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fix(server): npm provider updates only offer versions npm will install - #24062

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davisonio:fix/npm-release-age-provider-updates
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pingdotgg:mainfrom
davisonio:fix/npm-release-age-provider-updates

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@davisonio

@davisonio davisonio commented Oct 23, 2026 •

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Problem

For providers installed as npm globals, T3 Code advertises the registry's latest dist-tag, but the Update action runs npm install -g --prefix <prefix> --allow-scripts=<pkg> <pkg>@latest. When npm's config sets min-release-age, npm resolves @latest to the newest release older than the window, reinstalls the old version and exits 0. T3 then reports "Update command completed, but T3 Code still detects an outdated provider version.", and the Update button keeps failing until the release ages past the window.

Repro on macOS, npm 12.2.0, min-release-age=1: Codex 0.164.0 was published at 04:52Z; at 08:58Z the Update action installed 0.163.0 again and showed the error. Pinning the advertised version doesn't help on npm, unlike pnpm: npm install -g @openai/codex@0.164.0 fails with ETARGET ... with a date before ....

Change

npm-global installs get a lookupLatestVersion hook, the same one the pnpm path uses. It asks the npm the updater runs, with the server environment, against the install's prefix:

  • npm outdated -g --prefix <prefix> --json <pkg> honours min-release-age, before and min-release-age-exclude (checked on npm 12.2.0), and its latest agrees with what install <pkg>@latest picks under the same config. They can only differ when the tagged release is deprecated or needs a newer Node, or when a stable release above the tag exists.
  • An empty result means the installed version is still the newest eligible one, so npm ls -g --prefix <prefix> --json --depth 0 <pkg> supplies it, as pnpm ls does for pnpm. npm also prints {} after it silently drops ETARGET, E403 and E404 errors, so those show the provider as current.
  • If npm is missing or the probe fails, T3 advertises no latest version (status unknown) instead of the registry's tag, which @latest may not install. That's the same signal the Homebrew path uses. Failures include an unreachable registry, which npm reports as {"error": ...} on stdout with the same exit code 1 as "outdated". pnpm can fall back to the tag because it pins an exact spec; npm can't. The trade-off: when the probe fails (npm not on the server's PATH, a broken npm config, a registry too slow for the 10 s probe timeout), users without min-release-age now see no update where the registry fetch would have shown one. A one-click update would fail in most of those cases anyway, since the updater runs the same npm with the same environment. When the probe succeeds, npm versions without min-release-age get the registry latest from outdated, as before.

npm view <pkg>@latest version ignores min-release-age, so it can't be used for this. The update command stays <pkg>@latest: it resolves to the advertised version in practice, and pinning would install versions that aren't tagged latest in the edge cases above.

Server-only. Clients render the latestVersion and updateCommand they already receive, so old and new clients work against old and new servers.

Scope and approval

This is the npm half of the policy settled in #15329 and implemented for pnpm in #19580: provider updates respect the package manager's release-age policy, and T3 only advertises the version that the package manager running the update will install (maintainer comment closing #15329). #21422 (npm and Vite+ min-release-age) was closed as a duplicate of #14249 with "The root cause is the same ... That applies to npm and Vite+ (min-release-age) as well as pnpm (minimumReleaseAge)" (maintainer comment), but #14249 was closed by the pnpm-only fix, so npm was never fixed.

Other installers are out of scope. Vite+ global installs (vp i -g), the other half of #21422, go through Vite+'s own package manager and its own vp outdated -g, so they get a separate follow-up.

Verification

  • maintenanceResolver.test.ts: new parametrized npm-global case (eligible release, cooldown, unreachable registry), modelled on the pnpm one. All three fail on main, which advertises the registry tag in every case.

  • CodexDriver.test.ts: the mise fixture with Node first on PATH is an npm-global install, so it now answers the npm outdated probe from the mise Node's own npm.

  • Real client, web dev server, Settings > Providers. Codex instance pointed at an npm-global install of 0.162.0 in a scratch prefix, server started with an npmrc setting min-release-age=1. At the time, 0.164.0 was hours old and 0.163.0 was the newest eligible release.

    • Before (main): Codex shows "Update available". Update now installs 0.163.0, and the badge stays with "Update command completed, but T3 Code still detects an outdated provider version."
    • After (latest commit): Codex shows "Update available" with the same npm install -g --prefix /private/tmp/npmprobe/pfx --allow-scripts=@openai/codex @openai/codex@latest command. Update now installs 0.163.0 and the badge clears, with no error. With 0.163.0 installed, no update is offered until 0.164.0 ages past the window.
  • What npm resolves under that config at the time (the version T3 now advertises; Settings doesn't print it):

    $ npm view @openai/codex@latest version
    0.164.0
    $ npm outdated -g --prefix /tmp/npmprobe/pfx --json @openai/codex
    { "@openai/codex": { "current": "0.162.0", "wanted": "0.163.0", "latest": "0.163.0", ... } }
    $ npm install -g @openai/codex@0.164.0
    npm error code ETARGET ... with a date before ...
    

Fixed with Claude Code (Opus 5.5) running in T3 Code.

@github-actions github-actions Bot added vouch:unvouched PR author is not yet trusted in the VOUCHED list. size:M 30-99 changed lines (additions + deletions). labels Oct 23, 2026
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macroscopeapp Bot commented Oct 23, 2026

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Approvability

Verdict: Approved at 35c17f1

Macroscope's review found this PR approvable — This is a localized server-side bug fix that makes npm-global update advisories follow npm’s effective resolution rather than the registry’s raw latest tag. It preserves existing update commands and adds targeted coverage for cooldown, failure, and environment-specific cases.

You can add or adjust custom eligibility rules. Learn more.

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  • apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/CodexDriver.test.ts
  • packages/provider-core/src/server/maintenanceResolver.test.ts
  • packages/provider-core/src/server/maintenanceResolver.ts

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Walkthrough

The maintenance resolver now uses npm’s global version lookup for npm-managed installs. Tests cover eligible updates, cooldown cases, registry failure, and the Codex test fixture’s npm probe.

Changes: npm Global Version Lookup

Layer / File(s) Summary
Resolve npm global versions
packages/provider-core/src/server/maintenanceResolver.ts, packages/provider-core/src/server/maintenanceResolver.test.ts, apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/CodexDriver.test.ts
A shared decoder handles outdated output. The npm global lookup checks npm outdated and falls back to npm ls when no latest version is reported. npm global capabilities use this lookup. Tests cover update and cooldown outcomes, package-list probe failure, registry connection failure, and the Codex fixture’s npm probe.

Priority: Normal

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~20 minutes

Change: Bug fix

Possibly related PRs

  • pingdotgg/t3code#24009: Adds the lookupLatestVersion capability pattern in the same maintenance definition, which this change also uses for npm global installs.

Suggested labels: bugfix

Suggested reviewers: tris203

Merge Risk: Minimal · up to 6e1f9

The npm-global version lookup is ready to merge after normal checks. The previously identified badge mismatch does not affect the currently inspected packages.

Pre-merge checks: Passed 4
Check name Status Explanation
Title check Passed The title "fix(server): npm provider updates only offer versions npm will install" matches the main change. The PR makes npm-global installs advertise only the version that npm's release-age policy wi…
Linked Issues check Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Description check Passed The pull request description follows the required template. It clearly explains the problem, change, scope and approval basis, verification steps, observed results, limitations, and out-of-scope work.…
Full details: Title check

Explanation

The title "fix(server): npm provider updates only offer versions npm will install" matches the main change. The PR makes npm-global installs advertise only the version that npm's release-age policy will install, using a new npm outdated and npm ls lookup. The title is concise, uses conventional commit format, and names the affected component and behavior.

Full details: Description check

Explanation

The pull request description follows the required template. It clearly explains the problem, change, scope and approval basis, verification steps, observed results, limitations, and out-of-scope work. It also identifies the model and harness used.

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Inline comments:
Review comments at @packages/provider-core/src/server/maintenanceResolver.ts:
- Around line 442-443: Update resolveNpmGlobalLatestVersion to resolve the
advertised version using the npm latest dist-tag: use the tag version when
eligible, or the highest eligible version at or below it when the tag is within
the release-age window. Do not use outdatedEntries’ `*`-range latest value for
this case. Add a test with a higher eligible version on another tag while the
latest tag is inside the window.

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maria-rcks commented Oct 26, 2026 •

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Note

Written by gpt-6.1-sol on behalf of Maria

@davisonio thanks for making npm itself decide which release is eligible, with the updater's prefix and environment. i kept your implementation and both commits, merged current main without rebasing, retained main's shorter npm script-approval comment, and strengthened the existing regression test to check the npm executable and prefix directly. no production behavior was added beyond your fix.

verification at 4a516aa9f9702cd7737c30c6f0e60bd414c7d1ae:

  • all four npm regression cases fail against current main's resolver.
  • blacksmith vp run check:changed cc0b86ddf12a34bd65dce88d6f2ae1f069ef841e passes: format, lint, knip, graphql generation, typechecks for 21 affected packages, and 68 tests in the resolver and codex driver files.
  • all 27 ci checks are green; github reports no conflicts. two independent gpt-6.1-sol reviews found no blockers.
  • real chrome client, settings > providers, npm 11.19.1 with before=2026-10-20: main installs codex 0.163.0 but still offers an update. this branch updates 0.162.0 to 0.163.0, reports success, and clears the badge after refresh.
  • real npm 12.2.1 with min-release-age=8: outdated offers 0.163.0 from 0.162.0, install @latest installs 0.163.0, and outdated is empty afterward; view @latest version still returns 0.164.0.

unverified: native desktop/mobile clients, windows, and macos in this vm. the npm outdated versus @latest edge discussed above remains an accepted limit if a managed package publishes a higher stable release outside its latest tag; no broader resolver was added.

before: main's resolver still offers an update at 0.163.0 under the cutoff.

main still offers an npm-blocked update at codex 0.163.0

after: the same installed version and npm configuration have no update offer.

updated resolver clears the update offer at codex 0.163.0

real update from 0.162.0 to the eligible 0.163.0, followed by refresh. the same recording is embedded as an animation for github compatibility; mp4 playback and seeking were verified separately.

npm provider update installs the eligible version and clears the badge

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Note

Written by gpt-6.1-sol on behalf of Maria

Verified in a real dev environment

verified as-is at 4a516aa9f9702cd7737c30c6f0e60bd414c7d1ae on this linux boat vm. no code changes or pushes.

  • reproduced on github/main (10e709c33786682217ad3c4f9226ba6c13e5edd7) in a separate worktree after vp i. settings > providers > codex > update now installed 0.163.0, but retained the update offer and showed "Update command completed, but T3 Code still detects an outdated provider version."
  • checked out the exact pr head, ran vp i, and repeated the real web flow using repository playwright and /usr/bin/google-chrome. only one dev server ran at a time. isolated app state, real npm 12.2.1, real npm-global codex prefix, and min-release-age=8; no mocks, fixtures, or replay provider. the pr updated 0.162.0 to eligible 0.163.0, cleared the offer, and remained current after refresh. the registry tag was 0.165.0.
  • created the project through the app, pointed it at the real git repository, and submitted two real gpt-6.1-sol turns through the updated codex 0.163.0 binary and local proxy. shell commands read package.json, checked the branch and working tree, and completed both turns. the second turn completed while npm's registry was deliberately unreachable.
  • neighboring behavior: min-release-age=0 restored the 0.165.0 update offer; restoring 8 returned current at 0.163.0. an unreachable npm registry returned unknown with latestVersion: null, without blocking provider turns. confirmed these advisories in the running web client's websocket messages.
  • blacksmith: vp test run packages/provider-core/src/server/maintenanceResolver.test.ts apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/CodexDriver.test.ts passed all 68 tests. all 27 reported ci checks are green on this head. no source changes required check:changed.

short command and client websocket transcript

main, with codex 0.163.0 and the eight-day policy:

main keeps offering an update and reports an outdated provider after installing eligible codex 0.163.0

pr, with the same installed codex version, prefix, and policy:

pr reports codex 0.163.0 available with no update offer after refresh

the real update interaction, exported as an animation for github. the matching mp4 was played to completion and seeking was checked in t3's browser:

real update installs eligible codex 0.163.0 and clears the update offer

two completed real gpt-6.1-sol turns through the updated codex provider

Not verified

native electron, ios/android, macos/windows, remote/relay/tunnel connections, and other provider/package-manager combinations were not exercised on this linux vm. the previously discussed stable-release-above-latest-tag edge remains outside this verification. this verifies the npm codex path and its real client integration, not every installer or registry policy.

@GitJarno

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Note

Written by Claude Opus 5.5 in Claude Code.

A second reproduction, and one line to keep through the conflict with #27847.

Repro: macOS, npm 11.19.1, min-release-age=7, Codex installed under an nvm prefix. On current main the advisory offers 0.164.0 → 0.166.0 (0.166.0 is two days old); Update reinstalls 0.164.0 and reports that it still detects an outdated provider version, every time. npm outdated -g --prefix <prefix> --json @openai/codex prints {} and exits 0, and npm ls then gives 0.164.0, which is what this PR advertises. The same lookup, carried locally, ends the loop here.

Through the conflict: keep latestVersion: null on the npm-global capabilities. withConfiguredNpmVersionLookup from #27847 only wraps capabilities whose latestVersion is undefined, so that line is what keeps its npm view fallback away from npm-global installs. npm view ignores the age: npm view --global --prefix <prefix> --json @openai/codex@latest version returns "0.166.0" here, so if the wrapper applied, any failed outdated probe would bring the loop back.

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