2025-10-16T04_02_49_901Z-debug.log

npm ERR! cb() never called!

npm ERR! This is an error with npm itself. Please report this error at: npm ERR! https://github.com/npm/cli/issues

verbose cli [
0 verbose cli '/usr/bin/node',
0 verbose cli '/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/>
0 verbose cli 'exec',
0 verbose cli '--',
0 verbose cli 'auth',
0 verbose cli 'secret'
0 verbose cli ]
1 info using npm@7.17.0
2 info using node@v14.21.3
3 timing npm:load:whichnode Completed in 29ms
4 timing config:load:defaults Completed in 56ms
5 timing config:load:file:/usr/lib/node_modules>
6 timing config:load:builtin Completed in 51ms
7 timing config:load:cli Completed in 77ms
8 timing config:load:env Completed in 7ms
9 timing config:load:file:/root/ish/ios-siem/.n>
10 timing config:load:project Completed in 70ms
11 timing config:load:file:/root/.npmrc Complet>
12 timing config:load:user Completed in 3ms
13 timing config:load:file:/etc/npmrc Completed>
14 timing config:load:global Completed in 2ms
15 timing config:load:validate Completed in 4ms
16 timing config:load:credentials Completed in >
17 timing config:load:setEnvs Completed in 33ms
18 timing config:load Completed in 343ms
19 timing npm:load:configload Completed in 348ms
20 timing npm:load:setTitle Completed in 3ms
21 timing npm:load:setupLog Completed in 47ms
22 timing npm:load:cleanupLog Completed in 70ms
23 timing npm:load:configScope Completed in 0ms
24 timing npm:load:projectScope Completed in 99>
25 timing npm:load Completed in 610ms
26 timing config:load:flatten Completed in 80ms
27 http fetch GET 200 https://registry.npmjs.or/>
28 timing arborist:ctor Completed in 28ms
29 timing arborist:ctor Completed in 34ms
30 timing arborist:ctor Completed in 4ms

Start with the attached debug log and reproduce the shown npm@7.17.0/node@v14.21.3 command, npm exec -- auth secret. Trace the npm CLI path that emits “cb() never called!” and establish the expected behavior; the issue is complete only when the failure cause and a verified correction are clear.