Fixing npm ENOTEMPTY Installation Error

Fixing npm ENOTEMPTY Installation Error | Generated by AI

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Understanding the Error

Your sudo npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code --verbose command is failing with an ENOTEMPTY error during the installation process. This is a common npm issue that occurs when npm tries to rename (or move) an existing directory as part of updating or reinstalling a package, but the directory isn’t empty. In this case, it’s specifically failing to rename /usr/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code to a temporary backup location (/usr/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/.claude-code-ZjqcDZyQ).

This typically happens due to:

A previous partial or interrupted installation leaving behind files or subdirectories.
File locks from another process (e.g., if the package was partially loaded or another npm command is running).
Rarely, permission quirks with global installs under sudo.

The package itself (@anthropic-ai/claude-code) is legitimate—it’s Anthropic’s official CLI tool for “Claude Code,” an agentic coding assistant that integrates with your terminal and codebase.

Quick Fixes

Try these steps in order. Run them as root or with sudo where noted, since this is a global install.

Manually Remove the Existing Directory
This clears out the problematic partial install:
```
sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code
```
- If the parent scoped directory (@anthropic-ai) is now empty, you can remove it too:
```
sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai
```
  Then retry your original command:
```
sudo npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code --verbose
```
Clear npm Cache
If the above doesn’t work, corrupted cache entries might be involved:
```
sudo npm cache clean --force
sudo npm cache verify
```
Retry the install after this.
Check for Running Processes
Ensure no other npm/Node processes are using the directory:
```
ps aux | grep npm
```
Kill any lingering ones if needed (e.g., sudo kill <PID>), then retry.
Alternative: Use npx for Testing
If you just want to test the tool without a full global install, try:
```
npx @anthropic-ai/claude-code --help
```
This downloads and runs it temporarily without modifying your global modules.

Additional Tips

Permissions Best Practice: Global installs with sudo can lead to ownership issues later. Consider using a node version manager like nvm to avoid sudo entirely, or set a custom global prefix:
```
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH
```
Then install without sudo.
Verify After Install: Once installed, check with claude-code --version (assuming that’s the binary name—confirm in the docs).
If issues persist, share the output of npm ls -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code for more diagnostics.

This should get you up and running quickly. If you hit another snag, paste the new log!

Claude Code on npm
Anthropic Docs: Set up Claude Code

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