NPM install gulp --save-dev error

Question

I'm trying to get set up on a project with Gulp.js when I run the command:

npm install gulp --save-dev

I get the errors:

npm WARN package.json [email protected] No repository field.
npm WARN package.json [email protected] No README data
npm WARN package.json [email protected] No README data
npm ERR! Error: EACCES, chown '/path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json'
npm ERR! at Error (native)
npm ERR! { [Error: EACCES, chown '/path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json']
npm ERR! stack: 'Error: EACCES, chown \'/path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json\'\n at Error (native)',
npm ERR! errno: -13,
npm ERR! code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR! path: '/path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json',
npm ERR! fstream_finish_call: 'chown',
npm ERR! fstream_type: 'File',
npm ERR! fstream_path: '/path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json',
npm ERR! fstream_class: 'FileWriter',
npm ERR! fstream_stack:
npm ERR! [ '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/fstream/lib/writer.js:308:19',
npm ERR! '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/graceful-fs/polyfills.js:143:7',
npm ERR! 'Object.oncomplete (evalmachine.<anonymous>:93:15)' ] }
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Please try running this command again as root/Administrator.
npm ERR! System Linux 3.0.0-12-generic-pae
npm ERR! command "node" "/usr/local/bin/npm" "install" "gulp" "--save-dev"
npm ERR! cwd /path/to/dir/htdocs
npm ERR! node -v v0.13.0-pre
npm ERR! npm -v 1.4.26
npm ERR! path /path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json
npm ERR! fstream_path /path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json
npm ERR! fstream_type File
npm ERR! fstream_class FileWriter
npm ERR! fstream_finish_call chown
npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! errno -13
npm ERR! stack Error: EACCES, chown '/path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/gulp/package.json'
npm ERR! stack at Error (native)
npm ERR! fstream_stack /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/fstream/lib/writer.js:308:19
npm ERR! fstream_stack /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/graceful-fs/polyfills.js:143:7
npm ERR! fstream_stack Object.oncomplete (evalmachine.<anonymous>:93:15)
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR! /path/to/dir/htdocs/npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

Here is my package.json file

{
 "name": "htdocs",
 "version": "0.0.0",
 "description": "",
 "main": "gulpfile.js",
 "dependencies": {
 "gulp": "^3.8.8",
 "gulp-uglify": "1.0.1"
 },
 "devDependencies": {
 "gulp": "^3.8.8",
 "gulp-uglify": "1.0.1"
 },
 "scripts": {
 "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
 },
 "author": "",
 "license": "ISC"
}

I found a few people with similar issues online and the fixes suggested running the command:

sudo chown -R whoami ~/.npm But this has not solved the issue in my case.

Does anyone have an idea what the cause of this could be and a solution?

Answer 1

I had the same issue on OSX, I fixed it executing:

sudo chown -R $USER:$GROUP ~/.npm

and:

npm cache clean

Then I could install the package with --save-dev in the project.

Source: https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/5869

Answer 2

npm must be able to write into the path /path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/, where (your) node writes its modules.

You have two frequently-used options to fix these permissions:

• Install one gulp for everyone

  sudo npm install -g gulp
  

• Save gulp for project

  (sudo if necessary) chmod u+rw /path/to/dir/htdocs/node_modules/
  npm install gulp --save-dev
  

  You may also need to fix permissions for parent directories.

If anyone else has a better idea, please also let me know.

Answer 3

running npm install npm@latest -g and updating to the latest version solved the issue for me :)