core modules: bare specifier `events` resolves to a stub EventEmitter (empty prototype, no setMaxListeners/on/emit) — `node:events` works; blocks signal-exit → ink

[proggeramlug]

Summary

The bare core specifier 'events' (no node: prefix) resolves to a broken EventEmitter whose instances have an empty prototype — setMaxListeners, on, once, emit, removeListener, etc. are all undefined. The node:-prefixed form 'node:events' resolves to the correct, full EventEmitter. 'events' and 'node:events' must be the same builtin.

This is the next ink wall (the #4993 process fix let init proceed into signal-exit, which does require('events')).

Evidence (same binary, post-#4993)

import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events':
    new EventEmitter().setMaxListeners = function   ✓   (.on/.emit/.once/.removeListener all function)
    setMaxListeners(Infinity) → OK

import EE from 'events':                 // bare specifier
    typeof EE = function
    new EE().setMaxListeners = undefined            ✗
    new EE().on             = undefined            ✗
    → TypeError: setMaxListeners is not a function

import * as ev from 'events':
    ev.EventEmitter = function, ev.default = function
    new ev.EventEmitter().setMaxListeners = undefined   ✗

So bare 'events' yields a constructor (typeof function) but its new instances carry no prototype methods, whereas 'node:events' yields the complete class. Same for require('events') (the CJS form most older packages use).

Minimal repro

import EE from 'events';
console.log(typeof new EE().setMaxListeners);          // Perry: undefined  ✗
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
console.log(typeof new EventEmitter().setMaxListeners); // Perry: function   ✓

Node: both function.

How it surfaced (ink, #348)

signal-exit/index.js (transitive via cli-cursor → restore-cursor) runs at init:

var EE = require('events');
if (typeof EE !== 'function') EE = EE.EventEmitter;
emitter = process.__signal_exit_emitter__ = new EE();
...
emitter.setMaxListeners(Infinity);   // → TypeError: setMaxListeners is not a function

Because require('events') returns the stub EventEmitter, new EE() has no setMaxListeners, throwing during module init — before any user code.

Scope / suggested fix

• Make the bare specifiers for Node core modules alias to the same implementation as their node:-prefixed form. 'events' must be identical to 'node:events'. The bare form currently yields a constructor whose prototype is empty (no methods installed).
• Likely systemic: node:process: imported default export & globalThis.process are an incomplete stub — .env/.stdout/.platform undefined (only bare process is wired); blocks terminal-size → ink #4987 was the analogous bare-vs-node: split for process. Worth auditing other core modules (stream, util, buffer, path, os, …) for the same bare-specifier divergence — many compilePackages deps import the bare form.

Impact

• Any module using require('events') / import … from 'events' (bare) and instantiating an EventEmitter — i.e. a very large fraction of the npm ecosystem (signal-exit, and countless others).
• ink end-to-end (Compile ink (React-based TUI framework) end-to-end via perry.compilePackages #348): blocks init via signal-exit. After it, ink's next gate is yoga-layout's WASM runtime (out-of-scope).

Related

• Compile ink (React-based TUI framework) end-to-end via perry.compilePackages #348 (ink end-to-end), node:process: imported default export & globalThis.process are an incomplete stub — .env/.stdout/.platform undefined (only bare process is wired); blocks terminal-size → ink #4987/fix(runtime): node:process default import & globalThis.process expose the full process object (#4987) #4993 (bare-vs-node: process split — same family)
• compilePackages: inline export default class Name { … } (ESM) drops the prototype method table — only constructor survives (ESM sibling of #4933; blocks ink render) #4976/fix(hir): lower inline export default class bodies — methods/fields survive (#4976) #4981 (class method-table — instances-without-methods symptom is similar but unrelated cause)