# NousResearch/hermes-agent · npm ci vs install lockfile churn fixes

## Open now

- 0 issues, 1 PR open on GitHub.
- PR #4114: fix(setup): use npm ci instead of npm install in hermes update

These issues and pull requests address a recurring problem where npm install was being used instead of npm ci in update and setup flows, causing package-lock.json to be rewritten unnecessarily. Related fixes also address dev dependency stripping when NODE_ENV=production is set.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 1 open PR(s), 0 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- No fix has been merged to main; one or more PRs were attempted (see below).
- **Recommended:** review the prior/competing PR(s) below. A fix was attempted but not merged; your case may extend or revive that work.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `unresolved`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.67`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #4048: \[Bug\]: \`hermes update\` runs \`npm install\` instead of \`npm ci\`, dirtying package-lock.json after every update

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#4114: fix(setup): use npm ci instead of npm install in hermes update**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#16295`
  - files: `hermes_cli/main.py`
- **#16048: fix(update): avoid lockfile churn during npm installs**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#16295`

## Fix status

- No merged fix on record.
- Subsystem: `hermes_cli`