fix(@angular/cli): resolve correct registry name when using npm alias syntax during update

When a dependency uses the npm alias syntax (e.g. "@typescript/lib-dom": "npm:@types/web@^0.0.99"), ng update needs to fetch registry metadata for the actual package name (@types/web) rather than the local alias name (@typescript/lib-dom).

Introduce a RegistryClient helper to intercept and translate package names before querying registry metadata or manifest info, renaming the results back to the local alias name to maintain compatibility with the rest of the resolver logic.

Also update applyUpdatePlan to correctly parse and preserve alias prefixes when writing back to package.json, supporting scoped packages correctly.

Author: clydin

packages/angular/cli/src/commands/update/update-resolver.ts

@@ -25,33 +25,46 @@ export class RegistryClient {
     private packageManager: PackageManager,
     private logger: logging.LoggerApi,
     readonly minReleaseAge: number = 0,
+    private getRegistryName?: (name: string) => string,
   ) {}
 
   async getMetadata(packageName: string): Promise<PackageMetadata | null> {
-    let promise = this.metadataCache.get(packageName);
+    const registryName = this.getRegistryName ? this.getRegistryName(packageName) : packageName;
+    let promise = this.metadataCache.get(registryName);
     if (!promise) {
-      promise = this.packageManager.getRegistryMetadata(packageName).catch((e) => {
-        this.metadataCache.delete(packageName);
+      promise = this.packageManager.getRegistryMetadata(registryName).catch((e) => {
+        this.metadataCache.delete(registryName);
         throw e;
       });
-      this.metadataCache.set(packageName, promise);
+      this.metadataCache.set(registryName, promise);
     }
 
-    return promise;
+    const metadata = await promise;
+    if (metadata && registryName !== packageName) {
+      return { ...metadata, name: packageName };
+    }
+
+    return metadata;
   }
 
   async getManifest(packageName: string, version: string): Promise<PackageManifest | null> {
-    const key = `${packageName}@${version}`;
+    const registryName = this.getRegistryName ? this.getRegistryName(packageName) : packageName;
+    const key = `${registryName}@${version}`;
     let promise = this.manifestCache.get(key);
     if (!promise) {
-      promise = this.packageManager.getRegistryManifest(packageName, version).catch((e) => {
+      promise = this.packageManager.getRegistryManifest(registryName, version).catch((e) => {
         this.manifestCache.delete(key);
         throw e;
       });
       this.manifestCache.set(key, promise);
     }
 
-    return promise;
+    const manifest = await promise;
+    if (manifest && registryName !== packageName) {
+      return { ...manifest, name: packageName };
+    }
+
+    return manifest;
   }
 }
 
@@ -760,6 +773,20 @@ function _formatVersion(v?: string): string | undefined {
   return coerced ? coerced.toString() : undefined;
 }
 
+function getRegistryNameAndRange(name: string, specifier: string): { name: string; range: string } {
+  try {
+    const result = npa.resolve(name, specifier);
+    if (result.type === 'alias' && result.subSpec) {
+      return {
+        name: result.subSpec.name ?? name,
+        range: result.subSpec.fetchSpec ?? specifier,
+      };
+    }
+  } catch {}
+
+  return { name, range: specifier };
+}
+
 function isPkgFromRegistry(name: string, specifier: string): boolean {
   const result = npa.resolve(name, specifier);
 
@@ -886,7 +913,17 @@ export async function resolveUserUpdatePlan(
   const usingYarn = options.packageManager === 'yarn';
 
   const minReleaseAge = await packageManager.getMinimumReleaseAge();
-  const registryClient = new RegistryClient(packageManager, logger, minReleaseAge);
+
+  const getRegistryName = (name: string): string => {
+    const specifier = npmDeps.get(name);
+    if (specifier) {
+      return getRegistryNameAndRange(name, specifier).name;
+    }
+
+    return name;
+  };
+
+  const registryClient = new RegistryClient(packageManager, logger, minReleaseAge, getRegistryName);
 
   await checkCatalogUpdates(
     normalizedPackages,
@@ -1163,8 +1200,31 @@ export async function applyUpdatePlan(
 
   const updateDependency = (deps: Record<string, string>, name: string, newVersion: string) => {
     const oldVersion = deps[name];
-    const execResult = /^[\^~]/.exec(oldVersion);
-    deps[name] = `${execResult ? execResult[0] : ''}${newVersion}`;
+    const aliasPrefix = 'npm:';
+
+    // If the dependency uses an npm package alias (e.g., "npm:registry-name@version-range"),
+    // parse and reconstruct the alias with the new target version while preserving
+    // the original alias registry name and any version prefix character (like ^ or ~).
+    if (oldVersion.startsWith(aliasPrefix)) {
+      const specifier = oldVersion.slice(aliasPrefix.length);
+      const lastAtIndex = specifier.lastIndexOf('@');
+      if (lastAtIndex > 0) {
+        const registryName = specifier.slice(0, lastAtIndex);
+        const versionRange = specifier.slice(lastAtIndex + 1);
+        // Retain any semantic versioning operator prefix (e.g., ^ or ~) from the target version range.
+        const execResult = /^[\^~]/.exec(versionRange);
+        deps[name] =
+          `${aliasPrefix}${registryName}@${execResult ? execResult[0] : ''}${newVersion}`;
+      } else {
+        // If there's no `@` character defining a version specifier in the alias (e.g. "npm:packageName"),
+        // leave it as-is without attempting to inject a version suffix.
+        deps[name] = oldVersion;
+      }
+    } else {
+      // Standard dependency formatting, keeping any semantic versioning operator prefix (e.g., ^ or ~).
+      const execResult = /^[\^~]/.exec(oldVersion);
+      deps[name] = `${execResult ? execResult[0] : ''}${newVersion}`;
+    }
   };
 
   for (const [name, targetVersion] of plan.packagesToUpdate.entries()) {

packages/angular/cli/src/commands/update/update-resolver_spec.ts

@@ -228,6 +228,17 @@ describe('UpdateResolver', () => {
         '14.0.0-next.0': { name: '@angular-devkit-tests/cdk-bug', version: '14.0.0-next.0' },
       },
     },
+    '@types/web': {
+      metadata: {
+        name: '@types/web',
+        'dist-tags': { latest: '0.0.100' },
+        versions: ['0.0.99', '0.0.100'],
+      },
+      manifests: {
+        '0.0.99': { name: '@types/web', version: '0.0.99' },
+        '0.0.100': { name: '@types/web', version: '0.0.100' },
+      },
+    },
   };
 
   async function resolvePlan(options: UpdateResolverOptions, minReleaseAge = 0) {
@@ -573,6 +584,72 @@ Please perform the following steps to update:
       }),
     ).toBeRejectedWithError(new RegExp(expectedError));
   });
+
+  it('correctly resolves and updates packages using npm alias syntax', async () => {
+    createMockWorkspace(
+      {
+        name: 'blah',
+        dependencies: {
+          '@typescript/lib-dom': 'npm:@types/web@^0.0.99',
+        },
+      },
+      {
+        '@typescript/lib-dom': {
+          version: '0.0.99',
+          manifest: { name: '@types/web' },
+        },
+      },
+    );
+
+    const plan = await resolvePlan({
+      packages: ['@typescript/lib-dom'],
+      workspaceRoot: tempRoot,
+    });
+
+    expect(plan.packagesToUpdate.get('@typescript/lib-dom')).toBe('0.0.100');
+
+    await applyUpdatePlan(tempRoot, plan, logger);
+
+    const updatedPackageJson = JSON.parse(
+      readFileSync(path.join(tempRoot, 'package.json'), 'utf8'),
+    ) as PackageManifest;
+
+    expect(updatedPackageJson.dependencies?.['@typescript/lib-dom']).toBe(
+      'npm:@types/web@^0.0.100',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('correctly handles packages using npm alias syntax without a version range', async () => {
+    createMockWorkspace(
+      {
+        name: 'blah',
+        dependencies: {
+          '@typescript/lib-dom': 'npm:@types/web',
+        },
+      },
+      {
+        '@typescript/lib-dom': {
+          version: '0.0.99',
+          manifest: { name: '@types/web' },
+        },
+      },
+    );
+
+    const plan = await resolvePlan({
+      packages: ['@typescript/lib-dom'],
+      workspaceRoot: tempRoot,
+    });
+
+    expect(plan.packagesToUpdate.get('@typescript/lib-dom')).toBe('0.0.100');
+
+    await applyUpdatePlan(tempRoot, plan, logger);
+
+    const updatedPackageJson = JSON.parse(
+      readFileSync(path.join(tempRoot, 'package.json'), 'utf8'),
+    ) as PackageManifest;
+
+    expect(updatedPackageJson.dependencies?.['@typescript/lib-dom']).toBe('npm:@types/web');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('RegistryClient', () => {