Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

When running npm publish or npm pack, CHANGELOG (or variants) in the root of a package does not appear to be included in package output.

The developer documentation states:

The following paths and files are never ignored, so adding them to .npmignore is pointless:

package.json
README (and its variants)
CHANGELOG (and its variants)
LICENSE / LICENCE

...this is in contrast to the documentation on "files" which states:

Certain files are always included, regardless of settings:

package.json
README
LICENSE / LICENCE
The file in the "main" field
The file(s) in the "bin" field

Does the developer documentation need to be updated in-line with "files"?

Expected Behaviour

CHANGELOG (and variants) should be included in package output

Steps To Reproduce

• add CHANGELOG (or variant e.g. CHANGELOG.md) to root of a package
• run npm publish --dry-run

Environment

• npm: 11.4.2
• Node.js: 22.14.0
• OS Name: Mac OS Sequoia 15.5 (24F74)
• System Model Name: MacBook Pro