Keywords array for discoverability
Why it matters
An empty or missing keywords array in package.json removes the package from npm's keyword-indexed search results, so developers looking for an SDK in your domain will never surface it through the registry's discovery surface. Generic keywords like javascript or node are functionally equivalent to no keywords — they collide with hundreds of thousands of unrelated packages. This failure maps directly to the findability taxon and directly suppresses organic installs, GitHub traffic, and ecosystem integrations that depend on npm search.
Severity rationale
Info because the package still installs and functions correctly; only discovery is degraded, not runtime behavior or security.
Remediation
Add a keywords array to package.json with at least five specific terms that describe the package's domain, protocol, and ecosystem. Avoid generic words like javascript, library, or utility; instead name the service, the transport, the framework, and the problem category so that npm's search ranks the package for relevant queries.
{
"keywords": [
"api-client",
"rest-api",
"typescript",
"sdk",
"your-service-name"
]
}
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the SDK / Package Quality Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from sdk-package-quality·automated