issue with npm gulp install/build

[Ayanashi]

❯ npm run gulp install
> surfingkeys-conf@1.1.0 gulp
> npm exec gulp -- install
Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ASYNC_MODULE]: require() cannot be used on an ESM graph with top-level await. Use import() instead. To see where the top-level await comes from, use --experimental-print-required-tla.
    at ModuleJobSync.runSync (node:internal/modules/esm/module_job:392:13)
    at ModuleLoader.importSyncForRequire (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:360:47)
    at loadESMFromCJS (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1385:24)
    at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1536:5)
    at Object..js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1706:10)
    at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1289:32)
    at Function._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1108:12)
    at TracingChannel.traceSync (node:diagnostics_channel:322:14)
    at wrapModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:220:24)
    at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1311:12) {
  code: 'ERR_REQUIRE_ASYNC_MODULE'
}

• npm version
  {
  'surfingkeys-conf': '1.1.0',
  npm: '11.2.0',
  node: '22.14.0',
  acorn: '8.14.0',
  ada: '2.9.2',
  amaro: '0.3.0',
  ares: '1.34.4',
  brotli: '1.1.0',
  cjs_module_lexer: '1.4.1',
  cldr: '46.0',
  icu: '76.1',
  llhttp: '9.2.1',
  modules: '127',
  napi: '10',
  nbytes: '0.1.1',
  ncrypto: '0.0.1',
  nghttp2: '1.64.0',
  openssl: '3.4.1',
  simdjson: '3.10.1',
  simdutf: '6.0.3',
  sqlite: '3.47.2',
  tz: '2024b',
  undici: '6.21.1',
  unicode: '16.0',
  uv: '1.50.0',
  uvwasi: '0.0.21',
  v8: '12.4.254.21-node.22',
  zlib: '1.3.1'
  }

[DeadlySquad13]

Hello! Check that your node version matches dependencies.

node --version

Newer versions have this flag enabled by default, it triggers this error. gulpjs/gulp-cli#268

Personally I installed 18th version because I didn't have 17 at my package repositories and it works fine. If you're using Nix you can just do:

nix-shell -p nixpkgs nodejs_18
# Inside this shell build command will work.

For other systems I recommend asdf

[aaSchcolnik]

I'm having issues when installing as well, i use nvm and installed the node version presented in the README (node v17), running npm install fails when using v17, if instead use node v20+ npm i works, however running gulp fails, so i'm kind of stumped.

Here's my bug log for when i use npm v17:
2025-08-09T04_50_43_662Z-debug-0.log

The response in the terminal is the following:

npm WARN deprecated source-map-url@0.4.1: See https://github.com/lydell/source-map-url#deprecated
npm WARN deprecated urix@0.1.0: Please see https://github.com/lydell/urix#deprecated
npm WARN deprecated resolve-url@0.2.1: https://github.com/lydell/resolve-url#deprecated
npm WARN deprecated source-map-resolve@0.5.3: See https://github.com/lydell/source-map-resolve#deprecated
npm WARN deprecated fsevents@1.2.13: fsevents 1 will break on node v14+ and could be using insecure binaries. Upgrade to fsevents 2.
npm WARN deprecated chokidar@2.1.8: Chokidar 2 does not receive security updates since 2019. Upgrade to chokidar 3 with 15x fewer dependencies
npm ERR! code 1
npm ERR! path /.../Documents/Github/surfingkeys-conf/node_modules/platform-folders
npm ERR! command failed
npm ERR! command sh -c node-gyp rebuild
npm ERR! gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
npm ERR! gyp info using node-gyp@9.0.0
npm ERR! gyp info using node@17.9.1 | darwin | arm64
npm ERR! gyp info find Python using Python version 3.13.3 found at "/opt/homebrew/opt/python@3.13/bin/python3.13"
npm ERR! gyp http GET https://nodejs.org/download/release/v17.9.1/node-v17.9.1-headers.tar.gz
npm ERR! gyp WARN install got an error, rolling back install
npm ERR! gyp ERR! configure error 
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack FetchError: request to https://nodejs.org/download/release/v17.9.1/node-v17.9.1-headers.tar.gz failed, reason: connect ETIMEDOUT 2606:4700:10::ac42:8046:443
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack     at ClientRequest.<anonymous> (/.../.nvm/versions/node/v17.9.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/minipass-fetch/lib/index.js:130:14)
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack     at ClientRequest.emit (node:events:527:28)
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack     at TLSSocket.socketErrorListener (node:_http_client:454:9)
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack     at TLSSocket.emit (node:events:539:35)
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack     at emitErrorNT (node:internal/streams/destroy:164:8)
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack     at emitErrorCloseNT (node:internal/streams/destroy:129:3)
npm ERR! gyp ERR! stack     at processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:83:21)
npm ERR! gyp ERR! System Darwin 24.5.0
npm ERR! gyp ERR! command "/.../.nvm/versions/node/v17.9.1/bin/node" "/../.nvm/versions/node/v17.9.1/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
npm ERR! gyp ERR! cwd /.../Documents/Github/surfingkeys-conf/node_modules/platform-folders
npm ERR! gyp ERR! node -v v17.9.1
npm ERR! gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v9.0.0
npm ERR! gyp ERR! not ok

When using npm v22.17.1, the npm i command works as you can see by the successful output:

npm warn deprecated source-map-url@0.4.1: See https://github.com/lydell/source-map-url#deprecated
npm warn deprecated urix@0.1.0: Please see https://github.com/lydell/urix#deprecated
npm warn deprecated resolve-url@0.2.1: https://github.com/lydell/resolve-url#deprecated
npm warn deprecated source-map-resolve@0.5.3: See https://github.com/lydell/source-map-resolve#deprecated
npm warn deprecated fsevents@1.2.13: fsevents 1 will break on node v14+ and could be using insecure binaries. Upgrade to fsevents 2.
npm warn deprecated chokidar@2.1.8: Chokidar 2 does not receive security updates since 2019. Upgrade to chokidar 3 with 15x fewer dependencies

added 736 packages, and audited 737 packages in 7s

90 packages are looking for funding
  run `npm fund` for details

30 vulnerabilities (5 low, 9 moderate, 13 high, 3 critical)

To address issues that do not require attention, run:
  npm audit fix

To address all issues (including breaking changes), run:
  npm audit fix --force

Run `npm audit` for details.

However npm run gulp install fails

> surfingkeys-conf@1.1.0 gulp
> npm exec gulp -- install

Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ASYNC_MODULE]: require() cannot be used on an ESM graph with top-level await. Use import() instead. To see where the top-level await comes from, use --experimental-print-required-tla.
  From /Users/aaschcolnik/Documents/Github/surfingkeys-conf/node_modules/gulp-cli/lib/shared/require-or-import.js 
  Requiring /Users/aaschcolnik/Documents/Github/surfingkeys-conf/gulpfile.js 
    at ModuleJobSync.runSync (node:internal/modules/esm/module_job:432:13)
    at ModuleLoader.importSyncForRequire (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:427:47)
    at loadESMFromCJS (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1561:24)
    at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1712:5)
    at Object..js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1895:10)
    at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1465:32)
    at Function._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1282:12)
    at TracingChannel.traceSync (node:diagnostics_channel:322:14)
    at wrapModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:235:24)
    at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1487:12) {
  code: 'ERR_REQUIRE_ASYNC_MODULE'
}

[b0o]

Sorry guys, the build/tooling is very outdated for this project. I'll see if I can get around to improving things soon.

[aaSchcolnik]

Got it to install by just asking claude code to fix it lol, however once running it on the browser it just kept giving this error [SurfingKeys] Error found in settings: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'local')
I might just try and give it a go myself later as i understand @b0o is really busy.
Have a nice day!