How to fix npm ERR! code E404 npm ERR! 404 Not Found - GET https://npm.pkg.github.com/@org/package in npm

Generate a PAT with package read access:

1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
2. Click "Generate new token (classic)"
3. Select scopes: read:packages, repo (for private repos)
4. Copy the token immediately (you won't see it again)

Create or edit ~/.npmrc in your home directory:

//npm.pkg.github.com/:_authToken=YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN
@YOUR-ORG:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com

Replace:
- YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN with your PAT
- YOUR-ORG with your GitHub organization or username

Important: The scope (@YOUR-ORG) must match the package scope exactly.

For better security, use an environment variable:

//npm.pkg.github.com/:_authToken=${NODE_AUTH_TOKEN}
@YOUR-ORG:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com

Then set NODE_AUTH_TOKEN in your environment or CI/CD secrets.

For GitHub Actions, use the built-in setup:

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: '20'
    registry-url: 'https://npm.pkg.github.com'
    scope: '@your-org'

- run: npm ci
  env:
    NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Note: GITHUB_TOKEN only works for packages in the same repository. For cross-repo packages, use a PAT stored in secrets.

Check your npm configuration:

npm config get @your-org:registry
# Should show: https://npm.pkg.github.com

npm config list
# Verify no conflicting settings