EPREPAREGIT occurs when npm fails to prepare a package installed directly from a Git repository. This typically happens due to missing Git, invalid repository URLs, failed prepare scripts, or SSH/authentication issues.
The EPREPAREGIT error indicates that npm encountered a failure while preparing a Git dependency for installation. When you specify a dependency using a Git URL in package.json (e.g., `github:user/repo#branch`), npm clones the repository and runs any `prepare` or `postinstall` scripts defined in that package. If any step fails—whether it's cloning the repo, checking out a specific branch/tag, or executing the prepare script—npm throws this error. This is different from regular npm package installation because Git dependencies require additional setup steps: fetching from a remote Git server, verifying access credentials, and running build/preparation commands. Any failure in these steps prevents the dependency from being properly installed.
First, confirm that Git is installed and available in your system PATH. Open a terminal and run:
git --versionIf Git is not installed, download and install it from https://git-scm.com/download. On macOS with Homebrew:
brew install gitOn Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get install gitAfter installation, verify again that git --version returns a version number.
Verify that the Git URL in your package.json is correct and you have access to it. Open package.json and find your Git dependency:
{
"dependencies": {
"my-package": "github:user/repo#branch"
}
}Test that the repository is accessible by running:
git ls-remote https://github.com/user/repo.gitReplace with your actual repository URL. If the command fails, either the URL is incorrect, the repository doesn't exist, or you don't have access permissions.
If you're using SSH Git URLs, switch to HTTPS to avoid SSH key configuration issues. Change your package.json from:
{
"dependencies": {
"my-package": "git+ssh://[email protected]/user/repo.git#branch"
}
}To:
{
"dependencies": {
"my-package": "git+https://github.com/user/repo.git#branch"
}
}After updating package.json, delete node_modules and package-lock.json, then reinstall:
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm installIf you must use SSH URLs, ensure your SSH keys are properly configured. Test SSH connectivity:
ssh -T [email protected]For GitHub, this should return something like: "Hi username! You've successfully authenticated..."
If it fails with "Host key verification failed", add GitHub to your known_hosts:
ssh-keyscan -H github.com >> ~/.ssh/known_hostsMake sure your SSH key is added to the ssh-agent:
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsaSometimes npm cache becomes corrupted. Clear it and reinstall:
npm cache clean --force
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm installIf you're in a Docker container, ensure you're running npm install as a non-root user or with the correct permissions. If running as root causes issues, use:
npm config set unsafe-perm trueWhen npm installs a Git dependency, it clones the repository to a temporary location, runs the prepare and prepack scripts (if defined), and then copies the prepared package into node_modules. The prepare script has access only to the package's own dependencies, not to devDependencies—this is a common source of failures. In Docker containers, use the full Node image rather than Alpine-based images, as Alpine may lack build tools.
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