diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 90683cf490..e8b07af4cd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-latest]
-        node: [12, 14]
+        node: [12, 14, 16]
         database: [mongo-dev, mongo, redis, postgres]
         include:
           # only run coverage once
diff --git a/src/password.js b/src/password.js
index 727528a3a8..d1b6fc2df5 100644
--- a/src/password.js
+++ b/src/password.js
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ function forkChild(message, callback) {
 	child.on('message', (msg) => {
 		callback(msg.err ? new Error(msg.err) : null, msg.result);
 	});
+	child.on('error', (err) => {
+		console.error(err.stack);
+		callback(err);
+	});
 
 	child.send(message);
 }
diff --git a/test/package-install.js b/test/package-install.js
index 3305c2e532..34d256c9f4 100644
--- a/test/package-install.js
+++ b/test/package-install.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 'use strict';
 
-
 const { execSync } = require('child_process');
 const path = require('path');
 const { readFileSync } = require('fs');
@@ -9,12 +8,14 @@ const assert = require('assert');
 
 describe('Package install', () => {
 	it('should remove non-`nodebb-` modules not specified in `install/package.json`', () => {
+		const oldValue = process.env.NODE_ENV;
+		process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
 		const packageFilePath = path.join(__dirname, '../package.json');
 
 		// install an extra package
 		// chose dotenv because it's a popular package
 		// and we use nconf instead
-		execSync('npm install dotenv --save --production');
+		execSync('npm install dotenv --save');
 
 		// assert it saves in package.json
 		const packageWithExtras = JSON.parse(readFileSync(packageFilePath, 'utf8'));
@@ -26,5 +27,6 @@ describe('Package install', () => {
 		// assert it removed the extra package
 		const packageCleaned = JSON.parse(readFileSync(packageFilePath, 'utf8'));
 		assert(!packageCleaned.dependencies.dotenv, 'dependency was not removed');
+		process.env.NODE_ENV = oldValue;
 	});
 });
diff --git a/test/plugins.js b/test/plugins.js
index ae5e403abf..04465896f8 100644
--- a/test/plugins.js
+++ b/test/plugins.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 'use strict';
 
-
-const	assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('assert');
 const path = require('path');
 const nconf = require('nconf');
 const request = require('request');
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ describe('Plugins', () => {
 		});
 	});
 
-	it('should register and fire a filter hook having 3 methods, one returning a promise, one calling the callback and one just returning', async () => {
+	it('should register and fire a filter hook having 3 methods', async () => {
 		function method1(data, callback) {
 			data.foo += 1;
 			callback(null, data);
@@ -214,6 +213,16 @@ describe('Plugins', () => {
 	describe('install/activate/uninstall', () => {
 		let latest;
 		const pluginName = 'nodebb-plugin-imgur';
+		const oldValue = process.env.NODE_ENV;
+		before((done) => {
+			process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
+			done();
+		});
+		after((done) => {
+			process.env.NODE_ENV = oldValue;
+			done();
+		});
+
 		it('should install a plugin', function (done) {
 			this.timeout(0);
 			plugins.toggleInstall(pluginName, '1.0.16', (err, pluginData) => {
@@ -284,7 +293,8 @@ describe('Plugins', () => {
 		});
 
 		it('should 404 if resource does not exist', (done) => {
-			request.get(`${nconf.get('url')}/plugins/nodebb-plugin-dbsearch/dbsearch/templates/admin/plugins/should404.tpl`, (err, res, body) => {
+			const url = `${nconf.get('url')}/plugins/nodebb-plugin-dbsearch/dbsearch/templates/admin/plugins/should404.tpl`;
+			request.get(url, (err, res, body) => {
 				assert.ifError(err);
 				assert.equal(res.statusCode, 404);
 				assert(body);
@@ -293,7 +303,8 @@ describe('Plugins', () => {
 		});
 
 		it('should get resource', (done) => {
-			request.get(`${nconf.get('url')}/plugins/nodebb-plugin-dbsearch/dbsearch/templates/admin/plugins/dbsearch.tpl`, (err, res, body) => {
+			const url = `${nconf.get('url')}/plugins/nodebb-plugin-dbsearch/dbsearch/templates/admin/plugins/dbsearch.tpl`;
+			request.get(url, (err, res, body) => {
 				assert.ifError(err);
 				assert.equal(res.statusCode, 200);
 				assert(body);
@@ -302,3 +313,5 @@ describe('Plugins', () => {
 		});
 	});
 });
+
+
diff --git a/test/socket.io.js b/test/socket.io.js
index b707de09a0..fad6591185 100644
--- a/test/socket.io.js
+++ b/test/socket.io.js
@@ -106,7 +106,12 @@ describe('socket.io', () => {
 	});
 
 	it('should post a topic', (done) => {
-		io.emit('topics.post', { title: 'test topic title', content: 'test topic main post content', uid: adminUid, cid: cid }, (err, result) => {
+		io.emit('topics.post', {
+			title: 'test topic title',
+			content: 'test topic main post content',
+			uid: adminUid,
+			cid: cid,
+		}, (err, result) => {
 			assert.ifError(err);
 			assert.equal(result.user.username, 'admin');
 			assert.equal(result.category.cid, cid);
@@ -473,9 +478,17 @@ describe('socket.io', () => {
 
 	it('should toggle plugin install', function (done) {
 		this.timeout(0);
-		socketAdmin.plugins.toggleInstall({ uid: adminUid }, { id: 'nodebb-plugin-location-to-map', version: 'latest' }, (err, data) => {
+		const oldValue = process.env.NODE_ENV;
+		process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
+		socketAdmin.plugins.toggleInstall({
+			uid: adminUid,
+		}, {
+			id: 'nodebb-plugin-location-to-map',
+			version: 'latest',
+		}, (err, data) => {
 			assert.ifError(err);
 			assert.equal(data.name, 'nodebb-plugin-location-to-map');
+			process.env.NODE_ENV = oldValue;
 			done();
 		});
 	});
@@ -507,8 +520,16 @@ describe('socket.io', () => {
 
 	it('should upgrade plugin', function (done) {
 		this.timeout(0);
-		socketAdmin.plugins.upgrade({ uid: adminUid }, { id: 'nodebb-plugin-location-to-map', version: 'latest' }, (err) => {
+		const oldValue = process.env.NODE_ENV;
+		process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
+		socketAdmin.plugins.upgrade({
+			uid: adminUid,
+		}, {
+			id: 'nodebb-plugin-location-to-map',
+			version: 'latest',
+		}, (err) => {
 			assert.ifError(err);
+			process.env.NODE_ENV = oldValue;
 			done();
 		});
 	});
@@ -521,7 +542,13 @@ describe('socket.io', () => {
 	});
 
 	it('should error with invalid data', (done) => {
-		const data = [{ template: 'global', location: 'sidebar', widgets: [{ widget: 'html', data: { html: 'test', title: 'test', container: '' } }] }];
+		const data = [
+			{
+				template: 'global',
+				location: 'sidebar',
+				widgets: [{ widget: 'html', data: { html: 'test', title: 'test', container: '' } }],
+			},
+		];
 		socketAdmin.widgets.set({ uid: adminUid }, data, (err) => {
 			assert.ifError(err);
 			db.getObjectField('widgets:global', 'sidebar', (err, widgetData) => {