# Node

> Use Node and npm in this repo for the markdownlint git hook and other node tooling. Use when running npm or npx committing or pushing from a script or background job on WSL or debugging a node-based hook that resolves the wrong node binary.

- Skill: `niksavis/node` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add niksavis/node`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/niksavis/node/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: niksavis (https://skillmd.com/u/niksavis)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/niksavis/node

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<!-- Generated by `basicly skills-build` from skill.yaml. Do not edit; edit the source. -->

# Node

Node in this repo is narrow but load-bearing: the markdownlint git hook runs
`npx --no-install markdownlint-cli2`, resolving the `markdownlint-cli2`
devDependency pinned in `package.json` / `package-lock.json`. If the wrong node
is on `PATH`, that hook breaks and blocks commits.

## The WSL non-interactive-shell trap (the one that bites)

A login shell sources your profile, which loads the version manager (nvm) and
puts the repo's node on `PATH`. A *non-interactive* shell — a script, a
background job, a git hook launched by a headless agent — does **not** source
that profile, so `npx`/`node` can resolve to a Windows node install reached over
WSL interop instead of the Linux one. markdownlint (and any node-based hook) then
runs under the wrong node, or fails outright, only from scripts and background
jobs — never when you commit by hand in your terminal.

Fix: put the repo's node on `PATH` before you commit or push from a script or
background job. The exact recipe is in
[references/wsl-node-path.md](references/wsl-node-path.md).

## npm hygiene

- `npm ci` (not `npm install`) for a reproducible install from
  `package-lock.json`; commit the lockfile with any dependency change.
- `npx --no-install <tool>` runs the pinned local devDependency and refuses to
  silently fetch a different version from the network — keep the `--no-install`.
- Keep the node footprint minimal: this repo ships one devDependency on purpose.
  Adding a dependency is a confirmation-gated change, not a reflex.