npm ci hangs forever

[ch-xhr]

Description

We've encountered a critical issue with our CI runs:
During the npm ci step, the job hangs indefinitely without progressing. This not only blocks our pipelines but also consumes significant usage minutes, which feels unfair and likely indicates a serious bug.

We would appreciate it if this could be investigated urgently.

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Action Version

actions/setup-node@v4

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Platform

• Ubuntu

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Runner Type

• GitHub-hosted
• Self-hosted

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Tools Version

• Node.js: 22.x
• npm: 10.x

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Reproduction Steps

1. Run npm ci in a GitHub Actions workflow on a Node.js project
2. Occasionally, the step hangs indefinitely without errors or timeouts

A sample repo or Gist can be provided if needed.

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Expected Behavior

npm ci should install dependencies and complete within a reasonable time.

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Actual Behavior

The step hangs indefinitely, consuming usage minutes and blocking subsequent steps.

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Additional Context

Let us know if debug logs or sample workflows are needed for further diagnosis.

[aparnajyothi-y]

Hello @ch-xhr, Thank you for creating this issue and we will look into it :)

[ch-xhr]

It

Hello @ch-xhr, Thank you for creating this issue and we will look into it :)

It's blocking our release now. Do you know when it's fixed? Does it only happen to us or all?

[HarithaVattikuti]

Hello @ch-xhr , Thank you for reporting this issue. We have tried to reproduce the problem with actions/setup-node@v4 using Node.js 22.x and npm 10.x on Ubuntu runners, but so far, the npm ci step completes successfully without hanging. Please find the screenshot for reference.

Based on similar past occurrences and the nature of the “operation was cancelled” failure, here are some possible root causes for the issue you’re experiencing:

• Network connectivity issues during npm ci, such as intermittent internet failures or DNS resolution problems, can cause the operation to stall or cancel.
• Resource constraints or timeouts on GitHub-hosted runners may lead to the job being cancelled if it exceeds usage limits or timeouts.
• Corrupted cache or lock files could cause unexpected hangs; clearing the npm cache or regenerating package-lock.json might help.
• Concurrent jobs exhausting resources, leading to preemption or cancellation.

It would be helpful if you could share the reproduction link along with any additional logs. We will continue our investigation and are happy to provide further assistance as soon as more details are available.

[ch-xhr]

Hello @ch-xhr , Thank you for reporting this issue. We have tried to reproduce the problem with actions/setup-node@v4 using Node.js 22.x and npm 10.x on Ubuntu runners, but so far, the npm ci step completes successfully without hanging. Please find the screenshot for reference.

Based on similar past occurrences and the nature of the “operation was cancelled” failure, here are some possible root causes for the issue you’re experiencing:

• Network connectivity issues during npm ci, such as intermittent internet failures or DNS resolution problems, can cause the operation to stall or cancel.
• Resource constraints or timeouts on GitHub-hosted runners may lead to the job being cancelled if it exceeds usage limits or timeouts.
• Corrupted cache or lock files could cause unexpected hangs; clearing the npm cache or regenerating package-lock.json might help.
• Concurrent jobs exhausting resources, leading to preemption or cancellation.

It would be helpful if you could share the reproduction link along with any additional logs. We will continue our investigation and are happy to provide further assistance as soon as more details are available.

Thanks, Hari. This helps solve the issue:

Corrupted cache or lock files could cause unexpected hangs; clearing the npm cache or regenerating package-lock.json might help.