VSTS/Azure DevOps failing on “npm install”

Question

We have a build running a "NPM install" task in Azure DevOps (VSTS).

Error from the log:

2018-11-30T11:13:20.3544084Z ##[debug]Agent.BuildDirectory=D:\a\1
2018-11-30T11:13:20.3544294Z ##[debug]rm -rf D:\a\1\npm
2018-11-30T11:13:20.3544390Z ##[debug]removing directory
2018-11-30T11:13:20.3544478Z ##[debug]task result: Failed
2018-11-30T11:13:20.3597315Z ##[error]Error: Npm failed with return code: 1
2018-11-30T11:13:20.3606909Z ##[debug]Processed: ##vso[task.issue type=error;]Error: Npm failed with return code: 1
2018-11-30T11:13:20.3608689Z ##[debug]Processed: ##vso[task.complete result=Failed;]Error: Npm failed with return code: 1

It seems it is unable to delete the folder "D:\a\1\npm"

Even the builds who used to be successful are now consistently failing (last successful build was 2018-11-27). We are running on Agent Pool "Hosted VS2017".

Are anybody else experiencing something similar in Azure DevOps/VSTS?

EDIT: The yml for the step:

steps:
- task: Npm@1
  displayName: 'npm install'
  inputs:
    workingDir: web/
    verbose: true

EDIT 2: It also fails when the "NPM Install" is ran as the first task in the Buils:

2018-11-30T14:13:49.0617793Z ##[debug]Agent.BuildDirectory=D:\a\1
2018-11-30T14:13:49.0617936Z ##[debug]rm -rf D:\a\1\npm
2018-11-30T14:13:49.0618038Z ##[debug]removing directory
2018-11-30T14:13:49.0618144Z ##[debug]task result: Failed
2018-11-30T14:13:49.0671864Z ##[error]Error: Npm failed with return code: 1

I don't have any issues with the Hosted VS2017 agent and npm install on a Angular 6 project. Can you try running the build on a different agent? — Martin Brandl
why should npm attempt to remove D:\a\1\npm when your code is synced to D:\a\1\s? can you share the configuration of the task running "npm install" ? — D.J.
@MarkusFoss, I started an experiencing npm failing in our CI builds as well but I determined it was missing dependency package. Looking at the log files you submitted, it doesn't seem like that's what it is but it probably wouldn't hurt to check. — Ryan Hill

June Lau June Lau · Accepted Answer · 2018-12-05T05:03:34

This may not be related to Azure DevOps trying to execute rm -rf D:\a\1\npm.

Do you have any npm error messages? When this has failed for us, our error message was:

2018-11-27T07:10:16.3177900Z 8080 error code ELIFECYCLE
2018-11-27T07:10:16.3177998Z 8081 error errno 1
2018-11-27T07:10:16.3178126Z 8082 error [email protected] install: `node-pre-gyp install --fallback-to-build --library=static_library`
2018-11-27T07:10:16.3178257Z 8082 error Exit status 1
2018-11-27T07:10:16.3178367Z 8083 error Failed at the [email protected] install script.

VSTS/Azure DevOps failing on “npm install”

2 Answers