[BUG] Inconsistent output of 'npm audit'

[rfalke-rtl]

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

npm audit returns different output when run multiple times. This makes it harder to use tools like https://www.npmjs.com/package/audit-ci and causes flaky pipelines. Also adding --package-lock-only doesn't help.

Expected Behavior

Consistent output.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Clone https://github.com/rfalke-rtl/npm-audit-bug
2. Run test-audit-consistency.sh

Sample output:

> ./test-audit-consistency.sh
Testing npm audit consistency with 10 runs...
Output directory: /var/folders/4j/d6nz8zr94rn70ypkm8x9gz400000gp/T/tmp.AE03msU4fZ
NPM version: 11.6.2

Run   1: 48b12ee627b9196b18be0df697befd3b01c9161c98a667b202a552d84e126e2b
Run   2: dabd5714c076ddfaeb7bc9a61d5e1ec0caf427aac093ceff67306dc35ec78e89
Run   3: dabd5714c076ddfaeb7bc9a61d5e1ec0caf427aac093ceff67306dc35ec78e89
Run   4: dd931c0f1e61d1c0f1c46c70c658dff994989335e20ef246d1a2b7eeea2f4b6f
Run   5: dabd5714c076ddfaeb7bc9a61d5e1ec0caf427aac093ceff67306dc35ec78e89
Run   6: dabd5714c076ddfaeb7bc9a61d5e1ec0caf427aac093ceff67306dc35ec78e89
Run   7: 9cd40f46c82d516515c3d6751e84c236cd0352386b807a56ae5a2eaa2e72e329
Run   8: 9cd40f46c82d516515c3d6751e84c236cd0352386b807a56ae5a2eaa2e72e329
Run   9: f16ffc6fd65bd24fa6ae765c406047db3c5e084e5bfab6496944e59f6169ffb8
Run  10: dabd5714c076ddfaeb7bc9a61d5e1ec0caf427aac093ceff67306dc35ec78e89

Environment

• npm: 11.6.2
• Node.js: v20.19.6
• OS Name: MacOS 26.2
• npm config:

legacy-peer-deps = false

[nitin-999-code]

Hi,
I came across this issue regarding inconsistent output from npm audit when run multiple times.

I have already started investigating the root cause and working on a potential fix to ensure deterministic and consistent results. I will share updates and open a pull request once I have a reliable solution.

Please let me know if there are any specific guidelines or considerations I should keep in mind while working on this.