jackwener/OpenCLI · error · ArgumentError

npm package name is required (e.g. "react", "@vercel/og")

Error message

npm package name is required (e.g. "react", "@vercel/og")

What it means

requirePackageName rejects empty or whitespace-only package names with the message `npm package name is required (e.g. "react", "@vercel/og")`. It guards the `name` argument of the downloads/package commands before any fetch happens; the message hints at both plain and scoped name forms.

Source

Thrown at clis/npm/utils.js:20

// (registry.npmjs.org) and download stats API (api.npmjs.org).
import { ArgumentError, CommandExecutionError, EmptyResultError } from '@jackwener/opencli/errors';

export const NPM_REGISTRY = 'https://registry.npmjs.org';
export const NPM_API = 'https://api.npmjs.org';
const UA = 'opencli-npm-adapter (+https://github.com/jackwener/opencli)';

// npm package names: 1-214 chars, lowercase letters/numbers/-._ , scoped form `@scope/name`.
const PKG_NAME = /^(?:@[a-z0-9][a-z0-9._-]*\/)?[a-z0-9][a-z0-9._-]*$/i;

export function requireString(value, label) {
    const s = String(value ?? '').trim();
    if (!s) throw new ArgumentError(`npm ${label} cannot be empty`);
    return s;
}

export function requirePackageName(value) {
    const s = String(value ?? '').trim();
    if (!s) throw new ArgumentError('npm package name is required (e.g. "react", "@vercel/og")');
    if (s.length > 214) {
        throw new ArgumentError(`npm package name "${value}" is too long (max 214 chars)`);
    }
    if (!PKG_NAME.test(s)) {
        throw new ArgumentError(
            `npm package name "${value}" is not a valid registry name`,
            'Names are 1–214 chars of lowercase a-z / 0-9 / "-._" (scoped form: "@scope/name").',
        );
    }
    return s;
}

export function requireBoundedInt(value, defaultValue, maxValue, label = 'limit') {
    const raw = value ?? defaultValue;
    const n = typeof raw === 'number' ? raw : Number(raw);
    if (!Number.isInteger(n) || n <= 0) {
        throw new ArgumentError(`npm ${label} must be a positive integer`);
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 49907e53dc)

Solutions

1. Provide the name argument: `npm package --name react` or `npm downloads --name @vercel/og`.
2. In scripts, verify the variable holding the name is non-empty before calling.
3. For scoped packages include the full form `@scope/name`.
4. Catch ArgumentError in your CLI wrapper to show usage help.

Example fix

// before
await npmPackage({ name: '' }); // ArgumentError
// after
const name = (process.env.PKG ?? '').trim();
if (!name) throw new Error('PKG is required, e.g. PKG=react');
await npmPackage({ name });

function isPlausibleName(v) {
  return typeof v === 'string' && v.trim().length > 0 && v.trim().length <= 214;
}
if (!isPlausibleName(args.name)) throw new Error('Provide an npm package name, e.g. react or @scope/name');

function isNonEmptyName(v) {
  return typeof v === 'string' && v.trim().length >= 1;
}

try {
  return await npmPackage({ name });
} catch (e) {
  if (e.name === 'ArgumentError' && /name is required/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error('Usage: npm package --name <pkg>');
    return null;
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `npm downloads` or `npm package` without a --name flag, with `--name ""`, or programmatically passing undefined/null for args.name.

Common situations: Omitting the name flag on the command line; an empty env variable interpolated as the name in scripts; refactored code that no longer forwards args.name.

Related errors

• npm ${label} cannot be empty
• npm package name "${value}" is too long (max 214 chars)
• npm package name "${value}" is not a valid registry name
• npm ${label} must be a positive integer
• npm ${label} must be <= ${maxValue}

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cb46eaba7a96a638. Report an issue: GitHub.