The npm version probe spawned node-under-node before the reuse
short-circuit, so on Windows a Job-Object EBUSY spawn failure aborted
the whole dependency preparation even when the install was already
complete — leaving the pending-completion marker behind and turning
every launch into the same doomed completion pass (#123933).
npm's own package manifest states its version without any process
creation, so the probe lane can no longer fail: the install-receipt
key keeps its exact value, engine checks still run, and completed
installs reuse with zero spawns.
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