Strange npm configuration error appearing on all commands

[MiaDragon42]

I keep getting this error message whenever I try to run any npm command:

Exit prior to config file resolving
cause
call config.load() before reading values

This happens with basic commands like npm --version or npm install. I have never encountered this issue before and I’m not sure what’s causing it. Here’s my package.json structure:

{
    "name": "my-project",
    "description": "sample project",
    "type": "module",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "scripts": {
        "start": "node index.js",
        "dev": "nodemon app.js",
        "build": "webpack --mode production"
    },
    "dependencies": {
        "express": "^4.18.0",
        "lodash": "^4.17.21"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
        "nodemon": "^2.0.20",
        "webpack": "^5.75.0"
    }
}

Has anyone faced this configuration loading problem before? What steps should I take to fix this npm error?

[Luna23]

i had that issue too, mate. try reinstalling npm or checking your Node version. sometimes old versions can mess things up! also, clear the cache just in case. good luck!

[mikezhang]

This config loading error usually happens because of environment variable conflicts or corrupted npm files. I had the same issue when switching Node.js versions with nvm. What fixed it for me was completely removing npm and reinstalling it through Node.js instead of as a standalone package. Before you do that, check if you’ve got any NODE_OPTIONS or npm environment variables that might be messing with config initialization. Run env | grep -i npm on Unix or set | findstr npm on Windows to see what’s there. If you find anything weird, unset those variables temporarily and test npm again. Usually fixes itself once you clear out these conflicts that stop npm from loading its config properly.

[JumpingMountain]

This usually happens when your npm config file gets corrupted or there are permission issues with the cache directory. Your package.json looks fine, so the problem’s somewhere else. I had the exact same issue last year - fixed it by deleting the .npmrc file in my home directory and running npm cache clean --force. Also check for any global .npmrc files that might be conflicting. If you’re on Windows, make sure your npm installation directory has write permissions. Sometimes antivirus software messes with npm’s config loading too.