npm error invalid semver

Question

Just installed Node.js v.0.10.20 from source. Target box Ubuntu 12.04.3 LTS. Node is installing ok without errors. After all it seems :

node -v
v0.10.20

npm -v
1.3.11

But just listing my -g modules, I get some odd messages I can't figure out :

esa@fingolfin:~$ npm list -g
npm WARN unmet dependency /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/normalize-package-data requires semver@'1.x' but will load
npm WARN unmet dependency /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/semver,
npm WARN unmet dependency which is version 2.1.0

and at a bottom of -g listing, I see more messages :

npm ERR! invalid: semver@2.1.0 /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/semver
npm ERR! extraneous: normalize-package-data@0.1.7 /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/normalize-package-data
npm ERR! not ok code 0

Also I can see under npm@1.3.11 -module the row:

│ ├── semver@2.1.0 invalid

This same happens in previous node version (0.10.18) if I remember that right.

Annoying message that I can't solve. I'm sure I haven't installed semver-module manually and quite sure that none of my installed node-modules is using semver.

---

Edit: thanks to Nirk, re-installing npm will solve this. To be sure, I gave sudo su - and re-installed as root. Maybe just sudo:ing works as well.

Here is what I did :

sudo su -


root@fingolfin:~# curl https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh

  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100  7882  100  7882    0     0  13118      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 23669
tar=/bin/tar
version:
tar (GNU tar) 1.26

Copyright (C) 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by John Gilmore and Jay Fenlason.
install npm@latest
fetching: http://registry.npmjs.org/npm/-/npm-1.3.11.tgz
0.10.20
1.3.11
cleanup prefix=/usr/local

All clean!
unbuild npm@1.3.11
/usr/local/bin/npm -> /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js
npm@1.3.11 /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm
It worked
root@fingolfin:~#

Note that URL has moved to https://npmjs.org/install.sh

Answer 1

You have an older version of normalize-package-data (the current version depends on semver version 2: https://github.com/meryn/normalize-package-data/blob/master/package.json#L15 )

To forcefully reinstall npm without using npm, try using the shell script

curl https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh

Answer 2

Note the URL has moved to: https://www.npmjs.com/install.sh (as of Apr 2015)

This should work:

curl https://npmjs.com/install.sh | sh

Answer 3

Try un/reinstalling it if you are sure you aren't using it. That should get rid of the error message.

npm un semver -g and then npm install semver -g

Edit: it seems that one of your modules needs semver@1.x so try sudo npm install semver@1.1.4 -g