bug: vp i pins npm@11 into devEngines on low Node, breaking manual npm with "Cannot find module node:path"

[l246804]

Describe the bug

After switching Node to a low version (14.15.0) with vp env use, running vp i fails — but before failing it writes devEngines.packageManager = npm@11.17.0 into the project's package.json (with onFail: "download"), downloads npm 11.17.0, and routes every subsequent npm invocation to it. Because npm 11 requires Node ^20.17.0 || >=22.9.0 and uses require('node:path') (the node: prefix is not supported by Node 14's CommonJS loader), every npm command then crashes — including manual npm i / npm run dev, not just vp i. This breaks the project's toolchain connectivity even though the user never asked for an npm upgrade.

$ npm -v
internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:883
  throw err;
  ^

Error: Cannot find module 'node:path'
Require stack:
- ~/.vite-plus/package_manager/npm/11.17.0/npm/lib/cli.js
- ~/.vite-plus/package_manager/npm/11.17.0/npm/bin/npm-cli.js

The same Cannot find module 'node:path' is thrown by vp i, npm i, and npm run dev — they all hit the vp-managed npm 11.17.0.

Root cause

1. No node↔npm compatibility check. When vp env use pins Node to 14.15.0 (which ships npm 6.14.8), vp does not honor the bundled npm. Instead, on vp i it pins/writes npm@11.17.0 into devEngines, whose engines field is ^20.17.0 || >=22.9.0 — fundamentally incompatible with Node 14.
2. Failed vp i still writes side-effect config. vp i fails, yet leaves devEngines.packageManager behind in package.json, permanently routing npm to the incompatible npm 11.

Verified on disk:

• package.json now contains:

  "devEngines": { "packageManager": { "name": "npm", "version": "11.17.0", "onFail": "download" } }

• npm 11's cli.js line 10: const cliEntry = require('node:path').resolve(...)
• npm 11's package.json: "engines": { "node": "^20.17.0 || >=22.9.0" }
• Node 14.15.0: require('node:path') → MODULE_NOT_FOUND

Expected

• vp i on an unsupported Node should not upgrade/npm-pin npm to a version incompatible with the active Node (use the Node-bundled npm, or pick a compatible npm version).
• A failed vp i should not leave devEngines.packageManager written into the project.
• On low Node, vp i could degrade to a passthrough to the Node-bundled package manager — same shim idea proposed in bug: vite-plus@0.2.1 crashes on Node < 20.12 with "node:util has no export named styleText" before engine check #1909 for vpr, extended to vp i / install.

Scope

To be clear: I'm not asking Vite+ core to support old Node generally. The practical ask is narrower — on unsupported Node versions, provide vp i and vpr passthrough/shims so basic install + script-running still works on legacy enterprise projects that can't be upgraded. That covers the day-to-day project-development flow.

Reproduction

Any project under Node ≤ 16 with vp env use 14.15.0 (or similar low version), then vp i.

Steps to reproduce

vp env use 14.15.0     # node now 14.15.0 (bundles npm 6.14.8)
vp i                   # fails, but writes devEngines.npm@11.17.0 to package.json
npm -v                 # Cannot find module 'node:path'
npm i                  # Cannot find module 'node:path'

Recovery (manual): remove the devEngines block from package.json and avoid vp i on this Node.

System Info

$ vp --version
VITE+ - The Unified Toolchain for the Web
vp v0.2.1

Environment:
  Package manager  npm v11.17.0
  Node.js          v14.15.0 (.node-version)

$ vp env current
VITE+ - The Unified Toolchain for the Web

Environment:
  Version       14.15.0
  Source        .node-version
  Project Root  <project>

Tool Paths:
  node  ~/.vite-plus/js_runtime/node/14.15.0/bin/node
  npm   ~/.vite-plus/js_runtime/node/14.15.0/bin/npm
  npx   ~/.vite-plus/js_runtime/node/14.15.0/bin/npx

Package Manager:
  Name          npm
  Version       11.17.0
  Source        devEngines.packageManager
  Source Path   <project>/package.json
  Bin Path      ~/.vite-plus/package_manager/npm/11.17.0/npm/bin/npm

Note: vp --version / vp env current work fine (they don't spawn the npm binary); only commands that actually exec npm — vp i, npm, npm run <script> — crash.

Used Package Manager

npm

Logs

$ vp i
internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:883
  throw err;
  ^

Error: Cannot find module 'node:path'
Require stack:
- ~/.vite-plus/package_manager/npm/11.17.0/npm/lib/cli.js
- ~/.vite-plus/package_manager/npm/11.17.0/npm/bin/npm-cli.js

Related

• bug: vite-plus@0.2.1 crashes on Node < 20.12 with "node:util has no export named styleText" before engine check #1909 — shim/passthrough for vpr on low Node. This issue is the vp i counterpart and a stricter bug: vp i not only fails, it poisons package.json and breaks manual npm as well.

Validations

• Read the Contributing Guidelines.
• Checked existing issues; bug: vite-plus@0.2.1 crashes on Node < 20.12 with "node:util has no export named styleText" before engine check #1909 is related (shim scope) but this is a distinct, independently-reproducible bug (npm version pinning + config side-effect).
• This is a Vite+ issue — vp itself writes devEngines and downloads npm 11; npm 11 works correctly on its supported Node.
• Reproduction is minimal (steps above).