cb() never called 📦 npm

npm ERR! cb() never called!

An old npm crash during install — usually network/cache corruption.

Seen on: npm

Meaning

Seen with npm 6 and early 7. Clearing the cache and upgrading npm fixes it.

Common causes

  • Corrupted npm cache
  • Network interruption
  • Old npm version bugs

⚡ Quick fix

  1. npm cache clean --force
  2. Upgrade npm: npm install -g npm@latest
  3. Delete node_modules and lockfile issues, reinstall

Detailed fix by platform

npm

  1. npm cache clean --force && npm install -g npm@latest

How to diagnose

  1. Version — npm -v
  2. Recent change — Did it start after a deploy, upgrade, or configuration change? Compare with the last working version.

🧠 Still stuck? Analyze your error

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