Npm scripts set `TMPDIR` environment variable

[kumavis]

I found this bug while using os.tmpdir()

When executing as root on OSX, there is no explicit tmpdir provided from the environment variables. When using os.tmpdir(), node correctly falls back to '/tmp'. However when running scripts via npm, it seems that the environment variable TMPDIR is set to the cwd when undefined. This causes os.tmpdir() to incorrectly return the cwd as the tmp directory.

in my package.json

"scripts": {
    "test": "echo $TMPDIR"
  },

npm test
#=> correct temp dir
sudo npm test
#=> current working directory (??)
node -e "console.log(process.env.TMPDIR)"
#=> correct temp dir
sudo node -e "console.log(process.env.TMPDIR)"
#=> undefined

another test, in my package.json

"scripts": {
    "test": "node -e \"console.log(require('os').tmpdir())\""
  },

npm test
#=> correct temp dir
sudo npm test
#=> current working directory (??)
node -e "console.log(require('os').tmpdir())"
#=> correct temp dir
sudo node -e "console.log(require('os').tmpdir())"
#=> '/tmp'

my system (osx 10.9.1):

node -v
#=> v0.10.22
npm -v
#=> 1.3.14

[CatTail]

Run into the same issue. It's wired to set current working directory as TMPDIR

[kumavis]

woah blast from the past

[Starefossen]

I got hit by this bug as well!

[nylen]

@kumavis I don't believe this is a bug, or it is at least the intended behavior:

• lib/utils/lifecycle.js#L55-57
• introduced in d7dcace and documented in 1431a63 (early 2011)
• refactored a little in 56a6dd3 (mid 2011)

[kumavis]

interesting...
not sure what to recommend here.
this is not really an issue for me, so I don't mind if it gets closed.

[nylen]

only you can prevent forest fires close out your own issue!

[othiym23]

Or, you know, I can do it. Closing as behaving as intended. If this is causing problems for your build scripts, @kumavis, you can explicitly set TMPDIR in the environment in which the command is running. Hope this works well enough for you!

[kumavis]

forgot to mention: keep being awesome

[othiym23]

Will do! 👍 Thank you!

[erykpiast]

export TMPDIR="/tmp"
npm install something

And process.env.TMPDIR it's still ./node_modules/something/...

Inside Docker, maybe this is the issue. But when script is run directly (node install.js), value is as I set it.

[coffenbacher]

Wow, I'm seeing the same as @erykpiast - it actually blows away my environment's setting to replace the value with the CWD. Crazy.

[iameli]

Just ran into this. Also in a docker container. Pretty confused.

[develar]

Pretty confused.

No words. I spend hours to make npm working. A lot of strange bugs. And all closed as intended or as won't fix. No words. But no way to get rid of npm :(

[develar]

you can explicitly set TMPDIR in the environment in which the command is running.

It doesn't work. Doesn't work. NPM must work as node does, without any magic. Damn.

[sheerun]

@othiym23 Please re-open. require('os-tmpdir')() returns current directory instead of /tmp when running with sudo npm test... (sudo clears TMP env variables and npm sets TMPDIR instead).

The scripts runs as intended if you run it with node itself.

[watilde]

To not change the value of the environment variable process.TMPDIR and keep the current behavior, we can update the line in lifecycle.js to the following, doesn't it?

--    if (!npm.config.get('unsafe-perm')) env.TMPDIR = null
++    if (!npm.config.get('unsafe-perm')) npm.config.set('tmp', wd)

[paulodiovani]

For Docker, we can run with npm start --unsafe-perm

[develar]

@paulodiovani Just set npm config set unsafe-perm true (example: https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/blob/master/docker/7/Dockerfile)

[wclr]

npm config set unsafe-perm true this should make os.tmpdir() come true?