npm whoami: Usage & Common CI Errors

Confirm which user your registry token authenticates as.

npm whoami returns the username associated with the current auth token. It is the simplest way to verify registry auth before a publish.

What it does

Calls the registry with the configured token and prints the resolved username. With --registry it checks auth against a specific registry. It is read-only and a reliable pre-publish auth check.

Common usage

npm whoami                              # username for default registry
npm whoami --registry=https://npm.acme.dev

Common CI error: ENEEDAUTH from whoami

npm whoami fails with "npm error code ENEEDAUTH / This command requires you to be logged in". The token is missing, expired, or scoped to the wrong registry. Fix the token in .npmrc and gate publish on a passing whoami so auth fails fast, not mid-publish.

npm whoami || { echo "npm auth not configured"; exit 1; }

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