suspect that there potentially is a bug in more recent versions of NPM.

Fortunately, I have a reproducible CI environment at hand. While I cannot provide a complete repro for you to execute locally, I at least can tell for sure that switching the NPM version reproducibly did the trick for me (no other parameters changed).

The problem might be rare, but I found the same symptoms described in these two threads from the recent weeks:

• https://npm.community/t/npm-6-11-x-breaks-npm-ci-with-eperm-error-for-private-github-package/9872/6
• https://help.mulesoft.com/s/question/0D52T00004rfUhHSAU/eperm-thrown-when-installing-anypointcli

Notably, I think this post contains highly relevant detail for root-causing and mitigating this: https://npm.community/t/npm-6-11-x-breaks-npm-ci-with-eperm-error-for-private-github-package/9872/3

With npm/6.13.2

$ npm install .

[...]

npm ERR! code EPERM
--
  | npm ERR! syscall spawn
  | npm ERR! errno EPERM
  | npm ERR! Error: spawn EPERM
  | npm ERR!     at ChildProcess.spawn (internal/child_process.js:394:11)
  | npm ERR!     at Object.spawn (child_process.js:540:9)
  | npm ERR!     at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/pacote/lib/util/git.js:216:24
  | npm ERR!     at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/promise-retry/index.js:29:24
  | npm ERR!     at runMicrotasks (<anonymous>)
  | npm ERR!     at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:93:5)
  | npm ERR!  OperationalError: spawn EPERM
  | npm ERR!     at ChildProcess.spawn (internal/child_process.js:394:11)
  | npm ERR!     at Object.spawn (child_process.js:540:9)
  | npm ERR!     at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/pacote/lib/util/git.js:216:24
  | npm ERR!     at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/promise-retry/index.js:29:24
  | npm ERR!     at runMicrotasks (<anonymous>)
  | npm ERR!     at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:93:5) {
  | npm ERR!   cause: Error: spawn EPERM
  | npm ERR!       at ChildProcess.spawn (internal/child_process.js:394:11)
  | npm ERR!       at Object.spawn (child_process.js:540:9)
  | npm ERR!       at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/pacote/lib/util/git.js:216:24
  | npm ERR!       at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/promise-retry/index.js:29:24
  | npm ERR!       at runMicrotasks (<anonymous>)
  | npm ERR!       at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:93:5) {
  | npm ERR!     errno: 'EPERM',
  | npm ERR!     code: 'EPERM',
  | npm ERR!     syscall: 'spawn'
  | npm ERR!   },
  | npm ERR!   stack: 'Error: spawn EPERM\n' +
  | npm ERR!     '    at ChildProcess.spawn (internal/child_process.js:394:11)\n' +
  | npm ERR!     '    at Object.spawn (child_process.js:540:9)\n' +
  | npm ERR!     '    at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/pacote/lib/util/git.js:216:24\n' +
  | npm ERR!     '    at /nvm/versions/node/v12.13.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/promise-retry/index.js:29:24\n' +
  | npm ERR!     '    at runMicrotasks (<anonymous>)\n' +
  | npm ERR!     '    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:93:5)',
  | npm ERR!   errno: 'EPERM',
  | npm ERR!   code: 'EPERM',
  | npm ERR!   syscall: 'spawn',
  | npm ERR!   parent: 'build'
  | npm ERR! }
  | npm ERR!
  | npm ERR! The operation was rejected by your operating system.
  | npm ERR! It is likely you do not have the permissions to access this file as the current user
  | npm ERR!
  | npm ERR! If you believe this might be a permissions issue, please double-check the
  | npm ERR! permissions of the file and its containing directories, or try running
  | npm ERR! the command again as root/Administrator.

(build log 308, 191204, for my own reference)

With npm/6.9.2

• And otherwise the exact same build environment as above, just with npm 6.9.2 instead of npm 6.13.2.

Installation succeeds:

npm install .

[...]

added 1045 packages from 700 contributors and audited 879804 packages in 318.65s

(build log 309, 191204, for my own reference)

Sorry that at this time I am not in the position to provide a complete repro.

[jgehrcke]

Oh, now I found #476. I suppose that is it, and I can try with npm 6.13.3 :-).

[jgehrcke]

I will report back after trying out npm 6.13.3.

[isaacs]

I am confident this is fixed in 6.13.3. Closing now so we don't forget, but happy to reopen if it turns out it didn't fix this problem.

[jgehrcke]

I will report back after trying out npm 6.13.3.

Indeed fixed things :)