diff --git a/lib/cache.js b/lib/cache.js
index 8179037f07ba9..aed2cce31e63f 100644
--- a/lib/cache.js
+++ b/lib/cache.js
@@ -40,18 +40,16 @@ const searchCachePackage = async (path, spec, cacheKeys) => {
       packument = jsonParse(details.data)
     } catch (_) {
       // if we couldn't parse the packument, abort
-      /* istanbul ignore next */
       continue
     }
-    /* istanbul ignore next */
     if (!packument.versions || typeof packument.versions !== 'object')
       continue
     // assuming this is a packument
     for (const ver of Object.keys(packument.versions)) {
       if (semver.satisfies(ver, parsed.rawSpec)) {
-        /* istanbul ignore else */
         if (packument.versions[ver].dist
           && typeof packument.versions[ver].dist === 'object'
+          && packument.versions[ver].dist.tarball !== undefined
           && cacheKeys.has(`make-fetch-happen:request-cache:${packument.versions[ver].dist.tarball}`))
           results.add(`make-fetch-happen:request-cache:${packument.versions[ver].dist.tarball}`)
       }
@@ -84,7 +82,7 @@ class Cache extends BaseCommand {
       'add <git url>',
       'add <name>@<version>',
       'clean [<key>]',
-      'ls',
+      'ls [<name>@<version>]',
       'verify',
     ]
   }
@@ -203,22 +201,21 @@ class Cache extends BaseCommand {
   }
 
   // npm cache ls [--package <spec> ...]
-  async ls (args) {
+  async ls (specs) {
     const cachePath = path.join(this.npm.cache, '_cacache')
     const cacheKeys = Object.keys(await cacache.ls(cachePath))
-    if (Array.isArray(this.npm.flatOptions.package)
-      && this.npm.flatOptions.package.length > 0) {
+    if (specs.length > 0) {
       // get results for each package spec specified
       const results = new Set()
-      for (const spec of this.npm.flatOptions.package) {
+      for (const spec of specs) {
         const keySet = await searchCachePackage(cachePath, spec, cacheKeys)
         for (const key of keySet)
           results.add(key)
       }
-      [...results].sort().forEach(key => this.npm.output(key))
+      [...results].sort((a, b) => a.localeCompare(b, 'en')).forEach(key => this.npm.output(key))
       return
     }
-    cacheKeys.sort().forEach(key => this.npm.output(key))
+    cacheKeys.sort((a, b) => a.localeCompare(b, 'en')).forEach(key => this.npm.output(key))
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/test/lib/cache.js b/test/lib/cache.js
index f4827e2a166c7..c6405303202b8 100644
--- a/test/lib/cache.js
+++ b/test/lib/cache.js
@@ -51,8 +51,23 @@ const setupCacacheFixture = () => {
     ['@gar/npm-expansion@2.1.0', 'https://registry.npmjs.org', true],
     ['@gar/npm-expansion@3.0.0-beta', 'https://registry.npmjs.org', true],
     ['extemporaneously@44.2.2', 'https://somerepo.github.org', false],
+    ['corrupted@3.1.0', 'https://registry.npmjs.org', true],
+    ['missing-dist@23.0.0', 'https://registry.npmjs.org', true],
+    ['missing-version@16.2.0', 'https://registry.npmjs.org', true],
   ]
   pkgs.forEach(pkg => addCacachePkg(...pkg))
+  // corrupt the packument
+  cacacheContent[
+    [cacacheEntries['make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/corrupted'].integrity]
+  ].data = Buffer.from('<>>>}"')
+  // nuke the version dist
+  cacacheContent[
+    [cacacheEntries['make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-dist'].integrity]
+  ].data = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ versions: { '23.0.0': {} } }))
+  // make the version a non-object
+  cacacheContent[
+    [cacacheEntries['make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-version'].integrity]
+  ].data = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ versions: 'hello' }))
 }
 
 const packuments = {}
@@ -229,22 +244,27 @@ t.test('cache add multiple pkgs', t => {
 t.test('cache ls', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
     logOutput = []
   })
   setupCacacheFixture()
   cache.exec(['ls'], err => {
     t.error(err)
     t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
-      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@fritzy%2fstaydown',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@fritzy/staydown/-/@fritzy/staydown-3.1.1.tgz',
-      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@gar%2fnpm-expansion',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@fritzy%2fstaydown',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@gar/npm-expansion/-/@gar/npm-expansion-2.1.0.tgz',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@gar/npm-expansion/-/@gar/npm-expansion-3.0.0-beta.tgz',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@gar%2fnpm-expansion',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/ape-ecs',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/ape-ecs/-/ape-ecs-2.1.7.tgz',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/corrupted',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/corrupted/-/corrupted-3.1.0.tgz',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/foo',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/foo/-/foo-1.2.3-beta.tgz',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-dist',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-dist/-/missing-dist-23.0.0.tgz',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-version',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-version/-/missing-version-16.2.0.tgz',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/npm',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/npm/-/npm-1.2.0.tgz',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/webpack',
@@ -260,10 +280,8 @@ t.test('cache ls', t => {
 t.test('cache ls pkgs', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
   })
-  npm.flatOptions.package = ['webpack@>4.44.1', 'npm']
-  cache.exec(['ls'], err => {
+  cache.exec(['ls', 'webpack@>4.44.1', 'npm'], err => {
     t.error(err)
     t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/npm',
@@ -278,10 +296,8 @@ t.test('cache ls pkgs', t => {
 t.test('cache ls special', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
   })
-  npm.flatOptions.package = ['foo@1.2.3-beta']
-  cache.exec(['ls'], err => {
+  cache.exec(['ls', 'foo@1.2.3-beta'], err => {
     t.error(err)
     t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/foo',
@@ -294,10 +310,8 @@ t.test('cache ls special', t => {
 t.test('cache ls nonpublic registry', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
   })
-  npm.flatOptions.package = ['extemporaneously']
-  cache.exec(['ls'], err => {
+  cache.exec(['ls', 'extemporaneously'], err => {
     t.error(err)
     t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://somerepo.github.org/aabbcc/14',
@@ -310,10 +324,8 @@ t.test('cache ls nonpublic registry', t => {
 t.test('cache ls tagged', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
   })
-  npm.flatOptions.package = ['webpack@latest']
-  cache.exec(['ls'], err => {
+  cache.exec(['ls', 'webpack@latest'], err => {
     t.match(err.message, 'tagged package', 'should throw warning')
     t.end()
   })
@@ -322,16 +334,56 @@ t.test('cache ls tagged', t => {
 t.test('cache ls scoped and scoped slash', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
   })
-  npm.flatOptions.package = ['@fritzy/staydown', '@gar/npm-expansion']
-  cache.exec(['ls'], err => {
+  cache.exec(['ls', '@fritzy/staydown', '@gar/npm-expansion'], err => {
     t.error(err)
     t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
-      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@fritzy%2fstaydown',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@fritzy/staydown/-/@fritzy/staydown-3.1.1.tgz',
-      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@gar%2fnpm-expansion',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@fritzy%2fstaydown',
       'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@gar/npm-expansion/-/@gar/npm-expansion-2.1.0.tgz',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/@gar%2fnpm-expansion',
+    ])
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+t.test('cache ls corrupted', t => {
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    outputOutput = []
+  })
+  cache.exec(['ls', 'corrupted'], err => {
+    t.error(err)
+    t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/corrupted',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/corrupted/-/corrupted-3.1.0.tgz',
+    ])
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+t.test('cache ls missing packument dist', t => {
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    outputOutput = []
+  })
+  cache.exec(['ls', 'missing-dist'], err => {
+    t.error(err)
+    t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-dist',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-dist/-/missing-dist-23.0.0.tgz',
+    ])
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+t.test('cache ls missing packument version not an object', t => {
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    outputOutput = []
+  })
+  cache.exec(['ls', 'missing-version'], err => {
+    t.error(err)
+    t.strictSame(outputOutput, [
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-version',
+      'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/missing-version/-/missing-version-16.2.0.tgz',
     ])
     t.end()
   })
@@ -340,9 +392,7 @@ t.test('cache ls scoped and scoped slash', t => {
 t.test('cache rm', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
   })
-  npm.flatOptions.package = ['webpack']
   cache.exec(['rm',
     'make-fetch-happen:request-cache:https://registry.npmjs.org/webpack/-/webpack-4.44.1.tgz'], err => {
     t.error(err)
@@ -356,10 +406,8 @@ t.test('cache rm', t => {
 t.test('cache rm unfound', t => {
   t.teardown(() => {
     outputOutput = []
-    npm.flatOptions.package = undefined
     logOutput = []
   })
-  npm.flatOptions.package = ['webpack']
   cache.exec(['rm', 'made-up-key'], err => {
     t.error(err)
     t.strictSame(logOutput, [