Install a project with a clean slate (npm ci) fails with NPM 7

[fluiddot]

The problem

I'm trying to run npm ci (Install a project with a clean slate) with NPM version 7.5.3 and it's giving the following error:

npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall chmod
npm ERR! path <PROJECT_DIR>/node_modules/appium/build/lib/main.js
npm ERR! errno -2
npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, chmod '<PROJECT_DIR>/node_modules/appium/build/lib/main.js'
npm ERR! enoent This is related to npm not being able to find a file.
npm ERR! enoent 

Project directory has been replaced in the logs with <PROJECT_DIR>.

Environment

• Appium version (or git revision) that exhibits the issue: 1.20.2
• Last Appium version that did not exhibit the issue (if applicable): N/A
• Desktop OS/version used to run Appium: OSX
• Node.js version (unless using Appium.app|exe): v14.15.5
• Npm or Yarn package manager: 7.5.3
• Mobile platform/version under test: N/A
• Real device or emulator/simulator: N/A
• Appium CLI or Appium.app|exe: CLI

Details

It can be reproduced by running the following commands in a project folder:

1. npm install -g npm@7.5.3
2. npm install appium
3. npm ci

After this the following runs of npm install fail with the error described above.

[mykola-mokhnach]

I assume this could be an npm issue. I don't observe anything suspicious in the package config there.

@fluiddot Have you tried to report the issue to NPM itself?

[fluiddot]

Thanks @mykola-mokhnach for checking it!

I assume this could be an npm issue.

Yeah most likely. This issue is very similar to another one that was reported a couple months ago (#14901). Looks like NPM 7 has a bug regarding how the symlinks are created as explained in this comment.

@fluiddot Have you tried to report the issue to NPM itself?

Yeah, it's already reported in this issue in npm/cli repository. I was wondering if there could be a workaround for this meanwhile a fix is released from NPM, similar to what was done previously in #14901.

[mykola-mokhnach]

I assume the workaround would be to downgrade NPM to v6

Closed as third party issue

[fluiddot]

I assume the workaround would be to downgrade NPM to v6

Yes, downgrading to NPM v6 is for now the best option.