nvm: VSCode Terminal causes 'nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option' warning

Hi folks, in my latest nvm configuration I am now seeing the nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option error when opening the VS Code Terminal. (Opening a bash session using Terminal.app doesn’t show any warnings or errors.)

I skimmed #855 and didn’t find an obvious solution - that issue made this error sound like an unfortunate bug in nvm.sh so I was hoping there’d be a permanent solution that didn’t require us to run another command every time a shell is opened.

Operating system and version: Mac OS X 10.13.2
nvm debug output:

nvm --version: v0.33.5
$TERM_PROGRAM: vscode
$SHELL: /bin/bash
$HOME: /Users/mike
$NVM_DIR: '$HOME/.nvm'
$PREFIX: ''
$NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX: ''
$NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR: ''
$NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR: ''
shell version: 'GNU bash, version 3.2.57(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin17)'
uname -a: 'Darwin 17.3.0 Darwin Kernel Version 17.3.0: Thu Nov 9 18:09:22 PST 2017; root:xnu-4570.31.3~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64'
OS version: Mac 10.13.2 17C88
curl: /usr/bin/curl, curl 7.54.0 (x86_64-apple-darwin17.0) libcurl/7.54.0 LibreSSL/2.0.20 zlib/1.2.11 nghttp2/1.24.0
wget: not found
git: /usr/local/bin/git, git version 2.15.0
grep: /usr/bin/grep, grep (BSD grep) 2.5.1-FreeBSD
awk: /usr/bin/awk, awk version 20070501
sed: illegal option -- -
usage: sed script [-Ealn] [-i extension] [file ...]
       sed [-Ealn] [-i extension] [-e script] ... [-f script_file] ... [file ...]
sed: /usr/bin/sed,
cut: illegal option -- -
usage: cut -b list [-n] [file ...]
       cut -c list [file ...]
       cut -f list [-s] [-d delim] [file ...]
cut: /usr/bin/cut,
basename: illegal option -- -
usage: basename string [suffix]
       basename [-a] [-s suffix] string [...]
basename: /usr/bin/basename,
rm: illegal option -- -
usage: rm [-f | -i] [-dPRrvW] file ...
       unlink file
rm: /bin/rm,
mkdir: illegal option -- -
usage: mkdir [-pv] [-m mode] directory ...
mkdir: /bin/mkdir,
xargs: illegal option -- -
usage: xargs [-0opt] [-E eofstr] [-I replstr [-R replacements]] [-J replstr]
             [-L number] [-n number [-x]] [-P maxprocs] [-s size]
             [utility [argument ...]]
xargs: /usr/bin/xargs,
nvm current: system
which node: /usr/local/bin/node
which iojs:
which npm: /usr/local/bin/npm
npm config get prefix: /usr/local
npm root -g: /usr/local/lib/node_modules

nvm ls output:

         v6.5.0
        v6.11.2
        v6.11.4
         v8.9.1
->       system
default -> lts/* (-> v8.9.1)
node -> stable (-> v8.9.1) (default)
stable -> 8.9 (-> v8.9.1) (default)
iojs -> N/A (default)
lts/* -> lts/carbon (-> v8.9.1)
lts/argon -> v4.8.6 (-> N/A)
lts/boron -> v6.12.0 (-> N/A)
lts/carbon -> v8.9.1

How did you install nvm? (e.g. install script in readme, homebrew): I thought it was Homebrew, but running brew uninstall nvm results in “Error: No such keg: /usr/local/Cellar/nvm” so it must have been the curl approach
What steps did you perform?
1. I installed VSCode
1. I eliminated the error message “N/A: version “N/A -> N/A” is not yet installed.” by running nvm alias default lts/*
1. Now when I open a Terminal session (Terminal.app, VSCode Terminal) I get this newest error/warning message.
What happened? The error/warning message now reports

nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option: currently set to "/usr/local"
Run `npm config delete prefix` or `nvm use --delete-prefix v8.9.1 --silent` to unset it.

What did you expect to happen? I expected a clean Terminal session (no warnings or errors).
Is there anything in any of your profile files (.bashrc, .bash_profile, .zshrc, etc) that modifies the PATH? My .profile includes this:

PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 7 years ago
Reactions: 7
Comments: 22 (3 by maintainers)

Links to this issue

node.js - nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option: - Stack Overflow

Most upvoted comments

Fix here : https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-docs/blob/master/docs/editor/integrated-terminal.md#why-is-nvm-complaining-about-a-prefix-option-when-the-integrated-terminal-is-launched

+125

ThibaudCrespin on May 25, 2018

i have the same problem, rm -R /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm rm -R /usr/local/bin/npm /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js this resolve my problem, because I install node use brew install node brefore. you need uninstall node and npm when use nvm.

+57

webkong on Aug 27, 2018

brew uninstall --ignore-dependencies node (igonore-deps because I had yarn installed) worked for me. What @webkong said was accurate. At the end of the day, if you have nvm installed then there’s no need for a “global” node/npm install. Remove them (however you installed them determines how that gets done) and you’re good.

+33

RavenHursT on Oct 12, 2018

@ljharb I saw another discussion you were a part of that helped me. It appears I have fixed the issue. What I did was ensure the following were uninstalled brew uninstall node, brew uninstall npm, brew uninstall nvm, then I ensured the hidden home directories were removed .npm, .nvm, then i used the nvm curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.8/install.sh | bash install command. And then I installed node using the OS installer. All is working fine now in both VSCode, Atom, and native terminals, Terminal and iTerm. Thanks.

+29

danieldbird on Feb 24, 2018

brew uninstall node

https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-docs/blob/master/docs/editor/integrated-terminal.md#why-is-nvm-complaining-about-a-prefix-option-when-the-integrated-terminal-is-launched

reinstall nvm

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.34.0/install.sh | bash

+20

Guang1234567 on Feb 28, 2019

That fix doesn’t seem to resolve it for me.

As a workaround, I’ve redirected the output to /dev/null and called nvm use node in my ~/.bashrc

export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  2>/dev/null
$(nvm use node) 2>/dev/null

+15

ogryzek on May 31, 2018

I fixed this temporarily by adding nvm use node to the end of my .bash_profile after the nvm path export. export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm" [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # This loads nvm [ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" # This loads nvm bash_completion nvm use node c

+15

danieldbird on Feb 24, 2018

i have the same problem , nvm is not compatible with the npm config “prefix” option: currently set to “/usr/local/Cellar/node@6/6.12.3” Run npm config delete prefix or nvm use --delete-prefix v8.9.4 --silent to unset it.

it worked after i delete the folder: rm -rf /usr/local/Cellar/node@6

+10

xintaoLi on Mar 20, 2018

@ljharb only to get around the nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option: currently set to "/usr/local" Run npm config delete prefixornvm use --delete-prefix v9.6.1 --silent to unset it. error in VSCode and Atom. It works fine in the native terminal, or iTerm, and throws no error message. This seems to be happening because no version of node is being used when first opening the integrated terminal in VSCode or Atom.

Edit: Even after running nvm alias default node

danieldbird on Feb 24, 2018

@danieldbird you shouldn’t need that if you do nvm alias default node once in the terminal.

ljharb on Feb 24, 2018

D’oh! Sorry, I didn’t spot #1647 and #1652 until after filing this and continuing to dig around the interwebs. Feel free to close this as a duplicate of those.

MikeTheCanuck on Dec 15, 2017