nodejs/node · error · Error

Package name must be specified either as an argument or in t

Error message

Package name must be specified either as an argument or in the package.json file

What it means

Thrown by `npm trust revoke` when neither a positional package name nor a resolvable package.json `name` is available. revoke needs the escaped name to DELETE `/-/package/<escapedName>/trust/<id>`. optionalPkgJson returns {} on any read failure so pkgName stays undefined.

Source

Thrown at deps/npm/lib/commands/trust/revoke.js:32

    '[package] --id=<trust-id>',
  ]

  static definitions = [
    new Definition('id', {
      default: null,
      type: String,
      description: 'ID of the trusted relationship to revoke',
      required: true,
    }),
    globalDefinitions['dry-run'],
    globalDefinitions.registry,
  ]

  async exec (positionalArgs, flags) {
    const dryRun = this.config.get('dry-run')
    const pkgName = positionalArgs[0] || (await this.optionalPkgJson()).name
    if (!pkgName) {
      throw new Error('Package name must be specified either as an argument or in the package.json file')
    }
    const { id } = flags
    if (!id) {
      throw new Error('ID of the trusted relationship to revoke must be specified with the --id option')
    }
    this.dialogue`Attempting to revoke trusted configuration for package ${pkgName} with id ${id}`
    if (dryRun) {
      return
    }
    const spec = npa(pkgName)
    const uri = `/-/package/${spec.escapedName}/trust/${encodeURIComponent(id)}`
    await otplease(this.npm, this.npm.flatOptions, opts => npmFetch(uri, {
      ...opts,
      method: 'DELETE',
    }))
    this.dialogue`Revoked trusted configuration for package ${pkgName} with id ${id}`
  }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 1b2de5e052)

Solutions

1. Pass the package name positionally: `npm trust revoke <pkg> --id <id>`.
2. Run inside the package's own directory so package.json provides the name.
3. Add/restore the `name` field in the local package.json.

Example fix

// before
npm trust revoke --id abc123
// after
npm trust revoke @my-scope/my-pkg --id abc123

const pkgName = positionalArg || (await readPkgJsonSafe()).name
if (!pkgName) {
  throw new Error('Provide the package name positionally or via package.json#name before revoking')
}

const hasUsableName = (positional, pkg) =>
  Boolean(positional) || Boolean(pkg && pkg.name)

try {
  await trustRevoke.exec([maybePkg], { id })
} catch (err) {
  if (/Package name must be specified/i.test(err.message)) {
    // supply positional package and retry
  } else { throw err }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `npm trust revoke --id <id>` from a directory with no package.json or one lacking a name; forgetting the positional argument.

Common situations: Revoking a trust relationship for a package whose checkout you no longer have open; running from a CI working dir that only checked out a subpath; script automation that omits the positional.

Related errors

• Package name must be specified either as an argument or in t
• Package name must be specified either as an argument or in p
• ${providerEntity} must be specified with ${entityKey} option
• ${this.constructor.providerEntity} must be specified in the
• GitLab CI/CD pipeline file must be just a file not a path

AI-assisted analysis of nodejs/node@1b2de5e052 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2b31e9a0c477f479. Report an issue: GitHub.