npm install Git Repository Guide

Covers how to install npm packages directly from GitHub repositories. Useful for installing packages not in the npm registry, specific branches, or private repositories.

When to use this skill

Packages Not on npm

Install packages not yet published

Specific Branch/Tag

Install main, develop, specific release tags

Private Repositories

Install packages within an organization

Forked Packages

Use a modified fork version

Test Latest Commits

Test the latest code before a release 1. Installation Commands Basic Syntax npm install git+https://github.com/ < owner

/ < repo

.git

HTTPS Method (Common)

Specific branch

npm install -g git+https://github.com/JEO-tech-ai/supercode.git

main

Specific tag

npm install git+https://github.com/owner/repo.git

v1.0.0

Specific commit

npm install git+https://github.com/owner/repo.git

abc1234

Default branch (omit #)

npm install git+https://github.com/owner/repo.git SSH Method (With SSH Key Setup) npm install -g git+ssh://git@github.com:JEO-tech-ai/supercode.git

main

Verbose Logging npm install -g git+https://github.com/JEO-tech-ai/supercode.git

main --verbose

1. npm install Flow What npm performs when installing from a Git URL:
2. Git Clone └─ Clone repository at specified branch (#main) ↓
3. Install Dependencies └─ Install dependencies in package.json ↓
4. Run Prepare Script └─ Run "prepare" script (TypeScript compile, build, etc.) ↓
5. Register Global Binary └─ Link executable from bin field to global path Internal Operation

What npm does internally

git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git /tmp/npm-xxx cd /tmp/npm-xxx git checkout main npm install npm run prepare

Run if exists

cp -r . /usr/local/lib/node_modules/repo/ ln -s .. /lib/node_modules/repo/bin/cli.js /usr/local/bin/repo 3. Verify Installation Location

Check global npm path

npm root -g

macOS/Linux: /usr/local/lib/node_modules

Windows: C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules

Check installed package

npm list -g < package-name

Check binary location

which < command

or

npm bin -g Installation Locations by Platform Platform Package Location Binary Location macOS/Linux /usr/local/lib/node_modules/ /usr/local/bin/ Windows %AppData%\npm\node_modules\ %AppData%\npm\ nvm (macOS) ~/.nvm/versions/node/vX.X.X/lib/node_modules/ ~/.nvm/versions/node/vX.X.X/bin/ 4. Add Dependencies to package.json Use Git URL in dependencies { "dependencies" : { "supercode" : "git+https://github.com/JEO-tech-ai/supercode.git#main" , "my-package" : "git+ssh://git@github.com:owner/repo.git#v1.0.0" , "another-pkg" : "github:owner/repo#branch" } } Shorthand Syntax { "dependencies" : { "pkg1" : "github:owner/repo" , "pkg2" : "github:owner/repo#branch" , "pkg3" : "github:owner/repo#v1.0.0" , "pkg4" : "github:owner/repo#commit-sha" } } 5. Install from Private Repositories SSH Key Method (Recommended)

1. Generate SSH key

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

2. Register public key on GitHub

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

GitHub → Settings → SSH Keys → New SSH Key

3. Install via SSH method

npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:owner/private-repo.git Personal Access Token Method

1. Create PAT on GitHub

GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens

2. Install with token in URL

npm install git+https:// < token

@github.com/owner/private-repo.git

3. Use environment variable (recommended for security)

export GITHUB_TOKEN = ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx npm install git+https:// ${GITHUB_TOKEN} @github.com/owner/private-repo.git .npmrc Configuration

~/.npmrc

//github.com/:_authToken

${GITHUB_TOKEN} 6. Common Errors & Solutions Permission denied (EACCES)

Method 1: Change ownership

sudo chown -R $( whoami ) /usr/local/lib/node_modules

Method 2: Change npm directory (recommended)

mkdir ~/.npm-global npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global' echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH'

~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc Git Not Installed

macOS

brew install git

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt-get install git

Windows

https://git-scm.com/download/win

GitHub Authentication Error

Test SSH connection

ssh -T git@github.com

Cache credentials

git config --global credential.helper store

or macOS

git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain prepare Script Failure

For TypeScript projects

npm install -g typescript

Verbose log on build failure

npm install git+https:// .. . --verbose 2

&1 | tee npm-install.log Cache Issues

Clear npm cache

npm cache clean --force

Reinstall

npm uninstall -g < package

npm install -g git+https:// .. . 7. Update & Manage Update

Update to latest version (reinstall)

npm uninstall -g < package

npm install -g git+https://github.com/owner/repo.git

main

Update package.json dependency

npm update < package

Check Version

Check installed version

npm list -g < package

Check remote latest commit

git ls-remote https://github.com/owner/repo.git HEAD Remove npm uninstall -g < package

1. Cursor/VS Code Extension Integration Example Supercode Installation Example

Global install

npm install -g git+https://github.com/JEO-tech-ai/supercode.git

main

Verify installation

supercode

--version

Project Configuration File

// .supercoderc or supercode.config.json

{

"aiRules"

:

{

"enabled"

:

true

,

"techStack"

:

[

"TypeScript"

,

"React"

,

"Node.js"

]

}

,

"smartActions"

:

[

{

"name"

:

"Generate Documentation"

,

"icon"

:

"docs"

,

"prompt"

:

"Generate comprehensive documentation"

}

]

,

"architectureMode"

:

{

"enabled"

:

true

,

"detailLevel"

:

"detailed"

}

}

9. Best Practices

DO (Recommended)

Use Specific Version/Tag

Pin version with

v1.0.0

format

Prefer SSH Method

Use SSH key when accessing private repos

Manage Token via Environment Variables

Store PAT in env vars

Commit Lockfile

Ensure reproducibility by committing package-lock.json

Use Verbose Option

Check detailed logs when issues occur

DON'T (Prohibited)

Hardcode Tokens

Do not input tokens directly in package.json

Depend on Latest Commit

Use tags instead of

main

in production

Abuse sudo

Resolve permission issues with directory configuration

Ignore Cache

Clear cache when experiencing unusual behavior

Constraints

Required Rules (MUST)

Git Must Be Installed

Verify git is installed before npm git URL install

Network Access

Environment with access to GitHub required

Node.js Version

Check engines field in package.json

Prohibited (MUST NOT)

Expose Auth Tokens

Do not expose tokens in logs or code

Indiscriminate sudo

Resolve permission issues with configuration

Use #main in Production

Pin to specific version/tag

References

npm-install Official Documentation

How To Install NPM Packages Directly From GitHub

npm install from GitHub - Stack Overflow

Working with the npm registry - GitHub Docs

Metadata

Version

Current Version

1.0.0

Last Updated

2026-01-10

Compatible Platforms

Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Opencode