This error occurs when npm publish or ownership operations fail because your account isn't authorized for the package. Check your npm login, verify package ownership, or use a scoped package name to avoid conflicts.
This error indicates the npm registry rejected your publish or management operation because your authenticated account doesn't have the required permissions for the package. When you try to publish a package, npm checks if the package name exists. If it does, only users listed as owners can publish new versions. If you're not on that list, the registry returns a 403 Forbidden error—often displayed as "you do not own this package." This is a registry-level authorization check, completely separate from local file permissions. The issue is with your npm account's relationship to the package, not your filesystem.
Verify your npm authentication:
npm whoamiIf this shows the wrong username or fails:
npm logout
npm loginEnter credentials for the account that should own the package.
See who currently owns the package:
npm owner ls <package-name>If the package exists and you're not listed, you cannot publish to it.
npm requires email verification for publishing:
1. Log into npmjs.com
2. Go to account settings
3. Ensure your email is verified
4. If not, click the verification link sent to your email
Avoid name conflicts by using your username as a scope:
{
"name": "@yourusername/my-package"
}Scoped packages under your username are always available (unless already taken by you).
For public scoped packages:
npm publish --access publicIf you should own the package:
1. Contact the current owner (check npm package page for contact info)
2. Ask them to add you: npm owner add <your-username> <package-name>
3. For abandoned packages, contact npm support
npm has policies for reclaiming abandoned package names.
Get more details about the failure:
npm publish --verboseor
npm publish -dThis shows the full request/response, helping identify authentication or permission issues.
Publishing to organization scopes:
For @org/package-name packages:
1. You must be a member of the organization
2. Your team must have publish access to that package
3. Check organization settings at npmjs.com/org/<org-name>/team
CI/CD authentication:
For automated publishing:
# Generate automation token at npmjs.com (Account > Access Tokens)
# Set as environment variable
export NPM_TOKEN=npm_xxxx
# Or add to .npmrc
echo "//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=${NPM_TOKEN}" > .npmrcAutomation tokens bypass 2FA for publishing, which is necessary for CI.
First-time publishing:
If you're publishing a new package and get this error, the name is already taken. Check at npmjs.com/package/<name>. Options:
1. Choose a different name
2. Use a scoped name: @username/package
3. Contact npm support if you believe the name is squatted
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