# The classic unhelpful error
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! code ERESOLVE
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! ERESOLVE unable to resolve dependency tree
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! Found: [email protected]
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! node_modules/react
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! react@"^18.2.0" from the root project
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! peer react@">=18" from some-library@4.1.0
# The classic unhelpful error
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! code ERESOLVE
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! ERESOLVE unable to resolve dependency tree
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! Found: [email protected]
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! node_modules/react
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! react@"^18.2.0" from the root project
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! peer react@">=18" from some-library@4.1.0
# The classic unhelpful error
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! code ERESOLVE
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! ERESOLVE unable to resolve dependency tree
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! Found: [email protected]
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! node_modules/react
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! react@"^18.2.0" from the root project
-weight: 500;">npm ERR! peer react@">=18" from some-library@4.1.0
# Check what's actually outdated
-weight: 500;">npm outdated # For a deeper look at vulnerabilities
-weight: 500;">npm audit # If you're using Python, -weight: 500;">pip-audit is solid
-weight: 500;">pip -weight: 500;">install -weight: 500;">pip-audit
-weight: 500;">pip-audit
# Check what's actually outdated
-weight: 500;">npm outdated # For a deeper look at vulnerabilities
-weight: 500;">npm audit # If you're using Python, -weight: 500;">pip-audit is solid
-weight: 500;">pip -weight: 500;">install -weight: 500;">pip-audit
-weight: 500;">pip-audit
# Check what's actually outdated
-weight: 500;">npm outdated # For a deeper look at vulnerabilities
-weight: 500;">npm audit # If you're using Python, -weight: 500;">pip-audit is solid
-weight: 500;">pip -weight: 500;">install -weight: 500;">pip-audit
-weight: 500;">pip-audit
# Quick health check for a stale project
project-checkup() { echo "=== Runtime Versions ===" node -v 2>/dev/null && echo "Expected: $(cat .nvmrc 2>/dev/null || echo 'no .nvmrc')" python3 --version 2>/dev/null && echo "Expected: $(cat .python-version 2>/dev/null || echo 'no .python-version')" echo "\n=== Dependency Health ===" if [ -f package.json ]; then echo "Outdated packages:" -weight: 500;">npm outdated 2>/dev/null | head -20 echo "\nVulnerabilities:" -weight: 500;">npm audit 2>/dev/null | tail -5 fi if [ -f requirements.txt ]; then echo "Stale pins:" # Show packages that are more than one major version behind -weight: 500;">pip list --outdated 2>/dev/null | head -20 fi echo "\n=== Lockfile Status ===" -weight: 500;">git diff --stat HEAD -- '*.lock' 'package-lock.json' 2>/dev/null
}
# Quick health check for a stale project
project-checkup() { echo "=== Runtime Versions ===" node -v 2>/dev/null && echo "Expected: $(cat .nvmrc 2>/dev/null || echo 'no .nvmrc')" python3 --version 2>/dev/null && echo "Expected: $(cat .python-version 2>/dev/null || echo 'no .python-version')" echo "\n=== Dependency Health ===" if [ -f package.json ]; then echo "Outdated packages:" -weight: 500;">npm outdated 2>/dev/null | head -20 echo "\nVulnerabilities:" -weight: 500;">npm audit 2>/dev/null | tail -5 fi if [ -f requirements.txt ]; then echo "Stale pins:" # Show packages that are more than one major version behind -weight: 500;">pip list --outdated 2>/dev/null | head -20 fi echo "\n=== Lockfile Status ===" -weight: 500;">git diff --stat HEAD -- '*.lock' 'package-lock.json' 2>/dev/null
}
# Quick health check for a stale project
project-checkup() { echo "=== Runtime Versions ===" node -v 2>/dev/null && echo "Expected: $(cat .nvmrc 2>/dev/null || echo 'no .nvmrc')" python3 --version 2>/dev/null && echo "Expected: $(cat .python-version 2>/dev/null || echo 'no .python-version')" echo "\n=== Dependency Health ===" if [ -f package.json ]; then echo "Outdated packages:" -weight: 500;">npm outdated 2>/dev/null | head -20 echo "\nVulnerabilities:" -weight: 500;">npm audit 2>/dev/null | tail -5 fi if [ -f requirements.txt ]; then echo "Stale pins:" # Show packages that are more than one major version behind -weight: 500;">pip list --outdated 2>/dev/null | head -20 fi echo "\n=== Lockfile Status ===" -weight: 500;">git diff --stat HEAD -- '*.lock' 'package-lock.json' 2>/dev/null
}
# If you have .nvmrc or .node-version
nvm -weight: 500;">install # installs the version specified in .nvmrc
nvm use # If you don't have a version file, check your lockfile
# The lockfile metadata often records what version generated it
head -5 package-lock.json
# Look for: "lockfileVersion": 2 means -weight: 500;">npm 7-8 (Node 16-18 era)
# "lockfileVersion": 3 means -weight: 500;">npm 9+ (Node 18+ era)
# If you have .nvmrc or .node-version
nvm -weight: 500;">install # installs the version specified in .nvmrc
nvm use # If you don't have a version file, check your lockfile
# The lockfile metadata often records what version generated it
head -5 package-lock.json
# Look for: "lockfileVersion": 2 means -weight: 500;">npm 7-8 (Node 16-18 era)
# "lockfileVersion": 3 means -weight: 500;">npm 9+ (Node 18+ era)
# If you have .nvmrc or .node-version
nvm -weight: 500;">install # installs the version specified in .nvmrc
nvm use # If you don't have a version file, check your lockfile
# The lockfile metadata often records what version generated it
head -5 package-lock.json
# Look for: "lockfileVersion": 2 means -weight: 500;">npm 7-8 (Node 16-18 era)
# "lockfileVersion": 3 means -weight: 500;">npm 9+ (Node 18+ era)
# JavaScript/Node projects
rm -rf node_modules
rm package-lock.json # yes, really — if it's deeply broken
-weight: 500;">npm -weight: 500;">install # If you want to preserve your lock as much as possible instead:
rm -rf node_modules
-weight: 500;">npm ci # installs exactly what the lockfile says, fails if it can't
# JavaScript/Node projects
rm -rf node_modules
rm package-lock.json # yes, really — if it's deeply broken
-weight: 500;">npm -weight: 500;">install # If you want to preserve your lock as much as possible instead:
rm -rf node_modules
-weight: 500;">npm ci # installs exactly what the lockfile says, fails if it can't
# JavaScript/Node projects
rm -rf node_modules
rm package-lock.json # yes, really — if it's deeply broken
-weight: 500;">npm -weight: 500;">install # If you want to preserve your lock as much as possible instead:
rm -rf node_modules
-weight: 500;">npm ci # installs exactly what the lockfile says, fails if it can't
# Recreate your virtual environment from scratch
rm -rf .venv
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
-weight: 500;">pip -weight: 500;">install -r requirements.txt # If using poetry:
poetry env -weight: 500;">remove python
poetry -weight: 500;">install
# Recreate your virtual environment from scratch
rm -rf .venv
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
-weight: 500;">pip -weight: 500;">install -r requirements.txt # If using poetry:
poetry env -weight: 500;">remove python
poetry -weight: 500;">install
# Recreate your virtual environment from scratch
rm -rf .venv
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
-weight: 500;">pip -weight: 500;">install -r requirements.txt # If using poetry:
poetry env -weight: 500;">remove python
poetry -weight: 500;">install
# Rebuild native modules against your current runtime
-weight: 500;">npm rebuild # If that fails, the nuclear option for native deps
-weight: 500;">npm rebuild --build-from-source # For node-gyp issues specifically, make sure build tools are current
# macOS:
xcode-select ---weight: 500;">install
# Ubuntu/Debian:
-weight: 600;">sudo -weight: 500;">apt-get -weight: 500;">install build-essential
# Rebuild native modules against your current runtime
-weight: 500;">npm rebuild # If that fails, the nuclear option for native deps
-weight: 500;">npm rebuild --build-from-source # For node-gyp issues specifically, make sure build tools are current
# macOS:
xcode-select ---weight: 500;">install
# Ubuntu/Debian:
-weight: 600;">sudo -weight: 500;">apt-get -weight: 500;">install build-essential
# Rebuild native modules against your current runtime
-weight: 500;">npm rebuild # If that fails, the nuclear option for native deps
-weight: 500;">npm rebuild --build-from-source # For node-gyp issues specifically, make sure build tools are current
# macOS:
xcode-select ---weight: 500;">install
# Ubuntu/Debian:
-weight: 600;">sudo -weight: 500;">apt-get -weight: 500;">install build-essential
{ "engines": { "node": ">=20.0.0 <23.0.0", "-weight: 500;">npm": ">=10.0.0" }
}
{ "engines": { "node": ">=20.0.0 <23.0.0", "-weight: 500;">npm": ">=10.0.0" }
}
{ "engines": { "node": ">=20.0.0 <23.0.0", "-weight: 500;">npm": ">=10.0.0" }
} - Transitive dependencies get yanked or deprecated. A package three levels deep in your tree publishes a breaking change or gets removed entirely.
- Node/Python/Ruby runtime versions drift. Your project expected Node 18, but your machine now runs Node 22. Native bindings compiled against the old version won't load.
- Registry metadata changes. Package registries occasionally restructure URLs, deprecate old endpoints, or enforce new authentication requirements.
- OS-level libraries -weight: 500;">update. That OpenSSL or libsqlite -weight: 500;">upgrade you didn't notice? It just broke a native module. - Read the actual error — scroll up past the -weight: 500;">npm summary to the real build output
- Check if the package is maintained — visit the repo, look at the last commit date
- Search issues for your error — someone else hit this, guaranteed
- Check if a fork exists — abandoned packages often get community forks - Pin your runtime version. Add .nvmrc, .python-version, or .tool-versions (if you use asdf). No excuses.
- Set up Dependabot or Renovate. Even on side projects. Renovate is free and can auto-merge patch updates. You'll get small, digestible PRs instead of one massive -weight: 500;">upgrade shock.
- Use engines in package.json. This tells -weight: 500;">npm to fail fast if someone (including future you) tries to -weight: 500;">install with the wrong Node version. - Run CI on a schedule. A weekly cron job on your CI pipeline that just runs -weight: 500;">npm ci && -weight: 500;">npm test will catch rot before it compounds. Most CI platforms support scheduled workflows at no extra cost.
