This error occurs when npm encounters malformed dependency data during installation. The most common cause is a corrupted package-lock.json file or lockfile version mismatch between npm versions.
This error indicates that npm's dependency resolver received unexpected data types when processing your project's dependency tree. The installer expects dependency entries to be objects containing version information and metadata, but instead found string values. The underlying cause is typically a corrupted or incompatible package-lock.json file. This can happen when the lockfile was generated with a different npm version (particularly the transition between lockfileVersion 1 and 2), after using `npm link` for local development, or when the file becomes desynchronized from package.json through manual edits or failed installations.
The most reliable fix is to delete cached dependency state and rebuild:
# Remove lockfile and installed modules
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
# Reinstall from scratch
npm installThis forces npm to rebuild the entire dependency tree from package.json.
Remove potentially corrupted cached data:
# Force clear the npm cache
npm cache clean --force
# Verify cache is clean
npm cache verifyIf you've used npm link for local development, unlink before installing:
# List globally linked packages
npm ls -g --depth=0 --link=true
# Unlink specific package
npm unlink <package-name>
# Then reinstall
npm installCheck that all dependencies are properly formatted as semver strings:
{
"dependencies": {
"express": "^4.18.0",
"lodash": "~4.17.21"
}
}Look for:
- Empty string values ("")
- Missing version strings
- Objects where strings are expected
Use LTS versions to avoid known dependency resolution bugs:
# Check current versions
node -v
npm -v
# Upgrade npm to latest
npm install -g npm@latest
# Or use nvm to switch Node versions
nvm install --lts
nvm use --ltsRecommended: Node.js 18+ with npm 9+
For CI environments, use npm ci which is stricter about lockfile consistency:
# Clean install from lockfile
npm ciNote: npm ci requires package-lock.json to exist and match package.json exactly.
This error is particularly common in CI/CD environments where the Node.js version on runners may differ from local development. Always commit package-lock.json to version control and ensure CI runners use the same Node.js major version as development.
For monorepos using npm workspaces, this error can occur when workspace packages reference each other incorrectly. Ensure workspace dependencies use the workspace: protocol or exact version matches.
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