feat: 2025-11-07 improvements

[Pertempto]

• Add example config
• Improve how we handle modules

[github-actions]

scripts/install.sh: Use of npm ci may fail for many third-party modules because npm ci requires a package-lock.json (or shrinkwrap). Right now the script only runs npm ci when package.json exists — this will error for modules without a lockfile and cause missed installs. Suggest changing to try npm ci then fall back to npm install --omit=dev (or just use npm install --omit=dev). Also increment MODULE_COUNT for successfully cloned modules (not only when package.json exists) so the reported count matches what's installed.

[github-actions]

Changes Requested

Please address the following changes before I re-review:

• Make module installs robust: remove partial module dirs when git clone fails; increment MODULE_COUNT on successful clone (not only after deps); and install dependencies conditionally — prefer npm ci --omit=dev when package-lock.json exists, otherwise use npm install --omit=dev.
• Make adding the user-local npm PATH idempotent and reference the resolved user home: only append the export PATH line to "$MM_HOME/.bashrc" if it does not already exist, write the expanded $MM_HOME (not $HOME), and preserve ownership.
• Ensure PM2-launched processes can find user-local global packages: include the user-local npm bin in the env.PATH written to ecosystem.config.js (expand $MM_HOME when writing the file), and chown the file to the target user.
• Use a preserved HOME when running user-scoped commands: prefer sudo -H -u "$MM_USER" ... or ensure commands executed via bash -lc reference $MM_HOME rather than $HOME.

Summary of Changes

• Added example configuration files under example/ and a project README.md.
• Replaced installation.md with install.md and documented usage of scripts/install.sh.
• Updated scripts/install.sh to use modules.json, added jq to prerequisites, shallow-cloned MagicMirror, configured a user-local npm prefix for PM2, and added a new modules install loop that clones modules from modules.json and attempts to install their dependencies.
• Switched to user-local PM2 install and added several debug checks and PATH exports.

Overall Feedback

• Negative: The new module-install and PM2 handling introduce correctness/idempotency issues that will cause confusing failures:

  • npm ci is used unconditionally; it fails without a lockfile and will abort module installs.
  • Partial module directories can remain when git clone fails, and MODULE_COUNT only increments after dependency install so it underreports.
  • The PM2 env.PATH currently omits the user-local npm bin; PM2-launched processes may not find user-installed global packages.

• Positive: The move to modules.json with jq, shallow cloning MagicMirror, and using a user-local npm prefix for PM2 are solid improvements. Scoping pm2/npm commands to the target user and the extra diagnostics make debugging easier. With the requested fixes the installer will be robust and idempotent — great progress!

Please address the requested fixes (I left an inline actionable comment on the module install loop) and ping me when updated. Thanks! @Pertempto

[github-actions]

scripts/install.sh: In the ecosystem.config.js block the env.PATH is set to '/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin'. Please include the user-local npm bin so PM2-launched processes have the same runtime PATH as the target user. Suggestion:

Replace the PATH line with something like:

PATH: '$MM_HOME/.npm-global/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin',

This prevents "command not found" for user-local global packages and matches the rest of the script's npm prefix usage.

[github-actions]

In scripts/install.sh consider ensuring commands that rely on the target user's HOME use a preserved HOME. Use either sudo -H -u "$MM_USER" ... or explicitly reference "$MM_HOME" inside the command string.

Example alternatives:

• sudo -H -u "$MM_USER" npm config set prefix "$MM_HOME/.npm-global"
• sudo -u "$MM_USER" bash -lc "export PATH='$MM_HOME/.npm-global/bin:\$PATH' && pm2 --version"

This avoids relying on the invoking environment's $HOME and makes behavior consistent across systems/sudo configurations.

[github-actions]

@Pertempto — Module install loop: after git clone fails you log a warning but leave any partially created dir behind and only increment MODULE_COUNT when a package.json exists and deps installed. Please:

• Remove a module dir if git clone fails (or detect clone success before proceeding).
• Increment MODULE_COUNT on successful clone (not only after deps) so the reported count reflects installed modules.

Relevant block: scripts/install.sh lines ~235-244.

[github-actions]

@Pertempto �1: ecosystem.config.js PATH: please include the user-local npm bin so PM2-launched processes can find user-installed global packages. Suggest replacing the PATH with:

PATH: '$MM_HOME/.npm-global/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin',

This file is written at scripts/install.sh lines ~296-307.

[github-actions]

scripts/install.sh — adding user-local npm PATH to ~/.bashrc (lines ~261-264):

• Issue: Current append uses "$HOME" and always writes without checking for existing entry earlier in the script run; you do check with grep -q which is good, but the line uses $HOME which for sudo may not be target user's home when executed as root.
• Actionable change: write the export using the resolved MM_HOME and ensure it's created as the target user (ownership). Example replacement:

if ! grep -q ".npm-global/bin" "$MM_HOME/.bashrc"; then
  echo "export PATH=\"$MM_HOME/.npm-global/bin:\$PATH\"" >> "$MM_HOME/.bashrc"
  chown "$MM_USER:$MM_USER" "$MM_HOME/.bashrc"
fi

This ensures the PATH line references the real user home and preserves file ownership. Please update accordingly. @Pertempto