Install Node.js

Node.js runs Saavo's development server, build commands, and tests. npm installs project dependencies. Saavo requires Node.js 22.13.0 or later, with Node.js 24 LTS recommended.

This guide uses fnm to manage Node.js. Compared with installing a fixed version directly, fnm makes upgrades, version switching, and removal easier. It also keeps projects that need different Node.js versions from interfering with one another.

Check existing versions

Open a terminal and run:

node -v
npm -v
fnm --version

• If node -v reports version 22.13.0 or later and npm -v also succeeds, your environment already meets the requirements. You do not need to reinstall Node.js just to use fnm.
• If Node.js is older than 22.13.0 or the command is missing, continue by installing fnm and Node.js 24.
• If only the fnm command is missing, Node.js may have been installed another way. You can keep using it as long as its version meets the requirements.

Install fnm

Choose a method for your operating system.

Windows

Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal:

winget install --id Schniz.fnm -e

You can also use scoop install fnm or choco install fnm, or download the version for your processor from fnm Releases. Choose one method to avoid duplicate installations.

The current fnm package in WinGet is portable and registers the fnm command during installation. After installation, close all terminal windows, open a new PowerShell window, and run:

fnm --version

A version number confirms that installation is complete. You do not need to add fnm to PATH manually or edit $PROFILE just to make the fnm command available.

macOS

Install with Homebrew:

brew install fnm

Homebrew installs the fnm command but does not modify your Bash or Zsh startup files. You still need to initialize your shell below.

Linux

The official installation script requires curl and unzip to be installed:

curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash

The official script automatically updates ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or your Fish configuration based on $SHELL. When it finishes, follow the terminal instructions to reopen the terminal or run the source command. Do not add the same configuration again. Manual configuration is needed only if the script cannot identify your shell or you installed with --skip-shell.

Check shell initialization

These are two separate checks:

• Running fnm --version only confirms that the terminal can find the fnm program.
• Running node, switching Node.js versions, and reading .nvmrc require the current shell to execute fnm env.

After a WinGet installation on Windows, the first requirement is usually met automatically, but shell initialization is still needed for the second. Homebrew installations on macOS also need initialization. On Linux, the official script usually writes the configuration automatically. Check the relevant file first and add the configuration only if it is missing.

Add the initialization command for your current shell to the end of its configuration file:

# Add to $PROFILE
fnm env --use-on-cd --shell powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression

If your PowerShell profile does not exist yet, create and open it first:

if (-not (Test-Path $PROFILE)) { New-Item -ItemType File -Path $PROFILE -Force }
notepad $PROFILE

Save the file, close all terminal windows, and reopen your terminal. Check both that the fnm command is available and that the shell has loaded the fnm environment:

fnm --version
fnm current

If Node.js is not installed yet, it is normal for fnm current to have no version to display. After installing and activating Node.js in the next step, use node -v for the final check.

Install Node.js 24 LTS

Run:

fnm install 24
fnm default 24
fnm use 24

These commands install Node.js 24, set it as the default for new terminals, and switch the current terminal to it immediately, respectively. fnm also provides the npm version bundled with that Node.js release. You do not need to install npm separately.

Verify Node.js and npm

Reopen your terminal and run:

fnm --version
node -v
npm -v

node -v should print v24.x, and npm -v should print a version number. The exact minor version changes as Node.js 24 receives maintenance updates, so it does not need to match the screenshot.

Windows cannot load npm.ps1

If node -v works but running npm -v in PowerShell produces this error:

npm.ps1 cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system
PSSecurityException

This does not mean npm failed to install. Node.js already includes npm. PowerShell found npm.ps1 when you ran npm, but the current execution policy blocks PowerShell scripts. Seeing fnm_multishells in the error path is also normal. It is how fnm makes a Node.js version available to the current terminal.

First, confirm that npm is installed:

npm.cmd -v

If this prints a version number, you do not need to reinstall Node.js or npm. As a temporary option, call npm.cmd and npx.cmd explicitly in PowerShell:

npm.cmd install
npx.cmd wrangler --version

If this is your own development computer, you can first inspect the execution policies at each scope:

Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

Then enable RemoteSigned for the current user only:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Confirm the change, close and reopen PowerShell, then run npm -v and npx -v again. Do not set the entire computer to Unrestricted for convenience or use Bypass permanently.

Common issues

• fnm is still not found after installation: Close all terminal windows and reopen them. If that does not help, check whether fnm has been added to PATH.
• fnm works, but node is still missing: The shell initialization command usually has not taken effect. Check $PROFILE, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.zshrc, then reopen the terminal.
• A new terminal reverts to the old version: Run fnm default 24 and confirm that your shell configuration still contains fnm env --use-on-cd.
• Multiple Node.js installations: Run where.exe node on Windows or which -a node on macOS or Linux to check whether an older installation takes precedence over fnm.