npm / npm/rfcs

[FEATURE] Support `npm version --interactive`

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Dominant language
JavaScript
Stars
778
Forks
266
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Why

Version bumping in npm currently requires explicitly specifying the version increment (e.g. npm version minor). This makes it challenging to create reusable release scripts in package.json, as the version increment needs to be hardcoded or passed as an argument.

How

Current Behavior
npm version minor  # Must specify version increment explicitly
Expected Behavior

Would like to add an interactive mode similar to bumpp:

{
  "scripts": {
    "release": "npm version --interactive"
  }
}

Running npm run release would present an interactive CLI prompt:

? Current version 0.1.0 »
            major 1.0.0
            minor 0.2.0
            patch 0.1.1
>            next 0.1.1
        pre-patch 0.1.1-beta.0
        pre-minor 0.2.0-beta.0
        pre-major 1.0.0-beta.0
            as-is 0.1.0
           custom ...

Benefits:

  • More intuitive version selection
  • Reusable release scripts without hardcoding versions

This would align npm's version bumping workflow with modern CLI tools while maintaining compatibility with existing npm version commands.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

The proposal names npm version and the package.json release script but no implementation files or tests. Start by reviewing the existing npm version command and the requested interactive choices; done means npm version --interactive presents the documented options while existing version commands remain compatible.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
cli, release
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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