diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 715026de..aad5a82a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -249,7 +249,6 @@ If the runner is not able to access github.com, any Nodejs versions requested du
  - [Publishing to npmjs and GPR with npm](docs/advanced-usage.md#publish-to-npmjs-and-gpr-with-npm)
  - [Publishing to npmjs and GPR with yarn](docs/advanced-usage.md#publish-to-npmjs-and-gpr-with-yarn)
  - [Using private packages](docs/advanced-usage.md#use-private-packages)
- - [Publishing to npm with Trusted Publisher (OIDC)](docs/advanced-usage.md#publishing-to-npm-with-trusted-publisher-oidc)
  - [Using private mirror](docs/advanced-usage.md#use-private-mirror)
 
 ## Recommended permissions
diff --git a/__tests__/authutil.test.ts b/__tests__/authutil.test.ts
index d884e23c..d5f6c195 100644
--- a/__tests__/authutil.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/authutil.test.ts
@@ -118,27 +118,6 @@ describe('authutil tests', () => {
     expect(process.env.NODE_AUTH_TOKEN).toEqual('foobar');
   });
 
-  it('should not export NODE_AUTH_TOKEN if not set in environment', async () => {
-    const exportSpy = jest.spyOn(core, 'exportVariable');
-    delete process.env.NODE_AUTH_TOKEN;
-    await auth.configAuthentication('https://registry.npmjs.org/');
-    expect(fs.statSync(rcFile)).toBeDefined();
-    const rc = readRcFile(rcFile);
-    expect(rc['registry']).toBe('https://registry.npmjs.org/');
-    expect(exportSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      'NODE_AUTH_TOKEN',
-      expect.anything()
-    );
-  });
-
-  it('should export NODE_AUTH_TOKEN if set to empty string', async () => {
-    const exportSpy = jest.spyOn(core, 'exportVariable');
-    process.env.NODE_AUTH_TOKEN = '';
-    await auth.configAuthentication('https://registry.npmjs.org/');
-    expect(fs.statSync(rcFile)).toBeDefined();
-    expect(exportSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith('NODE_AUTH_TOKEN', '');
-  });
-
   it('configAuthentication should overwrite non-scoped with non-scoped', async () => {
     fs.writeFileSync(rcFile, 'registry=NNN');
     await auth.configAuthentication('https://registry.npmjs.org/');
diff --git a/dist/setup/index.js b/dist/setup/index.js
index 8a86b779..90d70cfc 100644
--- a/dist/setup/index.js
+++ b/dist/setup/index.js
@@ -78875,10 +78875,8 @@ function writeRegistryToFile(registryUrl, fileLocation) {
     newContents += `${authString}${os.EOL}${registryString}`;
     fs.writeFileSync(fileLocation, newContents);
     core.exportVariable('NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG', fileLocation);
-    // Only export NODE_AUTH_TOKEN if explicitly provided by user
-    if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(process.env, 'NODE_AUTH_TOKEN')) {
-        core.exportVariable('NODE_AUTH_TOKEN', process.env.NODE_AUTH_TOKEN);
-    }
+    // Export empty node_auth_token if didn't exist so npm doesn't complain about not being able to find it
+    core.exportVariable('NODE_AUTH_TOKEN', process.env.NODE_AUTH_TOKEN || 'XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX');
 }
 
 
diff --git a/docs/advanced-usage.md b/docs/advanced-usage.md
index 5f0edfb0..19f869f0 100644
--- a/docs/advanced-usage.md
+++ b/docs/advanced-usage.md
@@ -329,51 +329,36 @@ steps:
 - run: npm test
 ```
 
-**Restore-only cache**
-
-You can restore caches without saving new entries, which helps reduce cache writes and storage usage in read-only cache workflows.
+**Restore-Only Cache**
 
 ```yaml
-steps:
-- uses: actions/checkout@v6
-# - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v6 
-#   with:
-#     version: 10
-
-- name: Setup Node.js
-  uses: actions/setup-node@v6
-  with:
-    node-version: '24'
-
-- name: Normalize runner architecture
-  shell: bash
-  run: echo "ARCH=$(echo '${{ runner.arch }}' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-    
-- name: Output of cache path
-  id: cachepath
-  shell: bash
-  run: echo "path=$(npm config get cache)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-  # run: echo "path=$(pnpm store path --silent)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-  # For yarn workflow, output of yarn cache dir (v1) or yarn config get cacheFolder (v2+)
-  # run: echo "path=$(yarn cache dir)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT 
-    
-- name: Restore Node cache
-  uses: actions/cache/restore@v5
-  with:
-    path: ${{ steps.cachepath.outputs.path }}
-    key: node-cache-${{ runner.os }}-${{ env.ARCH }}-npm-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}
-    # key: node-cache-${{ runner.os }}-${{ env.ARCH }}-yarn-${{ hashFiles('**/yarn.lock') }}
-    # key: node-cache-${{ runner.os }}-${{ env.ARCH }}-pnpm-${{ hashFiles('**/pnpm-lock.yaml') }}
-    
-- run: npm ci
-# - run: yarn install --frozen-lockfile # optional, --immutable
-# - run: pnpm install
+## In some workflows, you may want to restore a cache without saving it. This can help reduce cache writes and storage usage in workflows that only need to read from cache
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+      # Restore Node.js modules cache (restore-only)
+      - name: Restore Node modules cache
+        uses: actions/cache@v5
+        id: cache-node-modules
+        with:
+          path: ~/.npm
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            ${{ runner.os }}-node-
+      # Setup Node.js
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v6
+        with:
+          node-version: '24'
+      # Install dependencies
+      - run: npm install
 ```
-> **Note**: Uncomment the commands relevant to your project's package manager.
 
-> For more details related to cache scenarios, please refer [actions/cache/restore](https://github.com/actions/cache/tree/main/restore#only-restore-cache).
+> For more details related to cache scenarios, please refer [Node – npm](https://github.com/actions/cache/blob/main/examples.md#node---npm).
 
-## Multiple operating systems and architectures
+## Multiple Operating Systems and Architectures
 
 ```yaml
 jobs:
@@ -490,45 +475,6 @@ To access private GitHub Packages within the same organization, go to "Manage Ac
 
 Please refer to the [Ensuring workflow access to your package - Configuring a package's access control and visibility](https://docs.github.com/en/packages/learn-github-packages/configuring-a-packages-access-control-and-visibility#ensuring-workflow-access-to-your-package) for more details.
 
-## Publishing to npm with Trusted Publisher (OIDC)
-
-npm supports Trusted Publishers, enabling packages to be published from GitHub Actions using OpenID Connect (OIDC) instead of long-lived npm tokens. This improves security by replacing static credentials with short-lived tokens, reducing the risk of credential leakage and simplifying authentication in CI/CD workflows.
-
-### Requirements
-
-Trusted publishing requires a compatible npm version:
-
-* **npm ≥ 11.5.1 (required)**
-* **Node.js 24 or newer (recommended)** — includes a compatible npm version by default
-
-> If npm is below 11.5.1, publishing will fail even if OIDC permissions are correctly configured.
-
-You must also configure a **Trusted Publisher** in npm for your package/scope that matches your GitHub repository and workflow (and optional environment, if used).
-
-### Example workflow
-
-```yaml
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      id-token: write  # Required for OIDC
-
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
-
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v6
-        with:
-          node-version: '24'
-          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
-
-      - run: npm ci
-      - run: npm run build --if-present
-      - run: npm publish
-```
-
-> **Note**: If the Trusted Publisher configuration (GitHub owner/repo/workflow file, and optional environment) does not match the workflow run identity exactly, publishing may fail with **E404 Not Found** even if the package exists on npm.
-
-For more details, see the [npm Trusted Publishers documentation](https://docs.npmjs.com/trusted-publishers) and the [GitHub Actions OpenID Connect (OIDC) overview](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/concepts/security/openid-connect).
-
 ## Use private mirror
 
 It is possible to use a private mirror hosting Node.js binaries. This mirror must be a full mirror of the official Node.js distribution.
diff --git a/src/authutil.ts b/src/authutil.ts
index 37d8cfe1..e4b823bd 100644
--- a/src/authutil.ts
+++ b/src/authutil.ts
@@ -46,8 +46,9 @@ function writeRegistryToFile(registryUrl: string, fileLocation: string) {
   newContents += `${authString}${os.EOL}${registryString}`;
   fs.writeFileSync(fileLocation, newContents);
   core.exportVariable('NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG', fileLocation);
-  // Only export NODE_AUTH_TOKEN if explicitly provided by user
-  if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(process.env, 'NODE_AUTH_TOKEN')) {
-    core.exportVariable('NODE_AUTH_TOKEN', process.env.NODE_AUTH_TOKEN);
-  }
+  // Export empty node_auth_token if didn't exist so npm doesn't complain about not being able to find it
+  core.exportVariable(
+    'NODE_AUTH_TOKEN',
+    process.env.NODE_AUTH_TOKEN || 'XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX'
+  );
 }