package.json config ignored

[davidje13]

The package.json version of configuring detect_chromedriver_version listed in the readme doesn't work any more:

package.json

{
  "dependencies": { "chromedriver": "143.x" },
  "config": { "detect_chromedriver_version": true }
}

npm install --foreground-scripts

[email protected] install
node install.js

Saving to file: /var/folders/_3/1g2w0nys3cl5_0hscz3qrgt00000gn/T/143.0.7499.40/chromedriver/chromedriver-mac-arm64.zip
ChromeDriver binary exists. Validating...
ChromeDriver is already available at '/var/folders/_3/1g2w0nys3cl5_0hscz3qrgt00000gn/T/143.0.7499.40/chromedriver/chromedriver-mac-arm64/chromedriver'.
Copying from /var/folders/_3/1g2w0nys3cl5_0hscz3qrgt00000gn/T/143.0.7499.40/chromedriver/chromedriver-mac-arm64 to target path /[snip]/node_modules/chromedriver/lib/chromedriver
Fixing file permissions.
Done. ChromeDriver binary available at /[snip]/node_modules/chromedriver/lib/chromedriver/chromedriver

added 72 packages, and audited 73 packages in 2s

7 packages are looking for funding
  run `npm fund` for details

found 0 vulnerabilities

Compare that output with using an environment variable for the same purpose:

DETECT_CHROMEDRIVER_VERSION=true npm install --foreground-scripts

[...]
Your Chrome version is 143.0.7499.41
Finding Chromedriver version.
Chromedriver version is 143.0.7499.40.
Compatible ChromeDriver version is 143.0.7499.40
[...]

In the first case, it behaves as if we didn't specify detect_chromedriver_version at all (in this specific example we end up with the same version anyway, but the first run didn't check the installed version and just used its default).

Adding a debug script:

{
  "scripts": {"install": "env | grep npm_package"},
  "dependencies": { "chromedriver": "143.x" },
  "config": { "detect_chromedriver_version": true }
}

npm_package_json=/[snip]/package.json
npm_package_config_detect_chromedriver_version=true
npm_lifecycle_script=env | grep npm_package

So the environment variable does seem to be getting set correctly by NPM.

This also applies to other config options (e.g. "config": { "chromedriver_version": "LATEST_80" } is ignored).

Node.js version: v24.10.0, v24.11.1 NPM version: 11.6.1, 11.6.2 chromedriver package version: 143.0.0

[davidje13]

I ran another test building+installing a stub package and I see that it's an NPM behaviour: it's setting npm_package_* environment variables based on the installed package's package.json, not the installer's package.json.

Presumably this is a recent change in NPM's behaviour (maybe it previously merged them?)

It might be better to load the installer's package.json explicitly (from join(process.env.npm_config_local_prefix, 'package.json')), because presuambly npm_package_* was always intended to be info about the current package, rather than the root.