[BUG] Cannot set properties of null (setting 'peer')

[dderjoel]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

I am getting the error:

46 verbose stack TypeError: Cannot set properties of null (setting 'peer')
46 verbose stack     at visit (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/calc-dep-flags.js:101:54)
46 verbose stack     at visitNode (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/treeverse/lib/depth-descent.js:58:25)
46 verbose stack     at next (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/treeverse/lib/depth-descent.js:44:19)
46 verbose stack     at depth (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/treeverse/lib/depth-descent.js:83:10)
46 verbose stack     at depth (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/treeverse/lib/depth.js:27:12)
46 verbose stack     at unsetFlag (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/calc-dep-flags.js:96:5)
46 verbose stack     at /usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/calc-dep-flags.js:63:7
46 verbose stack     at Map.forEach (<anonymous>)
46 verbose stack     at calcDepFlagsStep (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/calc-dep-flags.js:41:17)
46 verbose stack     at visit (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/calc-dep-flags.js:12:20)

I've then checked /usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/calc-dep-flags.js:101:54) and added a console.error({node}); to line 101, to get more insight. It seems like target is null, I've put the last three nodes below.

I've created a mwe here. To reproduce, execute npm i and then try to install npm i measuresuite@latest again. It works well for the first install and any subsequent install, iff node_modules are deleted beforehand.
I am the maintainer of measuresuite, which is a C-library with a gyp file. The native code it build into ./build/Release/measuresuite which I am trying to reference from measuresuite-native-module. c.f. package.json:47

Possibly it is not an issue with npmcli (although it seems related like here), but with how I am packaging measuresuite, but I could not find any better documentation of how to package a native module. (and it used to work fine just like that).
I'm more than happy to provide more information or data if needed, but I am lost and don't know where to debug / which data is needed.

Last three nodes:

{
  node: ArboristLink {
    name: 'measuresuite-native-module',
    location: 'node_modules/measuresuite-native-module',
    path: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite-native-module',
    realpath: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
    resolved: 'file:measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
    optional: true,
    errors: [ [Object] ],
    edgesIn: Set(1) {
      { node_modules/measuresuite prod measuresuite-native-module@file:./build/Release/measuresuite.node }
    },
    target: ArboristNode {
      name: 'measuresuite.node',
      location: 'node_modules/measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
      path: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
      dev: true,
      optional: true,
      errors: [Array]
    }
  }
}
{
  node: ArboristLink {
    name: 'measuresuite-native-module',
    location: 'node_modules/measuresuite-native-module',
    path: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite-native-module',
    realpath: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
    resolved: 'file:measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
    errors: [ [Object] ],
    edgesIn: Set(1) {
      { node_modules/measuresuite prod measuresuite-native-module@file:./build/Release/measuresuite.node }
    },
    target: ArboristNode {
      name: 'measuresuite.node',
      location: 'node_modules/measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
      path: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
      optional: true,
      errors: [Array]
    }
  }
}
{⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂⠂) ⠼ idealTree: timing arborist:ctor Completed in 1ms
  node: ArboristLink {
    name: 'measuresuite-native-module',
    packageName: 'measuresuite.node',
    location: 'node_modules/measuresuite-native-module',
    path: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite-native-module',
    realpath: '/home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite/node_modules/measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
    resolved: 'file:measuresuite/build/Release/measuresuite.node',
    dev: true,
    optional: true,
    edgesIn: Set(1) {
      { node_modules/measuresuite prod measuresuite-native-module@file:./build/Release/measuresuite.node }
    },
    target: null
  }
}

Expected Behavior

That npm i measuresuite@latest does not fail.

Steps To Reproduce

git clone https://github.com/dderjoel/mwe-measuresuite.git
cd mwe-measuresuite
npm i
npm i measuresuite@latest

Environment

• npm: 9.8.0
• Node.js: v20.3.1
• OS Name: ArchLinux: (uname -a: Linux arch4 6.3.9-arch1-1 archive: committable offline dependency archive #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Wed, 21 Jun 2023 20:46:20 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux)
• System Model Name: Lenovo T490
• npm config: npm config ls:

; "user" config from /home/joel/.npmrc

//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken = (protected) 

; node bin location = /usr/bin/node
; node version = v20.3.1
; npm local prefix = /home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite
; npm version = 9.7.2
; cwd = /home/joel/dev/6mwe/mwe-measuresuite
; HOME = /home/joel

npm config ls -l:

; "default" config from default values

_auth = (protected) 
access = null 
all = false 
allow-same-version = false 
also = null 
audit = true 
audit-level = null 
auth-type = "web" 
before = null 
bin-links = true 
browser = null 
ca = null 
cache = "/home/joel/.npm" 
cache-max = null 
cache-min = 0 
cafile = null 
call = "" 
cert = null 
ci-name = null 
cidr = null 
color = true 
commit-hooks = true 
depth = null 
description = true 
dev = false 
diff = [] 
diff-dst-prefix = "b/" 
diff-ignore-all-space = false 
diff-name-only = false 
diff-no-prefix = false 
diff-src-prefix = "a/" 
diff-text = false 
diff-unified = 3 
dry-run = false 
editor = "nvim" 
engine-strict = false 
fetch-retries = 2 
fetch-retry-factor = 10 
fetch-retry-maxtimeout = 60000 
fetch-retry-mintimeout = 10000 
fetch-timeout = 300000 
force = false 
foreground-scripts = false 
format-package-lock = true 
fund = true 
git = "git" 
git-tag-version = true 
global = false 
global-style = false 
globalconfig = "/usr/etc/npmrc" 
heading = "npm" 
https-proxy = null 
if-present = false 
ignore-scripts = false 
include = [] 
include-staged = false 
include-workspace-root = false 
init-author-email = "" 
init-author-name = "" 
init-author-url = "" 
init-license = "ISC" 
init-module = "/home/joel/.npm-init.js" 
init-version = "1.0.0" 
init.author.email = "" 
init.author.name = "" 
init.author.url = "" 
init.license = "ISC" 
init.module = "/home/joel/.npm-init.js" 
init.version = "1.0.0" 
install-links = false 
install-strategy = "hoisted" 
json = false 
key = null 
legacy-bundling = false 
legacy-peer-deps = false 
link = false 
local-address = null 
location = "user" 
lockfile-version = null 
loglevel = "notice" 
logs-dir = null 
logs-max = 10 
; long = false ; overridden by cli
maxsockets = 15 
message = "%s" 
metrics-registry = "https://registry.npmjs.org/" 
node-options = null 
noproxy = [""] 
npm-version = "9.7.2" 
offline = false 
omit = [] 
omit-lockfile-registry-resolved = false 
only = null 
optional = null 
otp = null 
pack-destination = "." 
package = [] 
package-lock = true 
package-lock-only = false 
parseable = false 
prefer-dedupe = false 
prefer-offline = false 
prefer-online = false 
prefix = "/usr" 
preid = "" 
production = null 
progress = true 
provenance = false 
provenance-file = null 
proxy = null 
read-only = false 
rebuild-bundle = true 
registry = "https://registry.npmjs.org/" 
replace-registry-host = "npmjs" 
save = true 
save-bundle = false 
save-dev = false 
save-exact = false 
save-optional = false 
save-peer = false 
save-prefix = "^" 
save-prod = false 
scope = "" 
script-shell = null 
searchexclude = "" 
searchlimit = 20 
searchopts = "" 
searchstaleness = 900 
shell = "/bin/zsh" 
shrinkwrap = true 
sign-git-commit = false 
sign-git-tag = false 
strict-peer-deps = false 
strict-ssl = true 
tag = "latest" 
tag-version-prefix = "v" 
timing = false 
tmp = "/tmp" 
umask = 0 
unicode = true 
update-notifier = true 
usage = false 
user-agent = "npm/{npm-version} node/{node-version} {platform} {arch} workspaces/{workspaces} {ci}" 
userconfig = "/home/joel/.npmrc" 
version = false 
versions = false 
viewer = "man" 
which = null 
workspace = [] 
workspaces = null 
workspaces-update = true 
yes = null 

; "user" config from /home/joel/.npmrc

//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken = (protected) 

; "cli" config from command line options

long = true

[hschulz]

I just encountered this problem and would like to add some information for my personal workaround.

My project has some private scoped packages as dependencies that I have published on GitHub.
When I now use either npm link or local paths in the package.json and I do an npm update and/or npm install I encounter the npm ERR! Cannot set properties of null (setting 'peer') error.

After some time I discovered that I can prevent the error when I remove the .npmrc config for the org scope which was part of the recommended configuration from the GitHub documentation on private packages.

@<myorg>:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com/

When I remove that line I can use npm link or file paths fine; although I had to link all scoped dependencies at the same time.

[cascornelissen]

That's an interesting detail @hschulz, our situation is exactly the same with a scope for our company-specific packages defined in .npmrc to ensure these are fetched from an internal Artifactory registry.

Great find! I hope it helps whoever will debug this 😅

[douglasg14b]

One would think there should be an assertion here that prints a more helpful error message :/

Been struggling with this for a while.