npm ERR! code EACCES — Cache and Prefix Permission Wars

npm tried to write ~/.npm or a global prefix it doesn't own — usually after running npm once with sudo. The fix is ownership, not more sudo.

What you'll see

Root causes

Root-owned cache from past sudo usage

sudo npm install once and parts of ~/.npm (or the global prefix) become root's. Every later non-sudo npm run trips over them. ls -la ~/.npm shows the ownership takeover.

Global prefix points at a system directory

npm prefix -g defaults to /usr/lib on some distros — a root-owned tree. Install globals to your own directory instead of fighting it with sudo.

Fix it

  1. Reclaim your cache and config dirs
    sudo chown -R $(whoami):$(id -gn) ~/.npm ~/.config 2>/dev/null
  2. Point the global prefix somewhere you own
    mkdir -p ~/.npm-global && npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global' && echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
  3. Clean any corrupted state left behind
    npm cache clean --force 2>/dev/null || sudo npm cache clean --force
  4. Never sudo again — verify with a global install
    npm install -g typescript && which tsc

Field note

Never sudo npm install (any flavor): it solves today's EACCES by creating tomorrow's. Fix ownership once, configure prefix once. nvm sidesteps the entire class of problem — everything lives under your own home dir.

Common questions

Why did sudo npm break my normal npm?

Root ran as you but wrote files as root: cache entries, lock files, and global packages became root-owned. Your next unprivileged run hits EACCES on exactly those paths.

What if I need a global package available to all users on the server?

Set the global prefix to a shared root-owned location deliberately, install via sudo npm install -g with your eyes open — or better, run the tool via its docker image. But for single-user servers, the home-dir prefix is the clean path.

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