[BUG] npm ls --all --omit=dev includes dev dependencies of dependencies

[hybridherbst]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

Potentially related:

• [BUG] npm ls --prod is not omitting dev deps of workspaces #3382

When using the --omit=dev flag, my expectation is that all dev dependencies are excluded. However, what seems to happen is that only the dev dependencies of the root package are excluded – dev dependencies of local dependency packages are still included. This is unexpected.

Expected Behavior

All devDependencies should be omitted when --omit=dev is used. Not just the devDependencies from the root package.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Go to https://stackblitz.com/edit/vitejs-vite-jsxtyx?file=packages%2Fmy-package%2Fpackage.json&terminal=dev
2. Run npm ls --all --omit=dev
3. Note that typescript, a devDependency of a child package, is included in the list but shouldn't

Output:

❯ npm ls --all --omit=dev
[email protected] /home/projects/vitejs-vite-jsxtyx
`-- [email protected] -> ./packages/my-package
  `-- [email protected]

package.json of my-package:

{
  "name": "my-package",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "displayName": "My Package",
  "devDependencies": {
    "typescript": "^5.6.3"
  }
}

Environment

• npm: 10.8.2
• Node.js: v20.9.0
• OS Name: MacOS 15.1
• System Model Name: Macbook Pro
• npm config:

; "user" config from /Users/herbst/.npmrc
registry = "https://registry.npmjs.org"
; node bin location = /usr/local/bin/node
; node version = v20.9.0
; npm local prefix = /Users/herbst/git/...../js/package~
; npm version = 10.8.2
; cwd = /Users/herbst/git/....../js/package~
; HOME = /Users/herbst
; Run `npm config ls -l` to show all defaults.

[kchindam-infy]

@hybridherbst --omit=dev will not install dev dependencies on the file system but the dependencies will be still resolved. (Documentation npm ci --omit=dev )

[hybridherbst]

@kchindam-infy the issue I opened is about the behaviour of npm ls, not about installation of dependencies. npm ls lists the existing dependencies of a package tree, and currently incorrectly only omits the devDependencies of the root package. The devDependencies of local dependencies are included despite --omit=dev, which I think is a bug.

[wraithgar]

This is not a bug, it's a side effect of using linked dependencies. Normally the dev dependencies of your packages are not installed, so anything in the tree that exists under one of your dependencies is also a dependency.

Because you've linked in a package, that assumption breaks. This is just a side effect of using linked deps and it is not something we plan on changing.

[hybridherbst]

I think this is very misleading, and there is no workaround to this bug.

If ls --all --omit=dev does not actually omit dev dependencies I'm not sure how this can be anything else but a bug.
Would I run ls --all --omit=dev in the linked dependency, it would exclude aka omit the dev dependencies. Just because I run it in the root package it does not omit the dev dependencies. Why would --omit=dev not also exclude the dev dependencies of linked packages?