Our next npm major version, v12, introduces security-related default changes to npm install. All these changes are available behind warnings in npm today on 11.16.0 or newer, so you can prepare before the upgrade. v12 is estimated to release in July 2026.

Each change turns an npm install behavior that runs automatically today into one you explicitly opt into:

  • allowScripts defaults to off: npm install will no longer execute preinstall, install, or postinstall scripts from dependencies unless they are explicitly allowed in your project. This includes native node-gyp builds (i.e., a package with a binding.gyp and no explicit install script still gets blocked, because npm runs an implicit node-gyp rebuild for it). prepare scripts from git, file, and link dependencies are blocked the same way. To see what would be blocked, run npm approve-scripts --allow-scripts-pending. Then allow the packages you trust with npm approve-scripts and block the rest with npm deny-scripts. The resulting allowlist is written to package.json and should be committed. If your install routine runs scripts, you can observe warnings in npm 11.16.0+.

  • --allow-git defaults to none: npm install will no longer resolve Git dependencies (direct or transitive) unless explicitly allowed via --allow-git. This closes a code-execution path where a Git dependency’s .npmrc could override the Git executable, even with --ignore-scripts. This change was previously announced on 2026-02-18 and is available in npm 11.10.0+.

  • --allow-remote defaults to none: npm install will no longer resolve dependencies from remote URLs, such as https tarballs (direct or transitive), unless explicitly allowed via --allow-remote. This flag is available in npm 11.15.0+. The related --allow-file and --allow-directory flags are not changing their defaults in v12.

How to prepare

Upgrade to npm 11.16.0 or later, run your normal install, and review the warnings. Use npm approve-scripts --allow-scripts-pending to see which packages have scripts, approve the ones you trust, and commit the updated package.json. After that, only the scripts you approved keep running once you upgrade. Anything you leave unapproved will stop. More details are available in our docs at npm approve-scripts, npm deny-scripts, and allow-scripts config (for npx and global installs). Please share your comments and questions in our community discussion.