[BUG] --install-strategy=linked doesn't link all dependencies

[andrewalderson]

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

Repo

Using the repo linked above, when I install node modules using --install-strategy=linked not all dependencies are linked. In particular the @angular/cli package has a dependency on @angular-devkit/architect but it is not linked.
Running a build produces the following error.

NX Cannot find module '@angular-devkit/architect'

Expected Behavior

I expect all dependencies to be linked.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Using this repo
2. With the existing .npmrc
3. Run the npm start script
4. See error. NX Cannot find module '@angular-devkit/architect'

Environment

• npm: 11.12.0
• Node.js: 24.11.1
• OS Name: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
• System Model Name: Github Codespaces
• npm config:

; "project" config from /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/.npmrc

install-strategy = "linked"

; node bin location = /usr/local/share/nvm/versions/node/v24.11.1/bin/node
; node version = v24.11.1
; npm local prefix = /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug
; npm version = 11.12.0
; cwd = /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug
; HOME = /home/codespace
; Run `npm config ls -l` to show all defaults.

[manzoorwanijk]

This is not a bug; it is the expected behavior of the isolated mode (--install-strategy=linked). @angular-devkit/architect is not listed as a dependency in your repro, thus it is not available.

Previously, there were many bugs, and it used to work, but we recently fixed most of those bugs, and the isolated mode now works as expected.

[andrewalderson]

Sorry, I was a little confused on this. When I first discovered this setting I expected that it would work the same way pnpm installs packages but with the package store being local to the project node_modules. I tried pnpm to install the packages and it also does not link the @angular-devkit/architect package but with pnpm everything works (this npm start script doesn't produce an error).

[manzoorwanijk]

but with pnpm everything works

I would not expect pnpm to be any different than npm with install-strategy=linked

[andrewalderson]

yes, I would not 'expect' it to be any different either, but it is. Perhaps there is a bug that needs investigating.

[bricss]

Something went wrong 💀 with install-strategy=linked in the latest few versions 🔢 of npm, and I'm seeing 👀 plenty errors 🚨 like this:

# npm resolution error report

While resolving: @eslint-community/eslint-utils@4.9.1
Found: dev knip@"^5.33.3" from the root project

Could not resolve dependency:
dev knip@"^5.33.3" from the root project

Fix the upstream dependency conflict, or retry this command with --force or --legacy-peer-deps to accept an incorrect (and potentially broken) dependency resolution.

Which is causing packages 📦 not being installed or updated ❌🚚

[manzoorwanijk]

Something went wrong 💀 with install-strategy=linked in the latest few versions 🔢 of npm, and I'm seeing 👀 plenty errors 🚨 like this:

Can you please provide a minimal repro? May be in a repo or something?

[bricss]

You can pull any repo from my profile that has .npmrc in it, run npm install then run npm update --save. Installation kinda shoulda go well, but afterward some packages will end up missing aka not linked in node_modules directory, at all ⛓️‍💥
I was able to update packages to semver majors only after removing .npmrc files 🚮

P.S.: I'm on Windows 🪟 11

[manzoorwanijk]

yes, I would not 'expect' it to be any different either, but it is. Perhaps there is a bug that needs investigating.

@andrewalderson I looked into it and I can confirm that it's not a bug. pnpm by default hoists all the packages. If you want to test the non-hoisted behavior, you can add this to .npmrc

hoist-pattern=[]

Then run pnpm install && pnpm build

[manzoorwanijk]

@bricss can you please create a new issue describing the error with a link to a minimal repro?

@wraithgar I think we can close this one.

[andrewalderson]

@manzoorwanijk First, just to clarify it is not the npm build command that is producing the error but the npm start command.

I was mistaken about what the issue here was. The issue is not that the @angular-devkit/architect package is not being linked at the top level (because it shouldn't) but it is a bug in linking the node_modules in the packages in node_modules/.store. There is still a bug here but I am not sure what it is.

@manzoorwanijk Do you want me to create a different issue for this or do you want close it?

[manzoorwanijk]

The issue is not that the @angular-devkit/architect package is not being linked at the top level (because it shouldn't) but it is a bug in linking the node_modules in the packages in node_modules/.store. There is still a bug here but I am not sure what it is.

I’m sorry but I don’t follow. Can you please explain a bit where you expect the package directory to be but can’t find it?

The expected place for @angular-devkit/architect (as a symlink) is the node_modules of the package that has it as a dependency, which then points to the hashed path in the root node_modules/.store. But, it doesn’t seem to be the dependency of any of your dependencies, I wouldn’t expect it to be anywhere.

[andrewalderson]

Here is the full error message

 NX   Cannot find module '@angular-devkit/architect'
Require stack:
- /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/src/adapter/ngcli-adapter.js
- /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/src/command-line/run/run.js
- /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/bin/run-executor.js
Error: Cannot find module '@angular-devkit/architect'
Require stack:
- /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/src/adapter/ngcli-adapter.js
- /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/src/command-line/run/run.js
- /workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/bin/run-executor.js
    at Module._resolveFilename (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1421:15)
    at defaultResolveImpl (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1059:19)
    at resolveForCJSWithHooks (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1064:22)
    at Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1227:37)
    at TracingChannel.traceSync (node:diagnostics_channel:328:14)
    at wrapModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:245:24)
    at Module.<anonymous> (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1504:12)
    at Module.require (/workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/src/adapter/compat.js:77:40)
    at require (node:internal/modules/helpers:152:16)
    at Object.scheduleTarget (/workspaces/npm-install-strategy-linked-bug/node_modules/.store/nx@22.6.1-xtzYLvFleXXfQGU44101QQ/node_modules/nx/src/adapter/ngcli-adapter.js:132:27)
Task "org:serve:development" is continuous but exited with code 1

The ngcli-adapter.js file at the end of the trace contains require('@angular-devkit/architect') on line 132. This package cannot be found.

I am a little out of my depth here as to how all of the symlinks and hard links are suppose to work. I do understand that there should be a link in the node_modules of one of the packages in node_modules/.store I just don't know where that link should be. The package referenced in the stack trace above (nx@22.6.1...) does not contain a dependency on @angular-devkit/architect so I am assuming that this is a dependency on a child or grandchild package.

Sorry, but that is about all I can offer. This is only an issue when I use npm with the linked install strategy. It is not a problem when I use the default install strategy or when I use pnpm as my package manager which to me suggests that there is an issue with the linked install strategy, I just don't know what it is.

[andrewalderson]

@manzoorwanijk I didn't understand what your were getting at in your comment But, it doesn’t seem to be the dependency of any of your dependencies, I wouldn’t expect it to be anywhere. I understand now. I tried installing the packages with pnpm and not hoisting anything and I got the same bug. I think I understand now that this is not an issue in the npm cli but in the nx repo. They seem to be relying on the fact that the repo is a monorepo and the @angular-devkit/architect package is installed by the root package.json file.

I will raise an issue with that repo.

You can close this.