npm-cli

name	npm-cli
description	Reference and index of documentation pages for npm CLI commands and configurations. You MUST load this skill when interacting with the npm CLI or asking about npm configuration, package.json, or npm scripts.
license	MIT

Skill: npm-cli

WHEN TO USE

• When needing documentation or usage instructions for specific npm commands (e.g., npm install, npm exec, npm ci).
• When dealing with npm configuration files like .npmrc, package.json, or package-lock.json.
• When understanding npm concepts such as workspaces, scopes, and dependency selectors.

WHEN NOT TO USE

• When managing alternative package managers like yarn or pnpm.
• When writing general JavaScript/TypeScript code that does not interact with npm packages or scripts.

Common Pitfalls

• Lockfile drift: Running npm install instead of npm ci in CI environments can produce different dependency trees than committed in package-lock.json. Always use npm ci in CI for reproducible installs.
• Registry auth leakage: Storing authentication tokens in .npmrc files that are committed to the repository can expose credentials. Use npm token with environment variables or .npmrc entries scoped per-registry.
• Unsafe lifecycle scripts: postinstall and preinstall scripts in dependencies execute arbitrary code. Use npm install --ignore-scripts when installing untrusted packages, then selectively run scripts for trusted dependencies.
• Missing engine checks: Relying on engines field in package.json without also setting engine-strict=true in .npmrc means npm will only warn (not fail) on version mismatches.

References

The following pages are mapped from the official npm CLI documentation (v11.15.0), with a small set of troubleshooting links sourced from the npm documentation repo (which tracks main). Use an available web fetching tool to read the raw markdown contents for deep insights into each command and concept. To fully utilize this skill, you MUST read at least one of the links relevant to the current context:

CLI Commands

• npm: JavaScript package manager
• npm access: Set access level on published packages
• npm adduser: Add a registry user account
• npm audit: Run a security audit
• npm bugs: Report bugs for a package in a web browser
• npm cache: Manipulates the package cache
• npm ci: Clean install a project
• npm completion: Tab Completion for npm
• npm config: Manage the npm configuration files
• npm dedupe: Reduce duplication in the package tree
• npm deprecate: Deprecate a version of a package
• npm diff: The registry diff command
• npm dist-tag: Modify package distribution tags
• npm docs: Open documentation for a package in a web browser
• npm doctor: Check the health of your npm environment

Configuring npm

• Install: Download and install node and npm
• Folders: Folder structures used by npm
• .npmrc: The npm config files
• npm-shrinkwrap.json: A publishable lockfile
• package.json: Specifics of npm's package.json handling
• package-lock.json: A manifestation of the manifest

Using npm

• Registry: The JavaScript Package Registry
• Package spec: Package name specifier
• Config: About npm configuration
• Logging: Why, What & How we Log
• Scope: Scoped packages
• Scripts: How npm handles the "scripts" field
• Workspaces: Working with workspaces
• Organizations: Working with teams & organizations
• Dependency Selectors: Dependency Selector Syntax & Querying
• Developers: Developer guide
• Removal: Cleaning the slate

Troubleshooting

• Common Errors: common-errors.mdx
• Generating and Locating npm Debug Log Files: generating-and-locating-npm-debug.log-files.mdx
• Try the Latest Stable Version of Node: try-the-latest-stable-version-of-node.mdx
• Try the Latest Stable Version of npm: try-the-latest-stable-version-of-npm.mdx