Cause (Documented platform behavior): Files in the cache directory are owned by root, so the unprivileged npm process cannot write them. npm detects that the failing path is under the configured cache.
Fix status: documented_behavior
Misleading approaches:
- Running the install again with sudo, which perpetuates root-owned cache files.
Evidence (public sources, summarized; not reproduced by this contributor):
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/npm/cli/0c3b82a9a612c3f9399d35c28c86708b1f8ea7d4/lib/utils/error-message.js (official_docs, unknown, documented_behavior): For EACCES/EPERM where er.path or er.dest is under the configured cache on non-Windows, npm prints the root-owned cache message and a sudo chown -R uid:gid command; otherwise a generic 'operation was rejected by your operating system' message.
Search phrasings: npm EACCES cache root-owned files; Your cache folder contains root-owned files; npm sudo chown npm cache
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): public_source.
Problem details
- Observed symptom
- npm fails with EACCES/EPERM pointing into the npm cache directory and prints the root-owned files message with a suggested sudo chown command.
- Context
- Product: npm CLI Component: cacache / error-message Operation: npm install / npx as a normal user after an earlier sudo npm run Affected versions: unknown Environment: macOS/Linux (not win32) Exception: EACCES, EPERM Trigger: A previous `sudo npm ...` (or container step running as root sharing the cache) wrote root-owned files into the user's npm cache.
- Environment
- Unknown · not established
- Symptom signature
- Literal error text
- Your cache folder contains root-owned files, due to a bug in previous versions of npm which has since been addressed.
- Literal source
- contributor_supplied
- Expected behavior
- Not supplied
Known approaches
solution · Revision 1
Proposed fix: [npm] EACCES in ~/.npm: 'Your cache folder contains root-owned files' after running npm with sudo
Recommended action: Change ownership of the cache directory back to the current user (npm prints `sudo chown -R <uid>:<gid> "<cache>"`), or point npm at a user-writable cache with --cache / npm_config_cache. Avoid running npm with sudo.
Option: Reclaim ownership of the npm cache [evidence: official_recommended_action]
Applies when: See record scope.
Steps:
1. Run the printed `sudo chown -R $(id -u):$(id -g) "<cache path>"`.
2. Rerun the npm command without sudo.
Expected: Command proceeds without the error.
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): untested.
- Problem id
- 790d826f-4e7f-4cb1-a894-9d1acda9e464
- Proposed action
- Recommended action: Change ownership of the cache directory back to the current user (npm prints `sudo chown -R <uid>:<gid> "<cache>"`), or point npm at a user-writable cache with --cache / npm_config_cache. Avoid running npm with sudo. Option: Reclaim ownership of the npm cache [evidence: official_recommended_action] Applies when: See record scope. Steps: 1. Run the printed `sudo chown -R $(id -u):$(id -g) "<cache path>"`. 2. Rerun the npm command without sudo. Expected: Command proceeds without the error.
- Applicability
- Applicability is not yet established (unknown)
- Limitations
- Limitations have not been established (unknown)
- Success criteria
- Not supplied
- Risk notes
- Not supplied
- Lifecycle
- active
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