Node dependency/permission errors when installing expo-cli - node.js

Question

I am trying to install expo to use react native, using npm install -g expo-cli but I get huge error logs.
I tried to chown /usr/local using sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(brew --prefix)/* /usr/local and sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local but I get chown: /usr/local: Operation not permitted. I tried updating node and npm, deleting them, reinstalling them, updating with homebrew, installing expo-cli with homebrew. I tried sudo installing. I get similar errors. I tried yarn add global expo-cli and I got almost the exact same output that I got from npm install -g expo-cli about the dependencies.
Here's the output I get in terminal from running npm install -g expo-cli:
npm WARN deprecated joi#11.4.0: This version has been deprecated in accordance with the hapi support policy (hapi.im/support). Please upgrade to the latest version to get the best features, bug fixes, and security patches. If you are unable to upgrade at this time, paid support is available for older versions (hapi.im/commercial).
npm WARN deprecated hoek#4.2.1: This version has been deprecated in accordance with the hapi support policy (hapi.im/support). Please upgrade to the latest version to get the best features, bug fixes, and security patches. If you are unable to upgrade at this time, paid support is available for older versions (hapi.im/commercial).
npm WARN deprecated topo#2.0.2: This version has been deprecated in accordance with the hapi support policy (hapi.im/support). Please upgrade to the latest version to get the best features, bug fixes, and security patches. If you are unable to upgrade at this time, paid support is available for older versions (hapi.im/commercial).
npm WARN deprecated hoek#6.1.3: This module has moved and is now available at #hapi/hoek. Please update your dependencies as this version is no longer maintained an may contain bugs and security issues.
npm WARN deprecated topo#3.0.3: This module has moved and is now available at #hapi/topo. Please update your dependencies as this version is no longer maintained an may contain bugs and security issues.
npm WARN checkPermissions Missing write access to /usr/local/lib/node_modules
npm WARN #expo/dev-tools#0.5.14 requires a peer of #expo/xdl#^53.8.0 but none is installed. You must install peer dependencies yourself.
npm WARN ts-pnp#1.1.2 requires a peer of typescript#* but none is installed. You must install peer dependencies yourself.
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules
npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! errno -13
npm ERR! syscall access
npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, access '/usr/local/lib/node_modules'
npm ERR! { [Error: EACCES: permission denied, access '/usr/local/lib/node_modules']
npm ERR! stack:
npm ERR! 'Error: EACCES: permission denied, access \'/usr/local/lib/node_modules\'',
npm ERR! errno: -13,
npm ERR! code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR! syscall: 'access',
npm ERR! path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules' }
npm ERR!
npm ERR! The operation was rejected by your operating system.
npm ERR! It is likely you do not have the permissions to access this file as the current user
npm ERR!
npm ERR! If you believe this might be a permissions issue, please double-check the
npm ERR! permissions of the file and its containing directories, or try running
npm ERR! the command again as root/Administrator (though this is not recommended).
When I try to use yarn add I get the same errors about dependencies but instead of the "npm ERR!" part I get:
[2/4] 🚚 Fetching packages...
info #expo/traveling-fastlane-linux#1.9.4: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/traveling-fastlane-linux#1.9.4" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-darwin-ia32#2.2.8: The CPU architecture "x64" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-darwin-ia32#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm#2.2.8: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm#2.2.8: The CPU architecture "x64" is incompatible with this module.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm64#2.2.8: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm64#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm64#2.2.8: The CPU architecture "x64" is incompatible with this module.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-x64#2.2.8: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-x64#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-ia32#2.2.8: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-ia32#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-ia32#2.2.8: The CPU architecture "x64" is incompatible with this module.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-x64#2.2.8: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-x64#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-sunos-x64#2.2.8: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-sunos-x64#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-win32-ia32#2.2.8-beta.1: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-win32-ia32#2.2.8-beta.1" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-win32-ia32#2.2.8-beta.1: The CPU architecture "x64" is incompatible with this module.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-win32-x64#2.2.8-beta.1: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-win32-x64#2.2.8-beta.1" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-ia32#2.2.8: The platform "darwin" is incompatible with this module.
info "#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-ia32#2.2.8" is an optional dependency and failed compatibility check. Excluding it from installation.
info #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-ia32#2.2.8: The CPU architecture "x64" is incompatible with this module.
[3/4] 🔗 Linking dependencies...
warning "expo-cli > #expo/dev-tools#0.5.14" has incorrect peer dependency "#expo/xdl#^53.8.0".
error An unexpected error occurred: "EACCES: permission denied, unlink '/Users/<username>/node_modules/.bin/detect-libc'".
info If you think this is a bug, please open a bug report with the information provided in "/Users/<username>/yarn-error.log".
info Visit https://yarnpkg.com/en/docs/cli/add for documentation about this command.
When I run sudo npm install -g expo-cli I get the following:
npm WARN deprecated joi#14.0.4: This version has been deprecated in accordance with the hapi support policy (hapi.im/support). Please upgrade to the latest version to get the best features, bug fixes, and security patches. If you are unable to upgrade at this time, paid support is available for older versions (hapi.im/commercial).
npm WARN deprecated joi#11.4.0: This version has been deprecated in accordance with the hapi support policy (hapi.im/support). Please upgrade to the latest version to get the best features, bug fixes, and security patches. If you are unable to upgrade at this time, paid support is available for older versions (hapi.im/commercial).
npm WARN deprecated topo#2.0.2: This version has been deprecated in accordance with the hapi support policy (hapi.im/support). Please upgrade to the latest version to get the best features, bug fixes, and security patches. If you are unable to upgrade at this time, paid support is available for older versions (hapi.im/commercial).
npm WARN deprecated hoek#4.2.1: This version has been deprecated in accordance with the hapi support policy (hapi.im/support). Please upgrade to the latest version to get the best features, bug fixes, and security patches. If you are unable to upgrade at this time, paid support is available for older versions (hapi.im/commercial).
npm WARN deprecated topo#3.0.3: This module has moved and is now available at #hapi/topo. Please update your dependencies as this version is no longer maintained an may contain bugs and security issues.
npm WARN deprecated hoek#6.1.3: This module has moved and is now available at #hapi/hoek. Please update your dependencies as this version is no longer maintained an may contain bugs and security issues.
> #expo/traveling-fastlane-darwin#1.9.4 preinstall /usr/local/lib/node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/traveling-fastlane-darwin
> node platform.js
shell-init: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
path.js:1077
path = process.cwd();
^
Error: EACCES: permission denied, uv_cwd
at Object.resolve (path.js:1077:24)
at startup (internal/bootstrap/node.js:269:32)
at bootstrapNodeJSCore (internal/bootstrap/node.js:622:3)
/usr/local/bin/expo-cli -> /usr/local/lib/node_modules/expo-cli/bin/expo.js
/usr/local/bin/expo -> /usr/local/lib/node_modules/expo-cli/bin/expo.js
> fsevents#1.2.9 install /usr/local/lib/node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/fsevents
> node install
shell-init: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
path.js:1077
path = process.cwd();
^
Error: EACCES: permission denied, uv_cwd
at Object.resolve (path.js:1077:24)
at startup (internal/bootstrap/node.js:269:32)
at bootstrapNodeJSCore (internal/bootstrap/node.js:622:3)
> iltorb#2.4.3 install /usr/local/lib/node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/iltorb
> node ./scripts/install.js || node-gyp rebuild
shell-init: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
path.js:1077
path = process.cwd();
^
Error: EACCES: permission denied, uv_cwd
at Object.resolve (path.js:1077:24)
at startup (internal/bootstrap/node.js:269:32)
at bootstrapNodeJSCore (internal/bootstrap/node.js:622:3)
sh: node-gyp: command not found
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
> sharp#0.22.1 install /usr/local/lib/node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/sharp
> (node install/libvips && node install/dll-copy && prebuild-install) || (node-gyp rebuild && node install/dll-copy)
shell-init: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
path.js:1077
path = process.cwd();
^
Error: EACCES: permission denied, uv_cwd
at Object.resolve (path.js:1077:24)
at startup (internal/bootstrap/node.js:269:32)
at bootstrapNodeJSCore (internal/bootstrap/node.js:622:3)
sh: node-gyp: command not found
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: Permission denied
npm WARN #expo/dev-tools#0.5.14 requires a peer of #expo/xdl#^53.8.0 but none is installed. You must install peer dependencies yourself.
npm WARN ts-pnp#1.1.2 requires a peer of typescript#* but none is installed. You must install peer dependencies yourself.
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/traveling-fastlane-linux#1.9.4 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/traveling-fastlane-linux):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/traveling-fastlane-linux#1.9.4: wanted {"os":"win32,linux","arch":"any"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-win32-x64#2.2.8-beta.1 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-win32-x64):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-win32-x64#2.2.8-beta.1: wanted {"os":"win32","arch":"x64"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-win32-ia32#2.2.8-beta.1 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-win32-ia32):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-win32-ia32#2.2.8-beta.1: wanted {"os":"win32","arch":"ia32"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-sunos-x64#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-sunos-x64):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-sunos-x64#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"sunos","arch":"x64"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-x64#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-x64):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-x64#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"linux","arch":"x64"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-ia32#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-ia32):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-ia32#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"linux","arch":"ia32"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm64#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm64):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm64#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"linux","arch":"arm64"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-linux-arm#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"linux","arch":"arm"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-ia32#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-ia32):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-ia32#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"freebsd","arch":"ia32"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-x64#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-x64):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-freebsd-x64#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"freebsd","arch":"x64"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/ngrok-bin-darwin-ia32#2.2.8 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/ngrok-bin-darwin-ia32):
npm WARN notsup SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Unsupported platform for #expo/ngrok-bin-darwin-ia32#2.2.8: wanted {"os":"darwin","arch":"ia32"} (current: {"os":"darwin","arch":"x64"})
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/traveling-fastlane-darwin#1.9.4 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/#expo/traveling-fastlane-darwin):
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: #expo/traveling-fastlane-darwin#1.9.4 preinstall: `node platform.js`
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Exit status 1
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: fsevents#1.2.9 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/fsevents):
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: fsevents#1.2.9 install: `node install`
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: Exit status 1
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: iltorb#2.4.3 (node_modules/expo-cli/node_modules/iltorb):
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: iltorb#2.4.3 install: `node ./scripts/install.js || node-gyp rebuild`
npm WARN optional SKIPPING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY: spawn ENOENT
npm ERR! file sh
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall spawn
npm ERR! sharp#0.22.1 install: `(node install/libvips && node install/dll-copy && prebuild-install) || (node-gyp rebuild && node install/dll-copy)`
npm ERR! spawn ENOENT
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the sharp#0.22.1 install script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
I expected the output to say something like expo installed ok but instead it gives me the error logs about dependencies and permissions.

Answer 1

You need to have super user access to install a package globally. Try:
sudo npm install -g expo-cli

Answer 2

You can use npx alternative of npm install.
I can't fix the error, but
$ npx expo init Awesomeproject
works.
The only disadvantage of using npx is taking more time than using preinstalled expo.
Try npx!

Answer 3

The best solution I found, as this is related to some new permissions controls in macOS is to use option 2 here: https://github.com/mixonic/docs.npmjs.com/blob/master/content/getting-started/fixing-npm-permissions.md
This changes your default home folder for global modules, which may require reinstallation of others when it’s time to update, but won’t affect those already installed.
Otherwise an unsafe method of doing it is:
sudo npm i -g --unsafe-perm expo-cli