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n8n - ✅(Solved) Fix `npx n8n` fails with ETARGET for [email protected] while npm install n8n works [1 pull requests, 1 comments, 2 participants]

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n8n-io/n8n#28617•Fetched 2026-04-18 05:57:09
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Author
natnaelabnatnaelab
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n8n-assistant[bot]n8n-assistant[bot]natnaelabnatnaelab
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Fix Action

Fixed

PR fix notes

PR #28636: fix(nodes-base): Bundle xlsx to fix npx install resolution failure

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Running npx n8n fails with ETARGET No matching version found for [email protected] on npm 11 because libnpmexec resolves URL-based dependencies differently from a regular npm install, causing it to look up the SheetJS CDN package in the npm registry where it doesn't exist. Adding xlsx to bundledDependencies embeds it directly in the published tarball, so npm never needs to resolve it externally. Fixes #28617

Changed files

  • packages/nodes-base/package.json (modified, +3/-0)

Code Example

npm ERR! code ETARGET
npm ERR! notarget No matching version found for xlsx@0.20.2.

### Expected behavior

`npx n8n` should install and run successfully.

### Debug Info

From the npm debug log, the failure goes through registry resolution during `libnpmexec`:
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug Description

Running npx n8n fails with ETARGET for [email protected], even though direct installs succeed.

Direct installs that work:

Published package metadata also looks correct:

So this appears to be specific to the npx / npm exec path.

To Reproduce

  1. Use Node.js v24.14.1
  2. Use npm 11.11.0
  3. Run npx n8n
  4. Confirm installation when prompted

The command fails with:

npm ERR! code ETARGET
npm ERR! notarget No matching version found for [email protected].

### Expected behavior

`npx n8n` should install and run successfully.

### Debug Info

From the npm debug log, the failure goes through registry resolution during `libnpmexec`:

```text
verbose stack xlsx: No matching version found for [email protected].
verbose stack     at module.exports (.../npm-pick-manifest/lib/index.js:210:23)
verbose stack     at RegistryFetcher.manifest (.../pacote/lib/registry.js:130:54)
verbose stack     at async RegistryFetcher.resolve (.../pacote/lib/registry.js:55:5)
verbose stack     at async #extractOrLink (.../@npmcli/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js:722:7)
verbose stack     at async Arborist.reify (.../@npmcli/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js:121:5)
verbose stack     at async .../libnpmexec/lib/with-lock.js:58:19

Operating System

macOS 26.4.1

n8n Version

2.16.1

Node.js Version

24.14.1

Database

SQLite (default)

Execution mode

main (default)

Hosting

self hosted

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue is likely due to npx and npm exec not handling the custom xlsx package URL correctly, causing the installation to fail with an ETARGET error.

Guidance

  • Verify that the xlsx package is correctly referenced in the n8n-nodes-base package by checking the package.json file.
  • Try installing n8n using npm install instead of npx to see if the issue is specific to npx.
  • Check the npm registry configuration to ensure it is not blocking or modifying the custom xlsx package URL.
  • Consider using a different version of xlsx that is available on the npm registry to see if the issue is specific to version 0.20.2.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue seems to be related to package installation and registry configuration.

Notes

The issue may be specific to the combination of npx, npm exec, and the custom xlsx package URL. Further investigation is needed to determine the root cause.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Try installing n8n using npm install instead of npx to avoid the issue. This may help to isolate the problem and determine if it's specific to npx or a more general issue with package installation.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

npx n8n should install and run successfully.

#installation#autograd error#model save/load#optimization#mixed precision

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n8n - ✅(Solved) Fix `npx n8n` fails with ETARGET for xlsx@0.20.2 while npm install n8n works [1 pull requests, 1 comments, 2 participants]