npm WARN checkPermissions Missing write access to /usr/local/lib/node_modules

Question

Note: Due to security concerns, please don't use the marked solution but instead the highest voted one!

original question:

I am trying to install monaca with this command.

npm install -g monaca

But right after getting these errors:

npm WARN checkPermissions Missing write access to /usr/local/lib/node_modules 
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules
npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! errno -13
npm ERR! syscall access
npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, access '/usr/local/lib/node_modules'
npm ERR!  { Error: EACCES: permission denied, access '/usr/local/lib/node_modules'
npm ERR!   stack: 'Error: EACCES: permission denied, access \'/usr/local/lib/node_modules\'',
npm ERR!   errno: -13, npm ERR!   code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR!   syscall: 'access',
npm ERR!   path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules' }

Any idea how to solve this problem? Thank you

See [what the **npm** docs have to say about this](https://docs.npmjs.com/resolving-eacces-permissions-errors-when-installing-packages-globally). — djvg, Sep 23 '21 at 08:24

score 106 · Answer 1 · edited Jan 13 '19 at 18:39

106

add following lines to ~/.bashrc after installing npm:

npm set prefix ~/.npm
PATH="$HOME/.npm/bin:$PATH"
PATH="./node_modules/.bin:$PATH"

Execute following line after changes:

source ~/.bashrc

and as mentioned by @contemplator avoid using sudo

edited Jan 13 '19 at 18:39

Dmitriy Fialkovskiy

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answered Jan 13 '19 at 16:04

Shivam ashtikar

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**NOTE: Do not use `sudo`** If using [Zsh](https://ohmyz.sh/) add the lines above to `~/.zshrc` after installing npm. Execute following line after changes: `source ~/.zshrc` – Corey Coto Sep 18 '19 at 02:16
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The more zshrc-like way of doing this is `npm set prefix ~/.npm; path+=$HOME/.npm/bin; path+=./node_modules/.bin` (using path+= rather than appending the existing path to each line like in bash) – shacker Dec 30 '19 at 21:54
1

what about [fish](https://fishshell.com/)? – Tim4497 Mar 31 '22 at 12:01

score 5 · Answer 2 · edited Feb 09 '21 at 05:26

5

This command will change the owner (chown) recursively (-R) for the current user in the specified directory

sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local/lib/node_modules

edited Feb 09 '21 at 05:26

Richard Hulse

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answered Feb 09 '21 at 02:45

barmalej

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If you added an explanation to your answer, the answer would be greatly improved – Rachel Gallen Feb 09 '21 at 03:48

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 05 '21 at 08:19

3

To all the warnings telling not to use sudo above, I'd add the following solution that worked pretty well for me while installing n, node version manager

sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local/lib/node_modules

This was taken from here: https://poopcode.com/missing-write-access-to-usr-local-lib-node-modules/

PS: for my specific use-case I also needed to run this one afterwards

sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local/bin/

answered Jul 05 '21 at 08:19

kissu

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It seems odd that the preferred way to fix this is to make a subpath of /usr not be owned by root. Does npm not have an equivalent of pip's `--user` flag? – tsbertalan Apr 21 '22 at 15:38
Actually, it does have such a mechanism--something like `npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'`. See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33725639/npm-install-g-less-does-not-work-eacces-permission-denied/40905762#40905762 – tsbertalan Apr 21 '22 at 15:41

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 28 '19 at 15:37

Well, I used --save-dev and installed it not globally or using -g, the main problem occurs while you want it to write on default node_modules folder.

It solved my problem after 4 hours of checking multiple issues.

I even suggest you to use the npm init and make a package.json for a better dependency checking and then run npm install afterward. this video helps you for this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTsz09zRuTU

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Apr 02 '21 at 11:37

Please dont use sudo.

I don't know the context of your environment, but I got the error on a server where Plesk was running.

Maybe the following command will help (via SSH) to check the permissions:

plesk repair fs example.com.

Manual: https://docs.plesk.com/en-US/12.5/administrator-guide/plesk-administration/plesk-repair-utility/plesk-repair-utility-file-system.74668/

In my case the node_modules folder was copied via FTP and therefore it had the wrong corrections. If necessary, you can remove this and install it via Plesk using the Npm installation button.

Info: The button only appears if the document contains a package.json with information.

Joel · Answer 6 · 2021-03-10T10:02:13.477

-5

it is very simple you can use

sudo npm install -g kazam

or

su -

then

npm install -g kazam

explenation

su -

makes you as root ,who have permission to read , write and delete in all users click here for the screen shot showing the error and the solution in the update of npm

this is for ubuntu i don't know is it work for other os

edited Mar 10 '21 at 10:02

answered Sep 15 '20 at 08:51

Joel

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score -19 · Accepted Answer · edited Jul 31 '19 at 10:29

-19

An inadvisable way to fix the issue would be to use sudo:

sudo npm install -g monaca

However it would be better to find a way around this without using sudo.

npm install -g less does not work

edited Jul 31 '19 at 10:29

Jon Winstanley

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answered Oct 25 '18 at 01:26

firefly

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please give a full fledged permission based final fix not just sudo things – Shadab K Mar 07 '19 at 08:08
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don't use `sudo` with `npm`, [try this](https://stackoverflow.com/a/40905762/6282576) – Amir Shabani Jul 19 '19 at 22:27
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You literally just said it was inadvisable - so don't be part of the problem and give that advice. – 1owk3y Sep 26 '19 at 04:42
this will ofcourse work for once but npm will not work as it should be – Hemant Maurya Nov 25 '21 at 11:03
okay, okay. I got it. please don't click the unvote anymore. as you see I am already dead. so you can't kill more then this right, right? – firefly Apr 01 '22 at 06:18

npm WARN checkPermissions Missing write access to /usr/local/lib/node_modules

Note: Due to security concerns, please don't use the marked solution but instead the highest voted one!

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