vsts-npm-auth returns wrong Basic Realm (visualstudio.com instead of azure.com)

(Didn’t know in which repo to create this issue so I chose this one)

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Question, Bug, or Feature?
Type: bug

Enter Task Name: vsts-npm-auth

Environment

Azure DevOps npm v6.12.0 vsts-npm-auth v0.37.0 node v11.10.0 Windows 1903

Issue Description

npm install returns the error: Unable to authenticate, need: Basic realm="https://pkgsprodsu3weu.app.pkgs.visualstudio.com/" while our package URL is https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/[xxx]/npm/registry/.

This does only happen on some projects; not all. We’ve migrated all .npmrc in the projects and the user’s .npmrc to the dev.azure.com realm a couple of months ago.

vsts-npm-auth was run on all projects .npmrc and works for most projects. Forcing credential updates doesn’t resolve it either, whether applied to the project’s .npmrc or user’s .npmrc.

vsts-npm-auth -C C:\Users\[xxx]\.npmrc -F                  
vsts-npm-auth v0.37.0.0
-----------------------
Getting new credentials for source:https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/[xxx]/npm/registry/, scope:vso.packaging_write vso.drop_write

Troubleshooting

I’ve tried clearing all NPM caches and node_modules, updating NPM & vsts-npm-auth, regenerating the credentials, removing package-lock.json. But nothing works unfortunately. Updating the credentials returns the correct URL:

PS C:\Users\[xxx]\AppData\Roaming\npm> vsts-npm-auth -C C:\Users\[xxx]\.npmrc

vsts-npm-auth v0.37.0.0
-----------------------
Already have credentials for https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/[xxx]/npm/registry/.
PS C:\Users\[xxx]\AppData\Roaming\npm> vsts-npm-auth -C C:\Projects\[xxx]\.npmrc

vsts-npm-auth v0.37.0.0
-----------------------
Already have credentials for https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/[xxx]/npm/registry/.

Error logs

0 info it worked if it ends with ok
1 verbose cli [ 'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe',
1 verbose cli   'C:\\Users\\[xxx]\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js',
1 verbose cli   'i' ]
2 info using npm@6.12.0
3 info using node@v11.10.0
4 verbose npm-session bc10c5eb62b72e40
5 silly install runPreinstallTopLevelLifecycles

[..]

38 silly pacote range manifest for @angular/cli@^8.3.9 fetched in 3036ms
39 http fetch GET 401 https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/@[xxx]/npm/registry/@[xxx]%2fcore 100ms
40 silly fetchPackageMetaData error for @[xxx]/core@^0.1.1 Unable to authenticate, need: Basic realm="https://pkgsprodsu3weu.app.pkgs.visualstudio.com/"
41 http fetch GET 401 https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/@[xxx]/npm/registry/@[xxx]%2fstyle 27ms
42 silly fetchPackageMetaData error for @[xxx]/style@^0.9.0 Unable to authenticate, need: Basic realm="https://pkgsprodsu3weu.app.pkgs.visualstudio.com/"
43 http fetch GET 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/@ngx-translate%2fcore 416ms
44 silly pacote range manifest for @ngx-translate/core@^11.0.1 fetched in 420ms

[..]

2285 silly pacote range manifest for @ngx-translate/http-loader@^4.0.0 fetched in 11ms
2286 silly resolveWithNewModule @ngx-translate/http-loader@4.0.0 checking installable status
2287 silly pacote range manifest for core-js@^3.3.2 fetched in 17ms
2288 silly resolveWithNewModule core-js@3.3.4 checking installable status
2289 silly pacote range manifest for rxjs@~6.4.0 fetched in 18ms
2290 silly resolveWithNewModule rxjs@6.4.0 checking installable status
2291 silly pacote range manifest for tippy.js@^4.3.5 fetched in 14ms
2292 silly resolveWithNewModule tippy.js@4.3.5 checking installable status
2293 silly pacote range manifest for tslib@^1.10.0 fetched in 15ms
2294 silly resolveWithNewModule tslib@1.10.0 checking installable status
2295 silly pacote range manifest for zone.js@~0.9.1 fetched in 14ms
2296 silly resolveWithNewModule zone.js@0.9.1 checking installable status
2297 http fetch GET 401 https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/@[xxx]/npm/registry/@[xxx]%2fstyle 97ms
2298 http fetch GET 401 https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/[xxx]/_packaging/@[xxx]/npm/registry/@[xxx]%2fcore 98ms
2299 silly fetchPackageMetaData error for @[xxx]/style@^0.9.0 Unable to authenticate, need: Basic realm="https://pkgsprodsu3weu.app.pkgs.visualstudio.com/"
2300 silly fetchPackageMetaData error for @[xxx]/core@^0.1.1 Unable to authenticate, need: Basic realm="https://pkgsprodsu3weu.app.pkgs.visualstudio.com/"
2301 timing stage:rollbackFailedOptional Completed in 1ms
2302 timing stage:runTopLevelLifecycles Completed in 23371ms
2303 silly saveTree is-ph-meter@0.0.0
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/animations@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree | `-- tslib@1.10.0
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/common@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/compiler@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/core@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/forms@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/platform-browser-dynamic@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/platform-browser@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree +-- @angular/router@8.2.12
2303 silly saveTree +-- @aspnet/signalr@1.1.4
2303 silly saveTree +-- @fortawesome/fontawesome-pro@5.11.2
2303 silly saveTree +-- @ngx-translate/core@11.0.1
2303 silly saveTree +-- @ngx-translate/http-loader@4.0.0
2303 silly saveTree +-- chart.js@2.9.1
2303 silly saveTree +-- core-js@3.3.4
2303 silly saveTree +-- rxjs@6.4.0
2303 silly saveTree +-- tippy.js@4.3.5
2303 silly saveTree +-- tslib@1.10.0
2303 silly saveTree `-- zone.js@0.9.1
2304 verbose stack Error: Unable to authenticate, need: Basic realm="https://pkgsprodsu3weu.app.pkgs.visualstudio.com/"
2304 verbose stack     at res.buffer.catch.then.body (C:\Users\[xxx]\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-registry-fetch\check-response.js:94:17)
2304 verbose stack     at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/next_tick.js:81:5)
2305 verbose statusCode 401
2306 verbose pkgid @[xxx]/style@^0.9.0
2307 verbose cwd C:\my\project
2308 verbose Windows_NT 10.0.18362
2309 verbose argv "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe" "C:\\Users\\[xxx]\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "i"
2310 verbose node v11.10.0
2311 verbose npm  v6.12.0
2312 error code E401
2313 error Unable to authenticate, need: Basic realm="https://pkgsprodsu3weu.app.pkgs.visualstudio.com/"
2314 verbose exit [ 1, true ]

[JamesHough]

I had the same error message as the OP.

The only way that I could get it to work was to force the generation of a new token using the -f flag. I didn’t delete any files or change the registry at all before running. If you are only downloading packages from your private npm on Azure DevOps, then the token can be read-only, you don’t need a full access token. Read-only worked for me.

I used these switches to force a new read-only token to be generated on my account. This was the only way I could get the login dialog to appear so that I could provide the correct account to use with my company repo (not my personal login account).

vsts-npm-auth -config .npmrc -r -f -v normal

[shuebner20]

I also experienced this problem with vsts-npm-auth v0.41.0.0. Even if I specify -T/-TargetConfig and -f as stated in several posts here, the existing .npmrc file in the project folder (which is also shell’s current working folder) will not be updated at any time.

A fairly easy workaround was the following command:

vsts-npm-auth -config .npmrc -f -T .npmrc2

This will create a new file (.npmrc2) - just open it and copy the contents to the corresponding auth section in your existing .npmrc. There is no need to transform the PAT in any way (like base64 encoding).