diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index fb2702a90..27175669e 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -43,7 +43,9 @@ fi
 
 # Development dependencies: See node_modules/README
 npm prune
-npm install # see package.json
+
+# npm install is flaky, so give it a few tries
+npm install || { sleep 30; npm install; } || { sleep 30; npm install; }
 
 find node_modules -name test | xargs rm -rf