npm-edit

npm edit pkg[/subpkg...]

npm edit opens an installed package's directory in the default editor so it can be inspected or modified in place under `node_modules`. After the editor exits, npm rebuilds the package so any changes (for example to native addons) take effect.The editor is taken from the npm editor config, which defaults to the EDITOR or VISUAL environment variables (or `notepad.exe` on Windows, `vi` on Unix).

pkg

Name of the dependency to edit.

Optional nested package path, to drill into a transitive dependency under `node_modules`.

Editor used to open the package. Set with `npm config set editor <name>` or via EDITOR/VISUAL.

Changes made to files in `nodemodules` are lost the next time npm reinstalls or updates the package. For persistent local modifications use **patch-package** or fork the package upstream. **npm edit** is not workspace-aware: in a workspace it operates on the root `nodemodules`.

npm edit has been part of npm since early releases, providing a quick way to read or hack on installed dependencies during debugging.

npm(1), npm-explore(1)