Ghost 6.0 Troubleshooting

dsri

I recently migrated to the new AlmaLinux 9 servers so I could try Ghost 6.0 specifically for its network features, allowing federated posting and replies via its new Network Reader Panel. While installing using the Opalstack Ghost Application works, there are a few showstopper bugs I've noticed so I thought I'd share them.

ghost doctor reports an issue with user directory permissions - It says that the CLI may not function correctly and suggests setting the permissions so it can read it, but I found out the hard way that this is how you break all your Static Only websites for a user 😅. Support fixed it quickly, but I'm still wondering if this is actually an issue. Since the CLI seems to actually work after doing the Opalstack recommended source setenv in their Ghost instructions, maybe this isn't an error at all

Image uploading fails - The Ghost Dashboard allows you to upload avatar and background images for your users. However, any attempt to do so will throw an error dialog, so nothing happens. The issue appears to be related to an "optional" dependency of the API SDK that is actually used by the Ghost Admin (the sharp image processing module). I'm not sure if I should install it myself, let alone where to put it. That said, I'm not sure this is the issue though I see the error in the application logs:

  "err": {
    "id": "106e3ce1-7e0d-11f0-90e8-db666a42321e",
    "domain": "[redacted]",
    "code": null,
    "name": "BadRequestError",
    "statusCode": 400,
    "level": "normal",
    "message": "Image processing failed",
    "context": "\"Sharp wasn't installed\"",
    "help": "\"Please verify that the image is valid\"",
    "stack": "BadRequestError: Image processing failed\n
        at Object.query ([redacted]/versions/6.0.4/core/server/api/endpoints/images.js:43:27)\n
        at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)\n
        at async getResponse ([redacted]/versions/6.0.4/node_modules/@tryghost/api-framework/lib/pipeline.js:259:34)\n
        at async ImplWrapper ([redacted]/versions/6.0.4/node_modules/@tryghost/api-framework/lib/pipeline.js:264:30)\n
        at async Http ([redacted]/versions/6.0.4/node_modules/@tryghost/api-framework/lib/http.js:70:28)",
    "hideStack": false
  },

Network Panel works once, then never works again - There is a requirement for the Network Panel to appear, which is that the ghost installation is in the root of a domain. After fixing that, I saw the Network Panel appear in the sidebar of the Ghost Admin! Cool! But after that, it never worked again. There are multiple threads on the Ghost Forums like this one that are attempted to debug it for other self-hosted installation sites. This is above my understanding so I'm posting it here.

I have more detailed notes here where I'm tracking the issues.

nick

dsri Hello,

That's great that you are testing the waters on the new system, thanks for sharing your notes 🙂

Re 1) This is likely a false positive due to how our managed hosting platform is configured. You can skip making changes unless you encounter any real issues with the CLI, and if so let us know.

Re 2) You can install sharp using npm in your Ghost env, see https://docs.opalstack.com/topic-guides/ghost/#installing-packages-for-ghost-with-npm, then restart Ghost afterwards.

Re 3) This looks like a redirect issue as reported in the link you gave.

However, users do not have access to the NGINX configuration to implement that. You will have to build your own NGINX instance to serve ghost to fix that if you want to use it.

We have a guide on how to setup a private NGINX/PHP-FPM stack here on the forum, perhaps just run NGINX independently from that or build NGINX separately all together.

dsri

Thanks for the helpful reply, Nick! I’ll report back when I give it a try! 💞

dsri

I'm attempting to install sharp, but got an error when I exec npm install sharp from ssh terminal in the ghost/node directory.

npm error code 1
npm error path /home/path-to-app/node/node_modules/sharp
npm error command failed
npm error command sh -c node install/check.js || npm run build
npm error > sharp@0.34.5 build
npm error > node install/build.js
npm error
npm error sharp: Attempting to build from source via node-gyp
npm error sharp: See https://sharp.pixelplumbing.com/install#building-from-source
npm error sharp: Please add node-addon-api to your dependencies
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: [...]

There were two dependencies needed, node-addon-api and node-gyp

npm i -S node-addon-api node-gyp

Then I could install sharp

npm i sharp

There were errors reported by npm audit, but I chose to ignore them because the auditor is (as far as I still know) famously unreliable. ghost --version itself reports 1.2.4, which is the most recent version.

CORRECTION ghost --version reports 1.28.4, not 1.2.4 as I wrote earlier.

TL;DR
Installing sharp means I can upload my profile picture in Ghost and it shows up in the app! yay! next to address the nginx thingy.

johns

Howdy,

Can you confirm for me you are within the correct node environment when you are attempting the install/build? npm and node are returning the correct versions? Please paste the versions being reported.

dsri

johns

node --version reports 22.18.0
npm --version reports 10.9.3
both binaries are in /opt/nodejs22/bin

oops, ghost --version reports 1.28.4, not 1.2.4 that I wrote earlier.

dsri

Ok, next step is to see how to install the nginx proxy thing. Nick had linked to HOWTO run a private PHP-FPM stack on Nginx or Apache on Opalstack and so I'm reviewing this.

A couple points of confusion arise, as I'm not very familiar with nginx or proxies.

The example seems to assume that I want to run a php-fpm application, and that nginx is being proxied so I can edit the nginx conf to add my own specialty configuration. However, Ghost is a Node JS application, not PHP.
Creating a second app of type Nginx Proxy Port which somehow binds to another site,
The repo at the github.com/opalstack/private-phpfpm-installer has two files, config which we edit and install.bash which we run using ./install.bash from inside the cloned repo. However, looking at both config and install.bash these seem to be checking specifically for PHP variables and install locations.

I don't think this will have any bearing on my NodeJS-based Ghost application. But maybe the part that actually works is the nginx template being modified by the bash script and that's what matters; the rest of the stuff is just extra dangly bits.

That said, the reason I was having trouble before was because I had installed Ghost on a subdomain or directory and this broke its Network (federation) feature. Digging around in the Ghost forums, someone suggested that extra configuration in nginx that isn't normally editable on Opal.

However, I reinstalled my Ghost app on a regular domain, and the Network feature in Ghost seems to be working now instead of timing out. So I don't need to install the nginx proxy at all now, and can skip it.

So I guess I'm good! Just to summarize this nginx proxy stuff for the future, my understanding is

Creating an APPLICATION from the "nginx proxy port" stack makes a special entry with a generated port; the application itself has no files in it by default.
By creating a SITE, I connect a DOMAIN to an APPLICATION (in this case, the nginx proxy port app)
SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENS TO LINK NGINX TO GHOST
The proxy directs traffic to and from the Ghost application port, like a regular NodeJS application running behind a proxy.

Looking through the script, I guess the magic is this chunk from install.bash

cat << "EOF" > start-nginx
#!/bin/bash
MYDIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
$MYDIR/php-fpm --prefix "$(dirname $MYDIR)"
$MYDIR/nginx -c "$(dirname $MYDIR)/conf/nginx.conf" -p "$(dirname $MYDIR)" 2>/dev/null
EOF

This creates a script that runs nginx -c with the custom configuration and serves from dirname $MYDIR, but I think with Ghost that this isn't actually what needs to happen since it's what is serving web traffic, not from a location? So the necessary nginx configuration for Ghost might be different.

nick

dsri Glad you got it working!

My original suggestion was just that it's a convenient way to get a custom Nginx configuration in place if you ever needed to add your own redirects or other rules for your app. Since that turned out not to be necessary, you can ignore it.

All Opalstack content, whether PHP, static files, or Node.js apps, is already served through our system Nginx as a frontend reverse proxy. A Nginx Proxy Port app simply reserves an available port on the system and generates the necessary Nginx proxy configuration automatically, which you then attach to a site record.

As for federation specifically, it turns out no custom Nginx configuration is needed on your end. Our system Nginx already includes the necessary proxy rules for Ghost's ActivityPub endpoints out of the box, so any Ghost site on our AlmaLinux 9 servers has federation wiring in place automatically. I confirmed this in my testing on a fresh Ghost install on a subdomain. If you decided to switch back to that and have issues, please let us know.

dsri

A tale of maintaining my Ghost 6.0 install on opal18, which was working until I tried to issue the ghost update command via CLI to migrate from 6.0.2 to 6.30.x using ghost update.

I'm providing this as history of my experience using Opalstack and Ghost, in case others have faced the same issue.

TL;DR SUMMARY

Noted at that the Network feature was no longer working in my installation.
Tried to use ghost update as the easy upgrade from 6.0.2 to 6.38.0 to see if that fixes it
Errors! Could not resolve entirely due to gyp errors and node version issues
Tried using Podman to pull ghost:latest docker image, so configuration issues that needed to resolve
Tried creating a new Ghost application, thinking it would pick up the latest version. Nope, it is pinned to 6.0.2

TRY GHOST UPDATE?

I ran ghost update and got this error:

Message: Ghost v6.38.0 is not compatible with this version of the CLI. Your CLI version is 1.28.4, but Ghost v6.38.0 requires ^1.29.1
Help: Run `npm install -g ghost-cli@latest` to upgrade the CLI, then try again.

I think the "Ghost Open App Stack" is making use of a system-wide nodejs but with local modules, so I not sure if can do a global install of ghost-cli@latest, but I can probably install it locally by dropping the -g glag. The local node_modules is in APP_PATH/my-ghost-app/node directory, where I can see the ghost-cli npm package. So tried local install after checking the the setenv script is referring to it.

This threw a number of dependency warnings, as the system version of node (22.22.1) is a bit too old:

npm warn EBADENGINE Unsupported engine {
npm warn EBADENGINE   package: 'abbrev@5.0.0',
npm warn EBADENGINE   required: { node: '^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0' },
npm warn EBADENGINE   current: { node: 'v22.22.1', npm: '10.9.4' }
npm warn EBADENGINE }
npm warn EBADENGINE Unsupported engine {
npm warn EBADENGINE   package: 'ini@7.0.0',
npm warn EBADENGINE   required: { node: '^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0' },
npm warn EBADENGINE   current: { node: 'v22.22.1', npm: '10.9.4' }
npm warn EBADENGINE }
npm warn EBADENGINE Unsupported engine {
npm warn EBADENGINE   package: 'which@7.0.0',
npm warn EBADENGINE   required: { node: '^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0' },
npm warn EBADENGINE   current: { node: 'v22.22.1', npm: '10.9.4' }
npm warn EBADENGINE }

Ignoring the warnings, I checked that ghost --version reported the updated version 1.29.3. Progress, but no love.

Here's a redacted log of the errors after running ghost update again, after updating my local version of ghost-cli:

✖ Downloading and updating Ghost to v6.38.0
A ProcessError occurred.

Message: Command failed: corepack pnpm install --prod --reporter=append-only

Progress: resolved 0, reused 0, downloaded 1, added 0
 WARN  deprecated path-match@1.2.4: This package is archived and no longer maintained. For support, visit https://github.com/expressjs/express/discussions
 WARN  deprecated superagent@5.3.1: Please upgrade to superagent v10.2.2+, see release notes at https://github.com/forwardemail/superagent/releases/tag/v10.2.2 - maintenance is supported by Forward Email @ https://forwardemail.net
 WARN  deprecated brute-knex@4.0.1: Package no longer supported. Contact Support at https://www.npmjs.com/support for more info.
 WARN  deprecated supertest@6.3.4: Please upgrade to supertest v7.1.3+, see release notes at https://github.com/forwardemail/supertest/releases/tag/v7.1.3 - maintenance is supported by Forward Email @ https://forwardemail.net
 WARN  deprecated glob@8.1.0: Old versions of glob are not supported, and contain widely publicized security vulnerabilities, which have been fixed in the current version. Please update. Support for old versions may be purchased (at exorbitant rates) by contacting i@izs.me
 WARN  deprecated eslint@8.57.1: This version is no longer supported. Please see https://eslint.org/version-support for other options.
Packages are cloned from the content-addressable store to the virtual store.
  Content-addressable store is at: MY_HOME_DIR/.local/share/pnpm/store/v10
  Virtual store is at:             node_modules/.pnpm

   ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────╮
   │                                              │
   │     Update available! 10.33.0 → 11.1.2.      │
   │     Changelog: https://pnpm.io/v/11.1.2      │
   │   To update, run: corepack use pnpm@11.1.2   │
   │                                              │
   ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────╯

Progress: resolved 207, reused 0, downloaded 207, added 0
Progress: resolved 837, reused 0, downloaded 830, added 0
Progress: resolved 1528, reused 0, downloaded 1438, added 0
Progress: resolved 1971, reused 0, downloaded 1891, added 0
Progress: resolved 2069, reused 0, downloaded 1994, added 0
Progress: resolved 2164, reused 0, downloaded 2085, added 0
Progress: resolved 2344, reused 0, downloaded 2211, added 0
 WARN  39 deprecated subdependencies found: @humanwhocodes/config-array@0.13.0, @humanwhocodes/object-schema@2.0.3, @npmcli/move-file@1.1.2, @otplib/plugin-crypto@12.0.1, @otplib/plugin-thirty-two@12.0.1, @otplib/preset-default@12.0.1, @types/color-convert@3.0.1, @ungap/structured-clone@1.3.0, are-we-there-yet@3.0.1, boolean@3.2.0, bree@6.5.0, consolidate@0.15.1, core-js@2.6.12, crypto@0.0.3, ee-argv@0.1.4, ee-types@2.2.1, formidable@1.2.6, gauge@4.0.4, glob@10.5.0, glob@11.1.0, glob@6.0.4, glob@7.2.3, har-validator@5.1.5, inflight@1.0.6, intl-messageformat-parser@2.1.3, lodash.pick@4.4.0, lodash.template@4.5.0, npmlog@6.0.2, prebuild-install@7.1.3, request@2.88.2, rimraf@2.4.5, rimraf@3.0.2, superagent@8.1.2, trim@0.0.3, uuid@3.4.0, uuid@7.0.3, uuid@8.3.2, uuid@9.0.1, whatwg-encoding@3.1.1
Packages: +1633
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 0, downloaded 2213, added 106
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 0, downloaded 2213, added 599
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 0, downloaded 2213, added 1221
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 0, downloaded 2213, added 1510
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 0, downloaded 2213, added 1633, done
.../core-js@2.6.12/node_modules/core-js postinstall$ node -e "try{require('./postinstall')}catch(e){}"
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install$ node-gyp rebuild || node suppress-error.js
.../core-js@2.6.12/node_modules/core-js postinstall: Thank you for using core-js ( https://github.com/zloirock/core-js ) for polyfilling JavaScript standard library!
.../core-js@2.6.12/node_modules/core-js postinstall: The project needs your help! Please consider supporting of core-js on Open Collective or Patreon: 
.../core-js@2.6.12/node_modules/core-js postinstall: > https://opencollective.com/core-js 
.../core-js@2.6.12/node_modules/core-js postinstall: > https://www.patreon.com/zloirock 
.../core-js@2.6.12/node_modules/core-js postinstall: Also, the author of core-js ( https://github.com/zloirock ) is looking for a good job -)
.../core-js@2.6.12/node_modules/core-js postinstall: Done
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install$ prebuild-install -r napi || node-gyp rebuild
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install$ install-from-cache --artifact build/Release/re2.node --host-var RE2_DOWNLOAD_MIRROR --skip-path-var RE2_DOWNLOAD_SKIP_PATH --skip-ver-var RE2_DOWNLOAD_SKIP_VER || node-gyp -j max rebuild
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install$ node install/check.js || npm run build
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info using node-gyp@11.5.0
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info using node@22.22.1 | linux | x64
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info find Python using Python version 3.13.13 found at "/usr/local/bin/python3.13"
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn /usr/local/bin/python3.13
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args [
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args 'MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node/corepack/v1/pnpm/10.33.0/dist/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args 'binding.gyp',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-f',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args 'make',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-I',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args 'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/dtrace-provider@0.8.8/node_modules/dtrace-provider/build/config.gypi',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-I',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args 'MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node/corepack/v1/pnpm/10.33.0/dist/node_modules/node-gyp/addon.gypi',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-I',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args 'MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/include/node/common.gypi',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Dlibrary=shared_library',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Dvisibility=default',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Dnode_root_dir=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Dnode_gyp_dir=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node/corepack/v1/pnpm/10.33.0/dist/node_modules/node-gyp',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Dnode_lib_file=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/<(target_arch)/node.lib',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Dmodule_root_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/dtrace-provider@0.8.8/node_modules/dtrace-provider',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Dnode_engine=v8',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '--depth=.',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '--no-parallel',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '--generator-output',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args 'build',
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args '-Goutput_dir=.'
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args ]
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info using node-gyp@8.4.1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info using node@22.22.1 | linux | x64
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install: Trying https://github.com/uhop/node-re2/releases/download/1.23.3/linux-x64-127.br ...
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: (node:50787) [DEP0060] DeprecationWarning: The `util._extend` API is deprecated. Please use Object.assign() instead.
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: (Use `node --trace-deprecation ...` to show where the warning was created)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: npm warn config production Use `--omit=dev` instead.
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn make
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info spawn args [ 'BUILDTYPE=Release', '-C', 'build' ]
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: make: Entering directory 'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/dtrace-provider@0.8.8/node_modules/dtrace-provider/build'
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install:   TOUCH Release/obj.target/DTraceProviderStub.stamp
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info find Python using Python version 3.13.13 found at "/usr/local/bin/python3.13"
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: make: Leaving directory 'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/dtrace-provider@0.8.8/node_modules/dtrace-provider/build'
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: gyp info ok 
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: > sharp@0.34.5 build
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: > node install/build.js
.../node_modules/dtrace-provider install: Done
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Attempting to build from source via node-gyp
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: See https://sharp.pixelplumbing.com/install#building-from-source
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Found node-addon-api 
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Found node-gyp 8.4.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Detected globally-installed libvips v8.18.0
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn /usr/local/bin/python3.13
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args [
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'binding.gyp',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-f',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'make',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3/build/config.gypi',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/addon.gypi',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/include/node/common.gypi',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dlibrary=shared_library',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dvisibility=default',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_root_dir=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_gyp_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_lib_file=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/<(target_arch)/node.lib',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dmodule_root_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_engine=v8',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '--depth=.',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '--no-parallel',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '--generator-output',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'build',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Goutput_dir=.'
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args ]
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info using node-gyp@8.4.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info using node@22.22.1 | linux | x64
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info chdir src
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: Traceback (most recent call last):
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py", line 42, in <module>
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     import gyp  # noqa: E402
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     ^^^^^^^^^^
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/__init__.py", line 9, in <module>
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     import gyp.input
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/input.py", line 19, in <module>
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     from distutils.version import StrictVersion
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: (node:50898) [DEP0060] DeprecationWarning: The `util._extend` API is deprecated. Please use Object.assign() instead.
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: (Use `node --trace-deprecation ...` to show where the warning was created)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! configure error 
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/configure.js:259:16)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:519:28)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:293:12)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! System Linux 5.14.0-611.54.3.el9_7.x86_64
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! command "/opt/nodejs22/bin/node" "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! cwd MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! node -v v22.22.1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v8.4.1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! not ok 
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: Failed
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info find Python using Python version 3.13.13 found at "/usr/local/bin/python3.13"
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn /usr/local/bin/python3.13
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args [
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'binding.gyp',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-f',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'make',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp/src/build/config.gypi',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/addon.gypi',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/include/node/common.gypi',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dlibrary=shared_library',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dvisibility=default',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_root_dir=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_gyp_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_lib_file=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/<(target_arch)/node.lib',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dmodule_root_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp/src',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_engine=v8',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '--depth=.',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '--no-parallel',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '--generator-output',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'build',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Goutput_dir=.'
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args ]
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: Traceback (most recent call last):
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py", line 42, in <module>
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     import gyp  # noqa: E402
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     ^^^^^^^^^^
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/__init__.py", line 9, in <module>
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     import gyp.input
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/input.py", line 19, in <module>
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     from distutils.version import StrictVersion
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! configure error 
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/configure.js:259:16)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:519:28)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:293:12)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! System Linux 5.14.0-611.54.3.el9_7.x86_64
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! command "/opt/nodejs22/bin/node" "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "rebuild" "--directory=src"
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! cwd MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp/src
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! node -v v22.22.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v8.4.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! not ok 
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: Failed
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install: Writing to build/Release/re2.node ...
 ELIFECYCLE  Command failed with exit code 1.

Exit code: 1


Debug Information:
    OS: AlmaLinux, v9.7
    Node Version: v22.22.1
    Ghost Version: 6.0.2
    Ghost-CLI Version: 1.29.3
    Environment: production
    Command: 'ghost update'

Maybe corepack also need updating? Apparently this is part of node itself (at least pre v25), so I issued to following from my app's ghost/node directory:

npm i corepack@latest
corepack enable
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate

I don't really know what this is doing, but followed the instructions, switched back to the ghost directory and tried ghost update again, but no apparent joy:

✔ Fetched release notes
(node:57255) [DEP0040] DeprecationWarning: The `punycode` module is deprecated. Please use a userland alternative instead.
(Use `node --trace-deprecation ...` to show where the warning was created)
✖ Downloading and updating Ghost to v6.38.0
A ProcessError occurred.

Message: Command failed: pnpm install --prod --reporter=append-only

Progress: resolved 0, reused 1, downloaded 0, added 0
 WARN  deprecated path-match@1.2.4: This package is archived and no longer maintained. For support, visit https://github.com/expressjs/express/discussions
 WARN  deprecated superagent@5.3.1: Please upgrade to superagent v10.2.2+, see release notes at https://github.com/forwardemail/superagent/releases/tag/v10.2.2 - maintenance is supported by Forward Email @ https://forwardemail.net
 WARN  deprecated glob@8.1.0: Old versions of glob are not supported, and contain widely publicized security vulnerabilities, which have been fixed in the current version. Please update. Support for old versions may be purchased (at exorbitant rates) by contacting i@izs.me
 WARN  deprecated brute-knex@4.0.1: Package no longer supported. Contact Support at https://www.npmjs.com/support for more info.
 WARN  deprecated eslint@8.57.1: This version is no longer supported. Please see https://eslint.org/version-support for other options.
 WARN  deprecated supertest@6.3.4: Please upgrade to supertest v7.1.3+, see release notes at https://github.com/forwardemail/supertest/releases/tag/v7.1.3 - maintenance is supported by Forward Email @ https://forwardemail.net
Progress: resolved 863, reused 844, downloaded 0, added 0
Progress: resolved 1696, reused 1648, downloaded 0, added 0
Progress: resolved 2024, reused 1951, downloaded 0, added 0
Progress: resolved 2056, reused 1983, downloaded 0, added 0
Progress: resolved 2090, reused 2017, downloaded 0, added 0
Progress: resolved 2281, reused 2161, downloaded 0, added 0
 WARN  39 deprecated subdependencies found: @humanwhocodes/config-array@0.13.0, @humanwhocodes/object-schema@2.0.3, @npmcli/move-file@1.1.2, @otplib/plugin-crypto@12.0.1, @otplib/plugin-thirty-two@12.0.1, @otplib/preset-default@12.0.1, @types/color-convert@3.0.1, @ungap/structured-clone@1.3.0, are-we-there-yet@3.0.1, boolean@3.2.0, bree@6.5.0, consolidate@0.15.1, core-js@2.6.12, crypto@0.0.3, ee-argv@0.1.4, ee-types@2.2.1, formidable@1.2.6, gauge@4.0.4, glob@10.5.0, glob@11.1.0, glob@6.0.4, glob@7.2.3, har-validator@5.1.5, inflight@1.0.6, intl-messageformat-parser@2.1.3, lodash.pick@4.4.0, lodash.template@4.5.0, npmlog@6.0.2, prebuild-install@7.1.3, request@2.88.2, rimraf@2.4.5, rimraf@3.0.2, superagent@8.1.2, trim@0.0.3, uuid@3.4.0, uuid@7.0.3, uuid@8.3.2, uuid@9.0.1, whatwg-encoding@3.1.1
Packages: +1633
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 2213, downloaded 0, added 45
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 2213, downloaded 0, added 646
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 2213, downloaded 0, added 1274
Progress: resolved 2353, reused 2213, downloaded 0, added 1633, done
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install$ prebuild-install -r napi || node-gyp rebuild
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install$ install-from-cache --artifact build/Release/re2.node --host-var RE2_DOWNLOAD_MIRROR --skip-path-var RE2_DOWNLOAD_SKIP_PATH --skip-ver-var RE2_DOWNLOAD_SKIP_VER || node-gyp -j max rebuild
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install$ node install/check.js || npm run build
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install: Trying https://github.com/uhop/node-re2/releases/download/1.23.3/linux-x64-127.br ...
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info using node-gyp@8.4.1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info using node@22.22.1 | linux | x64
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: (node:57813) [DEP0060] DeprecationWarning: The `util._extend` API is deprecated. Please use Object.assign() instead.
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: (Use `node --trace-deprecation ...` to show where the warning was created)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: npm warn config production Use `--omit=dev` instead.
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info find Python using Python version 3.13.13 found at "/usr/local/bin/python3.13"
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: > sharp@0.34.5 build
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: > node install/build.js
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Attempting to build from source via node-gyp
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: See https://sharp.pixelplumbing.com/install#building-from-source
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Found node-addon-api 
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Found node-gyp 8.4.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: sharp: Detected globally-installed libvips v8.18.0
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn /usr/local/bin/python3.13
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args [
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'binding.gyp',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-f',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'make',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3/build/config.gypi',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/addon.gypi',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/include/node/common.gypi',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dlibrary=shared_library',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dvisibility=default',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_root_dir=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_gyp_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_lib_file=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/<(target_arch)/node.lib',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dmodule_root_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_engine=v8',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '--depth=.',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '--no-parallel',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '--generator-output',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   'build',
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args   '-Goutput_dir=.'
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp info spawn args ]
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info using node-gyp@8.4.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info using node@22.22.1 | linux | x64
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info chdir src
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: Traceback (most recent call last):
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py", line 42, in <module>
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     import gyp  # noqa: E402
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     ^^^^^^^^^^
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/__init__.py", line 9, in <module>
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     import gyp.input
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/input.py", line 19, in <module>
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install:     from distutils.version import StrictVersion
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: (node:57909) [DEP0060] DeprecationWarning: The `util._extend` API is deprecated. Please use Object.assign() instead.
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: (Use `node --trace-deprecation ...` to show where the warning was created)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! configure error 
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/configure.js:259:16)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:519:28)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:293:12)
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! System Linux 5.14.0-611.54.3.el9_7.x86_64
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! command "/opt/nodejs22/bin/node" "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! cwd MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! node -v v22.22.1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v8.4.1
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: gyp ERR! not ok 
.../sqlite3@5.1.7/node_modules/sqlite3 install: Failed
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info find Python using Python version 3.13.13 found at "/usr/local/bin/python3.13"
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn /usr/local/bin/python3.13
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args [
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'binding.gyp',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-f',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'make',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp/src/build/config.gypi',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/addon.gypi',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-I',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/include/node/common.gypi',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dlibrary=shared_library',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dvisibility=default',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_root_dir=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_gyp_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_lib_file=MY_HOME_DIR/.cache/node-gyp/22.22.1/<(target_arch)/node.lib',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dmodule_root_dir=MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp/src',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_engine=v8',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '--depth=.',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '--no-parallel',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '--generator-output',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   'build',
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args   '-Goutput_dir=.'
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp info spawn args ]
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install: Writing to build/Release/re2.node ...
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: Traceback (most recent call last):
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py", line 42, in <module>
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     import gyp  # noqa: E402
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     ^^^^^^^^^^
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/__init__.py", line 9, in <module>
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     import gyp.input
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:   File "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/input.py", line 19, in <module>
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install:     from distutils.version import StrictVersion
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! configure error 
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node-gyp@8.4.1/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/configure.js:259:16)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:519:28)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:293:12)
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! System Linux 5.14.0-611.54.3.el9_7.x86_64
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! command "/opt/nodejs22/bin/node" "MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "rebuild" "--directory=src"
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! cwd MY_APP_PATH/ghost/versions/6.38.0/node_modules/.pnpm/sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp/src
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! node -v v22.22.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v8.4.1
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: gyp ERR! not ok 
.../sharp@0.34.5/node_modules/sharp install: Failed
 ELIFECYCLE  Command failed with exit code 1.
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install: Done.
.../.pnpm/re2@1.23.3/node_modules/re2 install: Done

Exit code: 1


Debug Information:
    OS: AlmaLinux, v9.7
    Node Version: v22.22.1
    Ghost Version: 6.0.2
    Ghost-CLI Version: 1.29.3
    Environment: production
    Command: 'ghost update'

Additional log info available in: MY_HOME_DIR/.ghost/logs/ghost-cli-debug-2026-05-15T02_18_19_516Z.log

I then checked to see if there were issues running ghost update on Opalstack, but the most recent message is from 2024. The recommended procedure then was to create a new app and migrate things over.

USE PODMAN INSTEAD?

If I was going to have to do that, maybe I could use docker? I saw that Opalstack uses podman so I followed the instructions in Getting Started with Containers on Opalstack (which happens to use GHOST as the example:

I made some minor changes:

name: MY_APP_NAME

services:
 ghostpod:
   image: ghost:latest
   container_name: MY_APP_NAME
   network_mode: host
   environment:
     - url=https://mydomain.com
     - NODE_ENV=production
     - server__port=redacted
     - database__client=mysql
     - database__connection__host=localhost
     - database__connection__database=redacted
     - database__connection__user=pod-redacted
     - database__connection__password=redacted
     - mail__transport="SMTP"
     - mail__from="redacted"
     - mail__options__host="redacted"
     - mail__options_port="587"
     - mail__options__auth__user="redacted"
     - mail__options__auth__pass="redacted"
     - mail__options__secure=false
   userns: "keep-id:uid=1000,gid=1000"
   volumes:
     - ./content:/var/lib/ghost/content:Z
   restart: unless-stopped

I am only passingly familiar with docker, so I looked-up how to make a directory in my stacks/ghost shared with the container and learned that podman has stricter permission controls that the keep-id:uid=1000,gid=1000 is supposed to fix because these are magic container user/group ids that are different from the ones I have in the host OS.

USE NEW GHOST APP INSTALL AND MIGRATE MANUALLY?

At this point, it sort of worked, but then I hit email issues with delivery, and then I thought maybe it would be easier to just install another Ghost installation using the Open App Stack. It's easy to repoint a domain to an app, so long as I clear cookies in my browser afterwards. I figured it would pick up a more recent version of Ghost beyond 6.0.2. Unfortunately, it does not.

CUTTING MY LOSSES

At this point, I've lost three days in starting my project because my attempts to update ghost has broken or is unable to fix its shiny new federated network feature. The inability to update a ghost install in-place to fix bugs is a huge showstopper.

Containerized Ghost would be the easy way to manage updates in the future without all the nodejs dependency nonsense, but I think their docker images are not yet battle tested, and there are maybe enough small differences with Podman vs Docker to make it unpleasantly idiosyncratic.

I'll try Ghost again in a year. Their Network feature is still underbaked, and the Fediverse is still experiencing growing pains with networking. In the meantime, I'll make use of a dormant Medium account.

aa11

dsri

I've considered using Ghost but haven't yet.

I just wanted to reply to thank you for sharing what you found and all of the details you provided. Posts like that take a lot of time, in addition to all of the troubleshooting time (3+ days). Very frustrating but appreciated.

Thank you!

dsri

A mini-update on my broken Ghost network planel

The browser console makes reference to an endpoint

https://storage.googleapis.com/prd-activitypub-populate-explore-json/explore/accounts.json

which returns

<Error>
  <Code>NoSuchBucket</Code>
  <Message>The specified bucket does not exist.</Message>
</Error>

Theory: 6.0.2 is practically alpha software, and the endpoint may have changed since the release of 6.0.2 and later versions. Or it simply doesn't work; self-hosted Ghost seems to not be getting a lot of love. I haven't tried chasing this down to verify it, but it does suggest that the Ghost packaged on Opalstack is due for an update?

peter

dsri Indeed, the Ghost installer currently deploys v6.0.2, but there is a way to update Ghost to v6.38.0 in-place. I tested with a fresh Ghost installation (v6.0.2) and can confirm that running ghost update produced the same errors you encountered.

The update is failing during pnpm install, not because of Ghost itself. Native addons sqlite3 and sharp are being compiled with node-gyp 8.4.1, which imports distutils. The setenv file points node-gyp at Python 3.13, where distutils is missing - hence:

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'

Here is what I did to update from v6.0.2 to v6.38.0 (change 'app_name' with the actual name of your app) :

source ~/apps/app_name/setenv
cd ~/apps/app_name/ghost

# Install 'distutils':
/usr/local/bin/python3.13 -m pip install --user setuptools

# Test:
/usr/local/bin/python3.13 -c "from distutils.version import StrictVersion; print('distutils OK')"

# Assuming that prints 'distutils OK', proceed with the Ghost update:
ghost update

dsri

peter Thank you! I'll give that a try and report back in!

it worked

no errors
network tab works again

The update instructions would be nice to have in the Opalstack How To Install Ghost Locally official page.

Here's what the successful output looked like (I ignored warnings as stuff that I probably shouldn't try to do)

TERM> /usr/local/bin/python3.13 -m pip install --user setuptools

Collecting setuptools
  Downloading setuptools-82.0.1-py3-none-any.whl.metadata (6.5 kB)
Downloading setuptools-82.0.1-py3-none-any.whl (1.0 MB)
   ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 1.0/1.0 MB 34.0 MB/s  0:00:00
Installing collected packages: setuptools
Successfully installed setuptools-82.0.1

[notice] A new release of pip is available: 26.0.1 -> 26.1.1
[notice] To update, run: pip3.13 install --upgrade pip

TERM> /usr/local/bin/python3.13 -c "from distutils.version import StrictVersion; print('distutils OK')"
distutils OK

TERM> ghost update

Love open source? We’re hiring JavaScript Engineers to work on Ghost full-time.
https://careers.ghost.org

✔ Checking for latest Ghost version
✔ Checking system Node.js version - found v22.22.1
ℹ Ensuring user is not logged in as ghost user [skipped]
ℹ Checking if logged in user is directory owner [skipped]
✔ Checking current folder permissions
✔ Checking memory availability
✔ Checking free space
✔ Checking pnpm installation - found pnpm v11.1.2
✔ Checking for available migrations

# v6.39.0

* ✨ Changed comments to be enabled by default (#27913) - Hannah Wolfe
* ✨ Added a built-in theme code editor (#27656) - John O'Nolan
* 🎨 Migrated redirects download to YAML - Fabien O'Carroll
* 🐛 Fixed {{#social_accounts}} emitting "twitter" as the type for X (#27871) - Hannah Wolfe

---

View the changelog for full details: https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/compare/v6.38.0...v6.39.0

✔ Fetched release notes
(node:2404443) [DEP0040] DeprecationWarning: The `punycode` module is deprecated. Please use a userland alternative instead.
(Use `node --trace-deprecation ...` to show where the warning was created)
✔ Downloading and updating Ghost to v6.39.0
✔ Stopping Ghost
✔ Linking latest Ghost and recording versions
✔ Linking built-in themes
✔ Restarting Ghost
ℹ Removing old Ghost versions [skipped]

TERM>

anjanesh

I don't understand the reason for all this - is the Pick Your Stack in step #2 not enough ?
Ghost
Why do I have to run all those commands ?

sean

anjanesh they shouldn't be necessary, we're troubleshooting the setup and will have the installer updated soon.