I created a Node.js package on my Windows machine and published it using npm. A Linux user reported an issue with directory permissions in my package. They said the directories don’t have execute permissions for users, which forces them to use sudo during installation. This isn’t ideal for security reasons. What’s the proper way to ensure correct permissions are set when publishing npm packages from a Windows environment? I need the package to work smoothly on Unix-based systems without requiring elevated privileges.
Windows strips execute permissions when it creates npm package tarballs. That’s your real problem. Most people try fixing it with scripts or manual workarounds, but you’re just making things more complicated.
I’ve hit this same issue tons of times. The cleanest fix? Automate your publishing pipeline on Unix. You don’t need to develop on Linux - just publish from there.
Set up a workflow that triggers when you push to main. It pulls your code, runs tests, builds the package, and publishes to npm from a Linux environment. File permissions stay intact from the start.
I do this for all my packages now. No permission headaches, no sudo requirements for users, and everything runs automatically.
Latenode makes this kind of automation easy. It handles Git webhooks, runs your build on Linux containers, and publishes with proper permissions.
When transitioning from developing on Windows to publishing for Linux, you may encounter permission issues because Windows doesn’t manage Unix permissions correctly. To avoid this, consider utilizing the ‘files’ field in your package.json to specify which files should be included during publishing. Implement a pre-publish script using cross-platform tools, such as cross-env, to manage the build process. Additionally, ensure your .npmignore file excludes any unnecessary files that could cause issues. A useful tip is to run ‘npm pack’ locally to inspect the contents of the tarball prior to publishing. This can help you identify potential permission conflicts early in the process.
Had the same issue last month. Try running npm version patch && npm publish from Git Bash instead of cmd/PowerShell. Git Bash handles Unix permissions way better than Windows terminals. Also double-check your .gitattributes file - it might be screwing with line endings or permissions.
The issue arises due to npm setting incorrect file permissions when packages are created on Windows. When you publish from Windows, the package acquires Windows-style permissions, which causes problems on Unix systems. One effective solution is to include a postpack script in your package.json that utilizes tar commands to adjust the permissions before publishing. Additionally, ensure the bin field in package.json is correctly configured to assign execute permissions for binaries. Alternatively, consider using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to publish your package. By installing Node.js in your WSL environment and conducting the publish process there, you will maintain the correct Unix file permissions while using a familiar development setup. This approach helps ensure that your package can be installed on Linux without requiring elevated privileges.
Had this exact problem six months ago with a CLI tool. Windows npm doesn’t keep Unix file permissions when creating tarballs - directories get 644 instead of 755. I fixed it by adding a prepublishOnly script that uses tar (built into newer Windows) to repack everything with the right permissions. You can check if this is your issue by extracting your published tarball locally and running ls -la on it. What permanently solved it for me was switching to GitHub Actions for publishing. Even though I develop on Windows, the Ubuntu CI runner handles publishing and keeps all the file modes intact.