node.js - npm install errors with Error: ENOENT, chmod

Question

I am trying to globally install an npm module I just published. Every time I try to install, either from npm or the folder, I get this error.

npm ERR! Error: ENOENT, chmod '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/takeapeek/lib/cmd.js'
npm ERR! If you need help, you may report this log at:
npm ERR!     <http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues>
npm ERR! or email it to:
npm ERR!     <[email protected]>

npm ERR! System Linux 3.8.0-19-generic
npm ERR! command "node" "/usr/local/bin/npm" "install" "-g" "takeapeek"
npm ERR! cwd /home/giodamlio
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.6
npm ERR! npm -v 1.3.6
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules/takeapeek/lib/cmd.js
npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! errno 34
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR!     /home/giodamlio/npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

I am using sudo and I have triple checked everything in the package everything should work. I did some searching around, and saw a couple of similer cases none of which have been resolved. Here is what I tried.

• Upgrade npm (sudo npm install -g npm)
• Clear the global npm cache (sudo npm cache clear)
• Clear the user npm cache (npm cache clear)

I noticed that the error had to do with the file I am linking to the path, specifically when npm tried to do a chmod. That shouldn't be a problem, my lib/cli.js has normal permissions, and npm has superuser permissions during this install.

After digging through the npm docs I found an option that would stop npm from making the bin links(--no-bin-links), when I tried the install with it, it worked fine.

So what's the deal? Is this some weird fringe case bug that has no solution yet?

Edit: For reference, here is the module I uploaded

Answer 1

Ok it looks like NPM is using your .gitignore as a base for the .npmignore file, and thus ignores /lib. If you add a blank .npmignore file into the root of your application, everything should work.

A better, more explicit approach is to use an allow-list rather than a disallow-list, and use the "files" field in package.json to specify the files in your package.

[edit] - more info on this behaviour here: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/using-npm/developers#keeping-files-out-of-your-package