The npm 12 requirement (f88ed6c717) strands every system-Node install:
no shipping Node bundles npm >=12, engine-strict makes EBADENGINE fatal,
and the recovery in npm_engine.py refuses to touch a system npm — so
'hermes update' leaves the install in a mixed state (updated code, stale
Node deps, no TUI/web/desktop rebuild) with only a manual-fix hint.
Instead of modifying the user's toolchain (still never done), the
EBADENGINE recovery now provisions Hermes' own managed Node tree under
$HERMES_HOME/node — the same pinned-nodejs.org path install.sh and
install.ps1 use — upgrades THAT npm into the required range, and hands
the caller the managed npm for its single retry.
- hermes_constants.bootstrap_hermes_managed_node(): cross-platform
provisioning (POSIX via node-bootstrap.sh _nb_install_bundled_node,
Windows via the existing portable-zip download); reuses a healthy tree.
- node-bootstrap.sh: HERMES_NODE_SKIP_LINKS=1 skips the ~/.local/bin
node/npm/npx symlinks so the private tree never shadows the user's
own toolchain on PATH.
- maybe_repair_npm_engine() now returns the npm path to retry with
(managed-in-place upgrade or freshly provisioned runtime); both call
sites retry with the returned path and put the managed tree first on
PATH so npm lifecycle scripts resolve the managed node.
- Node-only mismatches on a foreign npm are now also recoverable (the
managed tree ships a supported Node); on a managed npm they still
correctly decline.
E2E (real download, temp HERMES_HOME): provisioned node v22.23.2,
upgraded bundled npm 10.9.4 -> 12.0.2, system npm byte-identical after,
no ~/.local/bin links re-pointed, healthy-tree reuse in 0.05s.
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