npm package.json scripts not being called

From the documentation:

npm supports the “scripts” member of the package.json script, for the following scripts:

• prepublish: Run BEFORE the package is published. (Also run on local npm install without any arguments.)

• prepare: Run both BEFORE the package is packed and published, on local npm install without any arguments, and when installing git dependencies (See below). This is run AFTER prepublish, but BEFORE prepublishOnly.

• prepublishOnly: Run BEFORE the package is prepared and packed, ONLY on npm publish.

• prepack: run BEFORE a tarball is packed (on npm pack, npm publish, and when installing git dependencies).

• postpack: Run AFTER the tarball has been generated and moved to its final destination.

• publish, postpublish: Run AFTER the package is published.

• preinstall: Run BEFORE the package is installed

• install, postinstall: Run AFTER the package is installed.

• preuninstall, uninstall: Run BEFORE the package is uninstalled.

• postuninstall: Run AFTER the package is uninstalled.

• preupdate: Run BEFORE the package is updated with the update command.

• update, postupdate: Run AFTER the package is updated with the update command.

• pretest, test, posttest: Run by the npm test command.

• prestop, stop, poststop: Run by the npm stop command.

• prestart, start, poststart: Run by the npm start command.

• prerestart, restart, postrestart: Run by the npm restart command. Note: npm restart will run the stop and start scripts if no restart script is provided.

Additionally, arbitrary scripts can be run by doing npm run-script <stage> <pkg>.

You can see the reason why your npm test script works is because npm test is a built-in command. You must use npm run-script if you want to execute a script that is not executed by a built-in npm command.