Homebrew installed npm can't upgrade itself

[deiga]

Here's the issue on npm https://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues/3794

This should be fixed in the way Homebrew handles npm

[MikeMcQuaid]

This issue isn't helpful; there's basically no information here for how we'd actually fix this.

[thewalkingtoast]

The symlink that Homebrew creates causes a conflict with how npm wants to upgrade itself when an upgrade to npm is availabe:

For instance:

$ brew install node
.....
$ npm update -g
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/npm
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/npm
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/npm/1.3.11
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/npm/1.3.11
npm ERR! error rolling back Error: Refusing to delete: /usr/local/bin/npm not in /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm
npm ERR! error rolling back     at clobberFail (/usr/local/Cellar/node/0.10.18/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/utils/gently-rm.js:41:12)
npm ERR! error rolling back     at next (/usr/local/Cellar/node/0.10.18/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/utils/gently-rm.js:27:14)
npm ERR! error rolling back     at /usr/local/Cellar/node/0.10.18/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/utils/gently-rm.js:36:12
npm ERR! error rolling back     at Object.oncomplete (fs.js:107:15)
npm ERR! error rolling back  [email protected] { [Error: Refusing to delete: /usr/local/bin/npm not in /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm] code: 'EEXIST', path: '/usr/local/bin/npm' }
npm ERR! Refusing to delete: /usr/local/bin/npm not in /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm
File exists: /usr/local/bin/npm
Move it away, and try again.

npm ERR! System Darwin 12.5.0
npm ERR! command "/usr/local/Cellar/node/0.10.18/bin/node" "/usr/local/bin/npm" "update" "-g"
npm ERR! cwd /Users/Adam
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.18
npm ERR! npm -v 1.3.8
npm ERR! path /usr/local/bin/npm
npm ERR! code EEXIST
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR!     /Users/Adam/npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

To fix it, change the formula's symlink to be

/usr/local/bin/npm -> ../lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js

instead of

/usr/local/bin/npm -> ../Cellar/node/<VERSION>/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js

[jacknagel]

This issue is that the way the prepackaged npm is installed by the node build system is fundamentally incompatible with how Homebrew manages its own packages symlinks.

[thewalkingtoast]

Ah I see. That makes sense. No simple solution then besides manually changing the symlink.

[oskarrough]

@aradabaugh could you help manually change the symlink? Not sure how to proceed.

[thewalkingtoast]

@oskarrough Sure. /usr/local/bin/npm should be a symlink to the Cellar version. Remove it and symlink the npm installed npm update:

$ rm /usr/local/bin/npm
$ ln -s /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js /usr/local/bin/npm

[deiga]

@aradabaugh Couldn't those lines just be added to the brew formula for node?

[thewalkingtoast]

Probably not from Homebrew's perspective. As @jacknagel commented, Homebrew likes to manage everything under the Cellar and npm stores it's updates outside that in /usr/local/lib. I suppose npm is just the exception here.

[jacknagel]

I know this is annoying. I want it to just work. But I need to think through potential ramifications before committing to a fix.

[deiga]

Yeah, I just noticed that by symlinking npm then the upgrade of node fails unless --without-npm is specified

[ptrhvns]

Is there any update on this issue? Thanks.

[StevenACoffman]

How about adding a caveat for aradabaugh's workaround?

$ rm /usr/local/bin/npm
$ ln -s /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js /usr/local/bin/npm

[zimme]

How about symlinking /usr/local/bin/npm to /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js and make sure homebrews upgrade of node don't upgrades npm (--without-npm)? I believe the composer package only installs composer and lets composer upgrade it self instead of upgrading via homebrew.

[StevenACoffman]

aradabaugh's workaround still resulted in some error messages when I attempted to update.
I had to brew remove node
brew install node --without-npm
#install npm seperately from brew's node
curl https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
There should be a caveat about this or whatever the preferred solution is.

[janv]

Package managers managing package managers rarely works out well.
See also rubygems on debian.

I recommend using a language specific tool, I switched to installing node through nvm and ruby through rbenv.
Both is pretty straightforward.

[thewalkingtoast]

Something has changed since I posted my workaround; StevenACoffman's
description is accurate of my current situation with this. I haven't had
time to find a new workaround but I like zimme's idea.

On Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 6:00 AM, Jan Varwig [email protected]:

Package managers managing package managers rarely works out well.
See also rubygems on debian.

I recommend using a language specific tool, I switched to installing node
through nvm https://github.com/creationix/nvm and ruby through rbenvhttps://github.com/sstephenson/rbenv
.
Both is pretty straightforward.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/22408#issuecomment-28986117
.

[gabrielstuff]

Yup, I can confirm that homebrew update, and system up to date, this issue still exist and should be open.
This little tricks allowed me to update : https://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues/3794#issuecomment-30338627

npm update -gf

[mgol]

The proposed workaround has stopped working with the newest node. I'm on OS X 10.9.1 with node 0.10.23. After updating to the newest node I can't do npm -g update since I get an error like mentioned in this bug report. However, if I invoke:

$ rm /usr/local/bin/npm
$ ln -s /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js /usr/local/bin/npm

and then do npm -g update, I get this:

npm ERR! error rolling back Error: Refusing to delete: /usr/local/share/man/man1/npm-README.1 not in /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm
npm ERR! error rolling back     at clobberFail (/usr/local/Cellar/node/0.10.23/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/utils/gently-rm.js:41:12)
npm ERR! error rolling back     at next (/usr/local/Cellar/node/0.10.23/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/utils/gently-rm.js:27:14)
npm ERR! error rolling back     at /usr/local/Cellar/node/0.10.23/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/utils/gently-rm.js:36:12
npm ERR! error rolling back     at Object.oncomplete (fs.js:107:15)
npm ERR! error rolling back  [email protected] { [Error: Refusing to delete: /usr/local/share/man/man1/npm-README.1 not in /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm]
npm ERR! error rolling back   code: 'EEXIST',
npm ERR! error rolling back   path: '/usr/local/share/man/man1/npm-README.1' }
npm ERR! Refusing to delete: /usr/local/share/man/man1/npm-README.1 not in /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm
File exists: /usr/local/share/man/man1/npm-README.1
Move it away, and try again. 

So for now I'm unable to do npm -g update with node from Homebrew.

[mgol]

For now I'm using the following script to update all global packages except npm. I'd love to update npm too, though.

npm -g list --depth 0 | grep -v "^/" | cut -f2 -d" " | cut -f1 -d@ | grep -v "^npm$" | xargs npm -g update

[chulkilee]

Once all files for npm package are symlinks from node module, it can be updated.

#!/bin/bash

for man in 1 3 5 7; do
  ln -sf /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/man/man${man}/* /usr/local/share/man/man${man}
done

ln -sf /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js /usr/local/bin/npm

npm update npm -g

It may be better to do the symlink fix at homebrew formula.

[mgol]

@chulkilee Thanks for the script, it works. :)

[janraasch]

@chulkilee saved my day. Thanks.

[trippingtarballs]

+1 @chulkilee -- Thanks for the script. Spent ages trying to sort this.

[jarrodldavis]

I'm not sure about others, but the script from @chulkilee broke my install. I kept getting Error: Cannot find module 'editor'. I had to uninstall and reinstall it, then patch things up with brew doctor.

[gmaghera]

I've just run into this issue myself. It baffles that this issue was closed to due there not being any information on how to fix this issue, @MikeMcQuaid. Isn't it sufficient to describe symptoms and steps to reproduce when opening an issue? Please fix this, if possible.

[MikeMcQuaid]

As @jacknagel said already:

This issue is that the way the prepackaged npm is installed by the node build system is fundamentally incompatible with how Homebrew manages its own packages symlinks.

The above needs to be fixed by upstream or someone knowledgable enough to make a pull request.

[jacknagel]

To provide a little more detail, the way npm determines what files belong to a package and resolves symlinks seems to get confused by the symlink Homebrew makes from /usr/local/bin/npm to /usr/local/Cellar/node/<version>/bin/npm (a similar thing happens to the npm man pages). If that can be overcome then we can make this work.

[moeffju]

I second @janv’s suggestion of just using nvm – which you can, in turn, install via homebrew.

brew install nvm
nvm install 0.11

and you’re done.

[mgol]

@jarrodldavis I restorted to:

1. First installing node normally: brew install node
2. Then running the script by @chulkilee.
3. Finally, setting up an alias:

alias brewuu='brew update && {brew upgrade node --without-npm; brew upgrade}'

In this way, node doesn't update npm with itself so it doesn't cause these conflicts. When I want to update npm, I just do npm -g update and update it along with other packages. Works fine so far.

[deiga]

I definitely support @moeffju suggestion, handling package managers with package managers has always been tricky, nvm is a clean and handy solution

[karol-f]

@chulkilee thanks!

[ijy]

Just to close off this issue, as of 02 April 2014 npm is now installed using a tarball so it is installed by Homebrew when installing Node.js but it is free to manage and upgrade itself. None of the above workarounds should be necessary.

You just need brew install node and you're done.

[jpdevries]

thanks @chulkilee this worked for me too #22408 (comment)