[Bug]: `$(NPM_PATH)` without having npm in DefaultInfo files leads to errors

[mislavmandaricaxilis]

What happened?

rules_nodejs exposes both NODE_PATH and NPM_PATH but it only adds node to DefaultInfo files.

Using $(NODE_PATH) works well, but when you try to use $(NPM_PATH) it fails with rules_nodejs++node+nodejs_darwin_arm64/bin/npm: No such file or directory.

Should we expose npm alongside node in DefaultInfo provider?

Here's a link to Slack thread where I initially reported this.

Version

Development (host) and target OS/architectures: darwin/arm64

Output of bazel --version: bazel 8.1.1

Version of rules_nodejs, or other relevant rules from your
WORKSPACE or MODULE.bazel file: 6.3.5

Language(s) and/or frameworks involved:

How to reproduce

# From this example: https://github.com/bazel-contrib/rules_nodejs/blob/6b7609179ac1728c6e102d0050117a9b71e55fa5/e2e/smoke/BUILD.bazel#L64C1-L71C2
genrule(
    name = "use_nodejs_toolchain",
    srcs = ["some.js"],
    outs = ["actual1"],
    cmd = "$(NODE_PATH) $(execpath some.js) $@",
    toolchains = ["@nodejs_toolchains//:resolved_toolchain"],
    tools = ["@nodejs_toolchains//:resolved_toolchain"],
)
# this works!

genrule(
    name = "npm_version",
    srcs = [],
    outs = ["actual1"],
    cmd = "$(NPM_PATH) --version",
    toolchains = ["@nodejs_toolchains//:resolved_toolchain"],
    tools = ["@nodejs_toolchains//:resolved_toolchain"],
)
# this fails with /bin/bash: external/rules_nodejs++node+nodejs_darwin_arm64/bin/npm: No such file or directory

Any other information?

No response

[fmeum]

@alexeagle The motivation is to use this with bazel_env.bzl, which might be of interest to you :-)