[BUG] Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'description')

[vrubezhny]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• [X] I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• [X] I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

For some dependencies in a project's package.json a TypeError occurs when npm ll -a is executed. For example,, if package.json contains the following dependenciy:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "ws": "8.11.0"
  }
}

the following error occurs when executing npm ll -a:

$ npm --version
8.19.2
$ npm ll -a
npm ERR! Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'description')

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!   ~`.npm/_logs/2022-12-13T20_36_19_543Z-debug-0.log

while the log file contains the following stacktrace:

9 verbose stack TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'description')
39 verbose stack     at getHumanOutputItem (~/.nvm/versions/node/v18.12.1/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/commands/ls.js:339:35)
39 verbose stack     at visit (~/.nvm/versions/node/v18.12.1/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/commands/ls.js:160:15)
39 verbose stack     at visitNode (~/.nvm/versions/node/v18.12.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/treeverse/lib/breadth.js:37:25)
39 verbose stack     at next (~/.nvm/versions/node/v18.12.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/treeverse/lib/breadth.js:23:19)
39 verbose stack     at ~/.nvm/versions/node/v18.12.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/treeverse/lib/breadth.js:25:31
39 verbose stack     at async LL.exec (~/.nvm/versions/node/v18.12.1/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/commands/ls.js:122:20)
39 verbose stack     at async module.exports (~/.nvm/versions/node/v18.12.1/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/cli.js:78:5)

Expected Behavior

Full dependency tree to be printed for a project

Steps To Reproduce

1. Tested on Linux with NPM v.8.19.2
2. With a project that has a dependency like the following:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "ws": "8.11.0"
  }
}

3. Run 'npm ll -a'
4. See error...

Environment

• npm: 8.19.2
• Node.js: v18.12.1
• OS Name:Fedora Linux 36 (Workstation Edition)

[pniederlag]

this is a quite annoying bug that seems to affect almost any nodejs/npm version

node 15.14.0 npm 7.7.6 node 16.20.0 npm 8.19.4 node 18.16.0 npm 9.5.1 node 20.5.1 npm 9.8.0

anything we can do to get this fixed? #5962 seems good to me

[Chardrazle]

Still present on v11. E.g. (with package as demonstrated by OP):

$ node --version
v20.17.0
$ npm --version
11.0.0
$ npm i ws
$ npm ls --all --long
npm error Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'description')

[tomchiverton]

npm ls -a seems to be a good workaround. IDK what ll vs ls means other than one working and one not