`npm config` fails in workspaces

[jeffrson]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• [x] I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• [X] I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

Since npm@9.3.0 calling npm config list or npm config get registry inside a workspace of a worktree results in an error:

❯ npm config list
npm ERR! code ENOWORKSPACES
npm ERR! This command does not support workspaces.

Here's part of the log:

28 timing npm:load:logFile Completed in 12ms
29 timing npm:load:timers Completed in 0ms
30 timing npm:load:configScope Completed in 0ms
31 timing npm:load Completed in 46ms
32 timing command:config Completed in 1ms
33 verbose stack Error: This command does not support workspaces.
33 verbose stack     at Config.cmdExec (...\node_modules\npm\lib\base-command.js:123:29)
33 verbose stack     at Npm.exec (...\node_modules\npm\lib\npm.js:154:20)
33 verbose stack     at async module.exports (...\node_modules\npm\lib\cli.js:134:5)

It used to work in 9.2.0.

Expected Behavior

Well, show (and use!) all configs.

Steps To Reproduce

Build a worktree with packages. .npmrc in root. In a package call npm config list.

Environment

• npm: 9.4.0
• Node.js: 18.13.0
• OS Name: Windows 10
• System Model Name:
• npm config:

  ; copy and paste output from `npm config ls` here

[anilkeshav27]

npm config get registry also causes the same error , in the node:lts-buster docker image with npm version 9.3.1

[niteshagrawalgmail]

+1 . We are using node:lts-buster for our builds and are facing same issue.

[ferferga]

This also breaks all the workflows that use actions/setup-node where workspaces are involved and cache is enabled, like this one (source)

[john-landgrave]

Just ran into this on a fresh install on a new machine. npm config set <...> fails with the following:

npm ERR! code ENOWORKSPACES
npm ERR! This command does not support workspaces.

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     /home/johnl/.npm/_logs/2023-03-20T21_34_37_668Z-debug-0.log

It looks like a workaround is to go down to 0.9.2? Considering that npm workspaces is what our app uses as it's "monorepo framework" I don't suppose I have a whole lot of choice there. Is this intentional, or this is a bug of some sort?

FWIW, I did also try cding up into the particular package and running the commands directly from there (no -w involved in the command anywhere) and it still failed with the same error I presume because it can tell that it is still in a workspace.

[kongmoumou]

When will this bug be fixed?

[vritant24]

+1 we're also facing failures in our pipeline after upgrading from node 16 -> 18 due to this issue

[davidstenstroem]

I also ran into this issue today. Using Node.js v18.17.0 and NPM v10.2.5 and v9.6.7

[prodkt]

Running into this issue across multiple environments in office and remote the last 48 hours.

[darcyclarke]

npm config is a bit of a special case since I'm fairly certain the npm team don't want to let users accidentally create local .npmrc files inside workspace directories (because they aren't supported/respected & could end up causing other issues for your project). Thus, failing within a workspace helps prevent that.

That said, if you really want to manage the config of your project from within a workspace, you can by passing --workspaces=false & --include-workspace-root (-ws=false & -iwr are shorthands for these options).

Minimum working reproduction:

npm init -y -iwr -w=a && cd ./a && npm config get registry -ws=false -iwr

And in the case of the original issue:

npm config list -ws=false -iwr # OR
npm config get registry -ws=false -iwr # will work...

If, for some reason, you are trying to create/manage nested .npmrc files in your workspaces, you'll have to get a bit tricky & use npm exec. Example:

npm exec -c 'npm config get registry -ws=false' -ws # OR whatever explicit workspace you want

With the above, you'll still want to include/exclude the root (ie. -iwr) if you're trying to manage both the workspace configs & the root's.

[jfly]

you can by passing --workspace=false & --include-workspace-root (-ws=false & -iwr are shorthands for these options).

Since this tripped me up: it's --workspaces=false (plural).

edit: Just so there's a simple answer that people can actually copy paste, the following commands work for me inside of a npm workspace. Do read @darcyclarke's original post for a more nuanced answer, though.

$ npm config get --workspaces=false --include-workspace-root
$ npm config get -ws=false -iwr

[ThePlenkov]

Seriously? Is it a problem to read the config from workspace? Why is not still fixed?

[davidcoleman007]

That said, if you really want to manage the config of your project from within a workspace, you can by passing --workspaces=false & --include-workspace-root (-ws=false & -iwr are shorthands for these options).

@darcyclarke we have a scenario where we have a common ci script that uses npm config and this ci job handles many repos. Until today none of them were a workspace project, so there was no issue.

is there some way at the cli i can ask npm if a project IS a workspace project in a bash script so i can use your approach only IF it is one? I've done some light google-ing and cant figure it out.