`Unexpected token '.'` when running `npm install` with node 17.4.0 and explicit npm installation

[Maxim-Mazurok]

On windows 11 I can't use npm with node 17.4.0 when I explicitly ask to install npm 8.3.1 (which is shipped with this node version by default):

C:\Users\maxim\my-project>python -m nodeenv nodeenv --node=17.4.0 --npm=8.3.1 --with-npm
 * Install prebuilt node (17.4.0) ..... done.
symbolic link created for nodeenv\Scripts\nodejs.exe <<===>> node.exe
 * Install npm.js (8.3.1) ...
C:\Users\maxim\my-project>nodeenv\Scripts\activate.bat   
(nodeenv) C:\Users\maxim\my-project>node -v
v17.4.0

(nodeenv) C:\Users\maxim\my-project>npm -v
8.3.1

(nodeenv) C:\Users\maxim\my-project>npm install something
npm ERR! Unexpected token '.'

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     C:\Users\maxim\AppData\Local\npm-cache\_logs\2022-06-23T12_13_38_115Z-debug-0.log

(nodeenv) C:\Users\maxim\my-project>

Here's a complete log:

0 verbose cli [
0 verbose cli   'C:\\Users\\maxim\\my-project\\nodeenv\\Scripts\\node.exe',
0 verbose cli   'C:\\Users\\maxim\\my-project\\nodeenv\\Scripts\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js',
0 verbose cli   'install',
0 verbose cli   'something'
0 verbose cli ]
1 info using npm@8.3.1
2 info using node@v17.4.0
3 timing npm:load:whichnode Completed in 0ms
4 timing config:load:defaults Completed in 1ms
5 timing config:load:file:C:\Users\maxim\my-project\nodeenv\Scripts\node_modules\npm\npmrc Completed in 1ms
6 timing config:load:builtin Completed in 1ms
7 timing config:load:cli Completed in 1ms
8 timing config:load:env Completed in 1ms
9 timing config:load:file:C:\Users\maxim\my-project\.npmrc Completed in 2ms
10 timing config:load:project Completed in 3ms
11 timing config:load:file:C:\Users\maxim\.npmrc Completed in 1ms
12 timing config:load:user Completed in 1ms
13 timing config:load:file:C:\Users\maxim\my-project\nodeenv\Scripts\etc\npmrc Completed in 0ms
14 timing config:load:global Completed in 0ms
15 timing config:load:validate Completed in 1ms
16 timing config:load:credentials Completed in 1ms
17 timing config:load:setEnvs Completed in 1ms
18 timing config:load Completed in 12ms
19 timing npm:load:configload Completed in 12ms
20 timing npm:load:setTitle Completed in 0ms
21 timing config:load:flatten Completed in 2ms
22 timing npm:load:display Completed in 3ms
23 verbose logfile C:\Users\maxim\AppData\Local\npm-cache\_logs\2022-06-23T12_13_38_115Z-debug-0.log
24 timing npm:load:logFile Completed in 6ms
25 timing npm:load:timers Completed in 0ms
26 timing npm:load:configScope Completed in 0ms
27 timing npm:load Completed in 23ms
28 verbose stack C:\Users\maxim\my-project\nodeenv\Scripts\node_modules\npm\node_modules\libnpmfund:1
28 verbose stack ../workspaces/libnpmfund
28 verbose stack ^
28 verbose stack
28 verbose stack SyntaxError: Unexpected token '.'
28 verbose stack     at Object.compileFunction (node:vm:352:18)
28 verbose stack     at wrapSafe (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1026:15)
28 verbose stack     at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1061:27)
28 verbose stack     at Object.Module._extensions..js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1149:10)
28 verbose stack     at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:975:32)
28 verbose stack     at Function.Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:822:12)
28 verbose stack     at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:999:19)
28 verbose stack     at require (node:internal/modules/cjs/helpers:102:18)
28 verbose stack     at Object.<anonymous> (C:\Users\maxim\my-project\nodeenv\Scripts\node_modules\npm\lib\utils\reify-output.js:16:38)
28 verbose stack     at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1097:14)
29 verbose cwd C:\Users\maxim\my-project
30 verbose Windows_NT 10.0.22000
31 verbose argv "C:\\Users\\maxim\\my-project\\nodeenv\\Scripts\\node.exe" "C:\\Users\\maxim\\my-project\\nodeenv\\Scripts\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "install" "something"
32 verbose node v17.4.0
33 verbose npm  v8.3.1
34 error Unexpected token '.'
35 verbose exit 1
36 timing npm Completed in 267ms
37 verbose code 1
38 error A complete log of this run can be found in:
38 error     C:\Users\maxim\AppData\Local\npm-cache\_logs\2022-06-23T12_13_38_115Z-debug-0.log

Here's a very similar issue with nvm4w: nvm-windows/nvm#814

This works:

python -m nodeenv nodeenv --node=17.4.0
npm install -g npm@8.3.1
npm install something

[Maxim-Mazurok]

Another example: node 18.3.0 and npm 8.3.1.

Doesn't work when installed using nodeenv, but if I install node using nodeend, activate env, then run npm i -g npm@8.3.1 - it works fine.

[vitorgamer58]

The same here with node 16.14.2

I've changed my node version with nvm to 16.12.0 and the problem was fixed.

[cjablonski76]

Posted what fixed this for me here:
nvm-windows/nvm#814 (comment)