NPM-EXPLORE(1)

📦
version 12.2.1 · 30 versions
, in arch rolling

✨ NAME ✨

okay so this is npm-explore(1), aka the manual page for browsing an installed package, and it’s giving “let me just peek inside node_modules real quick” energy 💅✨

🌸 Synopsis 🌸

npm explore <pkg> [ -- <command>]
⚠️ Note: This command is unaware of workspaces.

🦋 Description 🦋

Bestie, what this does is spawn a subshell in the directory of the installed package you specified. Literally just drops you in there. 🫶

If you also give it a command, then that command is run in the subshell, and the subshell immediately terminates afterward. In and out, no lingering, no cap. 💨

This is particularly handy in the case of git submodules in the node_modules folder:

npm explore some-dependency -- git pull origin master
💀 Important: the package is not automatically rebuilt afterwards. So if you make any changes, be sure to use npm rebuild <pkg>. Do not skip this part, iykyk.

🎀 Configuration 🎀

🐚 shell

  • shell — the shell to run for the npm explore command.
    • Default: SHELL environment variable, or "bash" on Posix, or "cmd.exe" on Windows
    • Type: String

👑 See Also 👑

  • npm help folders
  • npm help edit
  • npm help rebuild
  • npm help install

💖 That’s the whole page, bestie — brought to you by NPM@12.2.1, October 2026. Now go explore (responsibly) 🌈✨

📦 where this page comes from