pnpm

pnpm is a fast, disk space efficient package manager. It uses a content-addressable store to deduplicate packages across all projects on a machine, saving significant disk space. pnpm enforces strict dependency resolution by default, preventing phantom dependencies. Configuration should preferably be placed in pnpm-workspace.yaml for pnpm-specific settings.

Important: When working with pnpm projects, agents should check for pnpm-workspace.yaml and .npmrc files to understand workspace structure and configuration. Always use --frozen-lockfile in CI environments.

The skill is based on pnpm 10.x, generated at 2026-02-01.

Core

Topic	Description	Reference
Installation	Standalone script, Corepack, npm, system package managers	core-installation
CLI Commands	Install, add, remove, update, run, exec, dlx, and workspace commands	core-cli
Configuration	pnpm-workspace.yaml, .npmrc settings, and package.json fields	core-config
Workspaces	Monorepo support with filtering, workspace protocol, and shared lockfile	core-workspaces
Store	Content-addressable storage, hard links, and disk efficiency	core-store
Package Sources	npm, JSR, workspace, Git, tarball—trusted and exotic sources	core-package-sources
Errors	Common error codes and resolutions	core-errors

Features

Topic	Description	Reference
Filtering	Rich selector syntax for --filter (deps, dependents, changed, globs)	features-filtering
Catalogs	Centralized dependency version management for workspaces	features-catalogs
Overrides	Force specific versions of dependencies including transitive	features-overrides
Patches	Modify third-party packages with custom fixes	features-patches
Aliases	Install packages under custom names using npm: protocol	features-aliases
Hooks	Customize resolution with .pnpmfile.cjs hooks	features-hooks
Peer Dependencies	Auto-install, strict mode, and dependency rules	features-peer-deps
Config Dependencies	Share hooks, catalogs, patches across projects	features-config-dependencies
Git Branch Lockfiles	Branch-specific lockfiles to avoid merge conflicts	features-git-branch-lockfiles
Changesets	Monorepo versioning and publishing	features-changesets
Supply Chain Security	allowBuilds, blockExoticSubdeps, trustPolicy	features-supply-chain-security
Finders	Search dependency graph by package properties (v10.16+)	features-finders
Completion	Shell tab completion (Bash, Zsh, Fish)	features-completion
Scripts	Lifecycle scripts and pnpm:devPreinstall	features-scripts
Cache	Metadata cache commands (list, view, delete)	features-cache
Node.js Env	Manage Node.js versions (pnpm env use/add/remove)	features-env
Publish & Deploy	publish, pack, deploy, fetch for Docker and registry	features-publish-deploy

Best Practices

Topic	Description	Reference
CI/CD Setup	GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Docker, and caching strategies	best-practices-ci
Docker	BuildKit cache, pnpm fetch, pnpm deploy for monorepos	best-practices-docker
Production	Lockfile deployment, offline install	best-practices-production
Only Allow pnpm	Enforce pnpm with preinstall (only-allow)	best-practices-only-allow-pnpm
TypeScript	preserveSymlinks, packageExtensions, @pnpm/plugin-types-fixer	best-practices-typescript
Podman	Btrfs reflinks, store and node_modules volume mounts	best-practices-podman
Git	Lockfile commit and merge conflict resolution	best-practices-git
Migration	Migrating from npm/Yarn, handling phantom deps, monorepo migration	best-practices-migration
Performance	Install optimizations, store caching, workspace parallelization	best-practices-performance

Advanced

Topic	Description	Reference
Limitations	npm lockfile ignored, binstubs are shell scripts	advanced-limitations