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npm 12 request for Node.js 27 Alpha phase #1183
Description
This is a request to bundle npm 12 into the Node.js 27 release beginning with the planned Alpha phase from 2026-10-28 to 2027-04-22.
npm@12.0.0, released on 2026-07-08, introduced many breaking changes.
#1161 (comment) notes:
The Release WG has decided not to land npm 12 on Node.js 26, 24 or 22.
The next opportunity to bundle npm 12 is the future Node.js 27.
Maintainers of packages published to the npm registry and private project maintainers need to be given an early and simple opportunity of testing against npm 12 in CI during the Node.js 27 Alpha phase. Although it is possible today to update workflows to use npm 12, in general, users rely on the bundled version without taking any steps to select any different npm version.
It's expected that a significant number of projects will require changes to continue to work with npm 12.
Additional exposure of npm 12 to more packages and projects may also lead to discovery of additional bugs in npm 12 with the opportunity to fix these before Node.js 27 exits its Alpha phase.
Activity
aduh95 commentedon Sep 18, 2026
It's hardly a Release WG decision: If npm 12 lands on nodejs/node@
mainbefore the cut-off, it will be part of Node.js 27 releases; if it never lands there, it won't make any release either. The only reason the Release WG would have agency would be in the case it lands after the cut-off (and given that we decided that semver-major commits in alpha are OK, I see no reason we would not include it)It depends on whether npm will open a PR introducing npm 12, and whether Node.js collaborators will approve it.
MikeMcC399 commentedon Sep 18, 2026
@aduh95
Thanks for your comments! Since the action needs to come from the npm team, I've opened a new issue in their repo npm/cli#9997 and I will close this one, as currently there is no specific action for the Node.js Releasers team.