npm Trusted Publishing from GitHub Actions

When to Use

• Setting up a new npm package to publish from GitHub Actions without secrets
• Debugging E404 Not Found on npm publish --provenance from CI
• Reviewing an existing release workflow for correct OIDC configuration

How It Works

npm supports token-free publishing via GitHub Actions OIDC. The GitHub Actions runner requests an OIDC token from GitHub, which npm verifies against the package’s linked repository. No NPM_TOKEN secret is needed.

Version requirement: npm >= 11.5.1 and Node >= 22.14.0. Older npm versions support --provenance signing but NOT the OIDC token exchange for authentication. Use node 24 in your workflow to be safe. Node 22 LTS ships with npm 10.x which is too old — provenance will sign successfully but the PUT will 404.

Required Configuration

All three of these must be in place. If any is missing, publish fails with a misleading 404.

1. package.json — repository field

{
  "repository": {
    "type": "git",
    "url": "git+https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git"
  }
}

npm uses this to match the OIDC token’s provenance claim to the package.

2. npmjs.com — Trusted Publishing link

On npmjs.com → package Settings → Publishing access → Trusted Publishing:

• Repository owner: OWNER
• Repository name: REPO
• Workflow filename: release.yml (must match exactly, including extension)
• Environment: leave blank unless the workflow job uses a GitHub environment

npm does NOT validate this config when you save it — errors only surface at publish time.

3. GitHub Actions workflow

See ./resources/release-workflow.yml for a working example from this repo.

Key requirements:

• node-version: 24 — npm trusted publishing requires npm >= 11.5.1 (node 22 ships npm 10.x = too old)
• id-token: write — allows the runner to request an OIDC token
• registry-url: https://registry.npmjs.org on setup-node — configures .npmrc for the OIDC auth flow
• --provenance is optional — provenance is automatic with OIDC trusted publishing
• No NODE_AUTH_TOKEN env var needed — the OIDC token handles auth

Optional: Separate publish job

For cleaner permission scoping, split build and publish into separate jobs. See ./resources/split-jobs-example.yml.

Debugging Checklist

When npm publish fails with 404 from GitHub Actions:

1. Check Node version — must be 24+ (npm >= 11.5.1). This is the #1 cause. Node 22 LTS ships npm 10.x which signs provenance fine but cannot do the OIDC token exchange for auth.
2. Check repository field in package.json — must be present and match the GitHub repo exactly (case-sensitive). "url": "git+https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git".
3. Check npmjs.com trusted publishing settings — the repo owner, repo name, and workflow filename must all match exactly.
4. Check id-token: write — must be in the job’s permissions (or top-level workflow permissions).
5. Check registry-url — must be https://registry.npmjs.org in the actions/setup-node step.
6. Do NOT add NODE_AUTH_TOKEN — this is not needed for trusted publishing and mixing token auth with OIDC can cause conflicts.

Verifying a Package Uses OIDC

curl -s https://registry.npmjs.org/@scope/pkg | python3 -c "
import json, sys
d = json.load(sys.stdin)
v = list(d['versions'].values())[-1]
print('attestations:', 'attestations' in v.get('dist', {}))
print('_npmUser:', v.get('_npmUser'))
"

• attestations: True + _npmUser contains trustedPublisher → OIDC trusted publishing is working
• attestations: False + _npmUser is a human account → published with a token

Common Errors

Error	Cause
E404 Not Found - PUT (provenance signs OK)	npm version too old (need >= 11.5.1, use node 24). Or: missing repository field. Or: trusted publishing not linked on npmjs.com
E404 Not Found - PUT (no provenance)	Missing id-token: write permission or registry-url not set
E403 Forbidden	Workflow filename or environment mismatch in npmjs settings
ENEEDAUTH	Missing registry-url in setup-node step

Misleading Behavior

Provenance signing succeeds but publish fails with 404. This is the most confusing failure mode. The --provenance flag uses the OIDC token to sign a Sigstore attestation (works on npm 9.5+), but the OIDC token exchange for publish authentication is a separate, newer feature (npm 11.5.1+). You’ll see “Signed provenance statement” in the logs and then immediately get a 404 on the PUT. The fix is always: use node 24.