npm ERR! code EACCES: permission denied

# macOS / Linux — nvm puts Node under your $HOME (no root, no EACCES)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
nvm install --lts
npm install -g whatever   # now writes to a folder you own

What you're seeing

npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! syscall mkdir
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules/pkg
npm ERR! errno -13
npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/pkg'
npm ERR!  [Error: EACCES: permission denied] { errno: -13, code: 'EACCES' }

The line that matters is npm ERR! path — it names the exact directory npm couldn't write to. That tells you which fix applies.

Fix 1 — Install Node with a version manager (recommended)

When: almost always — it removes the root-owned directories entirely.

# pick one:
# nvm  — most common
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
# fnm  — fast, cross-platform
curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash
# Volta — pins versions per project
curl https://get.volta.sh | bash

nvm install --lts && nvm use --lts
node -v   # now from ~/.nvm, owned by you

A version manager installs Node and all global packages under $HOME. Because your user owns that tree, npm install -g can never hit EACCES and you never type sudo again — plus you can switch Node versions per project.

Fix 2 — Move npm's global prefix to a folder you own

When: you can't (or don't want to) reinstall Node but still need global installs.

mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'

# add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc, then reopen the shell
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

npm install -g eslint   # writes to ~/.npm-global — no EACCES

This keeps the system Node but redirects global packages into your home directory. The one gotcha: remember to add the new bin to PATH, or the installed commands won't be found.

Fix 3 — Reclaim files a past sudo left root-owned

When: EACCES on ~/.npm or a project after you previously ran sudo npm.

# give the cache back to your user
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm

# for a project poisoned by sudo, start clean
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install          # no sudo this time

Once root owns files in your cache or project, every normal install fails because npm can't overwrite them. Fixing ownership (and never using sudo npm again) clears it for good.

The one thing not to do

# ❌ makes it "work" once, then breaks the next normal install
sudo npm install -g pkg
# ❌ and this hands your whole system dir to your user — messy and unsafe
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/lib/node_modules

sudo runs install scripts as root and drops root-owned files into your cache, guaranteeing a future EACCES. Use Fix 1 or Fix 2 instead.

Why this happens

Unix permissions let a directory be written only by its owner (or root). When Node is installed system-wide — from a .pkg, from apt, or from the macOS installer — its global node_modules prefix lives somewhere like /usr/local/lib that is owned by root. A normal npm install -g runs as you, so the kernel denies the write and npm reports EACCES (error number 13, "permission denied"). Local installs usually work because your project folder is yours. The permanent fix is to make sure everything npm writes to is a directory your user owns — which is exactly what a version manager or a relocated prefix guarantees.

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