diff --git a/nodejs.spec b/nodejs.spec
index dbf31f1..c5ef127 100644
--- a/nodejs.spec
+++ b/nodejs.spec
@@ -157,6 +157,9 @@ Source100: %{name}-tarball.sh
 # nodejs-packaging SRPM.
 Source7: nodejs_native.attr
 
+# Configure npm to look into /etc for configuration
+Source8: npmrc.builtin.in
+
 # These are full sources for dependencies included as WASM blobs in the source of Node itself.
 # Note: These sources would also include pre-compiled WASM blobs… so they are adjusted not to.
 # Recipes for creating these blobs are included in the sources.
@@ -585,15 +588,14 @@ find %{buildroot}%{_prefix}/lib/node_modules/npm \
 chmod 0755 %{buildroot}%{_prefix}/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/run-script/lib/node-gyp-bin/node-gyp
 chmod 0755 %{buildroot}%{_prefix}/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js
 
+# Drop the NPM builtin configuration in place
+sed -e 's#@SYSCONFDIR@#%{_sysconfdir}#g' \
+    %{SOURCE8} > %{buildroot}%{_prefix}/lib/node_modules/npm/npmrc
+
 # Drop the NPM default configuration in place
 mkdir -p %{buildroot}%{_sysconfdir}
 cp %{SOURCE1} %{buildroot}%{_sysconfdir}/npmrc
 
-# NPM upstream expects it to be in /usr/etc/npmrc, so we'll put a symlink here
-# This is done in the interests of keeping /usr read-only.
-mkdir -p %{buildroot}%{_prefix}/etc
-ln -s %{_sysconfdir}/npmrc %{buildroot}%{_prefix}/etc/npmrc
-
 # Install the full-icu data files
 install -Dpm0644 -t %{buildroot}%{icudatadir} deps/icu/source/converted/*
 
@@ -687,7 +689,6 @@ end
 %{_bindir}/npx
 %{_prefix}/lib/node_modules/npm
 %config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/npmrc
-%{_prefix}/etc/npmrc
 %ghost %{_sysconfdir}/npmignore
 %doc %{_mandir}/man1/npm*.1*
 %doc %{_mandir}/man1/npx.1*
@@ -724,6 +725,8 @@ end
 - Rebase to 16.20.1
   Resolves: rhbz#2188291
   Resolves: CVE-2023-30581 CVE-2023-30588 CVE-2023-30589 CVE-2023-30590
+- Replace /usr/etc/npmrc symlink with builtin configuration
+  Resolves: rhbz#2177781
 
 * Wed May 31 2023 Jan Staněk <jstanek@redhat.com> - 1:16.19.1-2
 - Update bundled c-ares to 1.19.1
diff --git a/npmrc.builtin.in b/npmrc.builtin.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..739a57d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/npmrc.builtin.in
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# This is the distibution-level configuration file for npm.
+# To configure NPM on a system level, use the globalconfig below (defaults to @SYSCONFDIR@/npmrc).
+# vim:set filetype=dosini:
+
+globalconfig=@SYSCONFDIR@/npmrc