Initial npm install generates error duing node-gyp rebuild

[tschaffter]

tschaffter@node:~/dev/sagebio-collaboration-portal$ npm install

> dtrace-provider@0.8.8 install /home/tschaffter/persist/dev/sagebio-collaboration-portal/node_modules/dtrace-provider
> node-gyp rebuild || node suppress-error.js

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/gyp_main.py", line 47, in <module>
    import gyp
  File "/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/__init__.py", line 10, in <module>
    import gyp.input
  File "/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/gyp/pylib/gyp/input.py", line 7, in <module>
    import ast
ImportError: No module named ast
gyp ERR! configure error
gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/lib/configure.js:351:16)
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:315:20)
gyp ERR! stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:275:12)
gyp ERR! System Linux 4.19.104-microsoft-standard
gyp ERR! command "/usr/bin/node" "/usr/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/node-gyp/bin/node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
gyp ERR! cwd /home/tschaffter/persist/dev/sagebio-collaboration-portal/node_modules/dtrace-provider
gyp ERR! node -v v12.18.3
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v5.1.0
gyp ERR! not ok

Running npm install a second time does not throw the error.