Problem: ruflo install stalls on an unpublished dependency pin (@claude-flow/mcp alpha not published) —— Trove problem library

What you will run into

During install/CI, dependency resolution stalls and reports that @claude-flow/mcp related dependencies cannot be resolved — retries and different networks change nothing. It is not the network: a dependency pin points at a version that has not been published, and the resolver can never find it.

Why this happens

Conclusion first: the dependency declaration pins an unpublished version (issue #3095, open 2026-08-25: @claude-flow/mcp alpha.10 unpublished), so resolution fails outright.

Chain: npm/npx resolves dependencies -> fetches registry metadata -> looks up the pinned version -> version absent -> resolution failure. The break is step three: a release-cadence problem that no client-side retry can fix.

Side-by-side measurement (2026-08-29): npx -y ruflo init (v3.38.20 + npmmirror) did not reproduce it here — the version was already satisfied at that time (stated honestly). So this is a time-window issue that heals after the upstream release.

Conclusion: for pin-type resolution failures, first verify whether that version actually exists (npm view <pkg> versions), then choose a path: wait for the release, pin an available range, or retry on another registry (fall back to the official registry when npmmirror lags).

Step by step

1. Verify the version exists — Required

npm view @claude-flow/mcp versions: if the pinned version is not in the list, it is unpublished and retrying cannot help.

2. Wait for the release or pin an available version — By scenario

Retry once upstream publishes; or pin a published version range in your own dependency.

3. Try another registry — Diagnostic

Fall back to the official registry when npmmirror sync lags; the reverse also applies (use npmmirror when the official registry is slow).

4. Follow upstream — Diagnostic

Once confirmed as an unpublished pin, follow the matching issue (#3095) instead of fighting it locally.

How to confirm it works

• Dependency resolution proceeds normally through to install completion;
• ruflo --version prints normally and the init flow runs through (same path measured on 2026-08-29).

Other environments

• CI pipelines: resolution failure turns the whole pipeline red; confirm the pin first before touching the pipeline;
• Time window: it heals after the upstream release — check the issue timeline when you hit it;
• Source material: ruvnet/ruflo issue #3095 (open, 2026-08-25), anonymous retrieval summary.

Symptom

Install/CI stalls in dependency resolution; @claude-flow/mcp related dependencies cannot be resolved.

Cause

A dependency pin targets an unpublished version (issue #3095, open 2026-08-25: @claude-flow/mcp alpha.10 unpublished), so resolution fails.

Solution

1. Wait for the upstream release and retry; or lock to a published, usable version range when installing.
2. Retry on another npm registry (fall back to the official registry when npmmirror sync lags).