The `AUDIT_EXIT_CODE` variable is set after the command completion, but `$?` may not reflect the correct exit code due to the assignment operation. Store the exit code immediately: `npm audit --json 2>&1; AUDIT_EXIT_CODE=$?; AUDIT_OUTPUT=$(npm audit --json 2>&1)` or use a different approach to capture both output and exit code reliably.

[thaliacavalcante705-png]

The AUDIT_EXIT_CODE variable is set after the command completion, but $? may not reflect the correct exit code due to the assignment operation. Store the exit code immediately: npm audit --json 2>&1; AUDIT_EXIT_CODE=$?; AUDIT_OUTPUT=$(npm audit --json 2>&1) or use a different approach to capture both output and exit code reliably.

            # Run npm audit and capture output and exit code reliably
            npm audit --json 2>&1 | tee audit_output.json > /dev/null
            AUDIT_EXIT_CODE=$?
            AUDIT_OUTPUT=$(cat audit_output.json)
            rm -f audit_output.json

Originally posted by @Copilot in #4025 (comment)