How to fix npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/<package>' in npm | DevErrors

How to fix "npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/<package>'"

1Check prefix and staging ownership

bash

npm config get prefix
ls -ld $(npm config get prefix)/lib/node_modules
sudo ls -ld $(npm config get prefix)/lib/node_modules/.staging 2>/dev/null || true

2Use nvm/fnm/asdf or set a user prefix

bash

export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \ . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
nvm install --lts
# or
mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global
export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"

3Clean temp directories and cache

bash

sudo rm -rf $(npm config get prefix)/lib/node_modules/.staging 2>/dev/null || true
npm cache clean --force

4Realign ownership once if you control the host

bash

sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(npm config get prefix)/{lib/node_modules,bin,share}

5Retry the global install without sudo

bash

npm install -g <package>

6Handle Windows/WSL locks

Close editors holding node_modules, add Defender exclusions for your prefix, and retry from an elevated shell if required by policy.

How to fix npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/<package>' in npm

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How to fix "npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/<package>'"

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