Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: I have a "license" in my package.json, why is npm/yarn saying it is missing?

Learn how to fix: I have a "license" in my package.json, why is npm/yarn saying it is missing?.

Quick Answer: Try checking your system settings or restarting.

The 'license' field in package.json is not being recognized by npm/yarn due to a mismatch between the file format and the expected format. The issue lies in the fact that the license field is defined as a string, but npm/yarn expects it to be in a specific format.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The license field is defined as a string, but npm/yarn expects it to be in the format 'MIT', 'Apache 2.0', or 'GPL-3.0'.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Method 1: Format the License Field Manually

  1. Step 1: Open your package.json file in a code editor and locate the license field.

Method 2: Use npm or Yarn with the --license option

  1. Step 1: Run yarn install with the --license option to specify a license file.

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the issue and ensure that your package.json file is correctly formatted for npm/yarn.

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