pnpm

$npx mdskill add antfu/skills/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, and enforces strict dependency resolution by default, preventing phantom dependencies.

SKILL.md

.github/skills/pnpmView on GitHub ↗
---
name: pnpm
description: Node.js package manager with strict dependency resolution. Use when running pnpm specific commands, configuring workspaces via pnpm-workspace.yaml, or managing dependencies with catalogs, patches, overrides, config dependencies, or the global virtual store.
metadata:
  author: Anthony Fu
  version: "2026.9.25"
  source: Generated from https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm, scripts located at https://github.com/antfu/skills
---

pnpm is a fast, disk space efficient package manager. It uses a content-addressable store to deduplicate packages across all projects on a machine, and enforces strict dependency resolution by default, preventing phantom dependencies.

**pnpm v12 is a Rust rewrite** of v11: stable, and keeps v11's commands, flags, settings, and lockfile format — so most guidance here applies to both. A handful of v12 behaviors differ (git deps resolve via HTTPS, project-aware global bins, other package managers, `packageImportMethod: auto` hardlinks first on Linux, `--resolution-only` removed) — see best-practices-migration.

**Configuration model (important):** pnpm settings live in `pnpm-workspace.yaml` (and the global `config.yaml`) using **camelCase** keys. `.npmrc` is used **only** for authentication/registry credentials, and the `pnpm` field of `package.json` is no longer read. When working in a pnpm project, check `pnpm-workspace.yaml` for settings/workspace structure and `.npmrc` only for auth. Always use `--frozen-lockfile` (or `pnpm ci`) in CI.

> The skill is based on pnpm 12.x, generated at 2026-09-25. It covers v11+v12 behavior (config split, isolated global packages, `allowBuilds`, `pmOnFail`, global virtual store, native release management, workspace task orchestration, and experimental Python/Cargo support) where current docs describe them.

## Core

| Topic | Description | Reference |
|-------|-------------|-----------|
| CLI Commands | install/add/remove/update, run, dlx/pnx, workspace, runtime, publishing (version, view, sbom, stage) | [core-cli](references/core-cli.md) |
| Configuration | pnpm-workspace.yaml settings (camelCase), global config.yaml, packageConfigs, .npmrc auth | [core-config](references/core-config.md) |
| Workspaces | Monorepo support: filtering, workspace protocol, shared lockfile, packageConfigs | [core-workspaces](references/core-workspaces.md) |
| Store | Content-addressable store, virtual store, node linker modes, frozen/read-only store | [core-store](references/core-store.md) |

## Features

| Topic | Description | Reference |
|-------|-------------|-----------|
| Catalogs | Centralized dependency versions; catalogMode, catalog: in overrides | [features-catalogs](references/features-catalogs.md) |
| Overrides | Force versions (incl. transitive & peer deps); packageExtensions | [features-overrides](references/features-overrides.md) |
| Patches | Modify third-party packages; patchedDependencies in pnpm-workspace.yaml | [features-patches](references/features-patches.md) |
| Aliases | Install under custom names (npm:) and registry aliases (namedRegistries) | [features-aliases](references/features-aliases.md) |
| Hooks | .pnpmfile.mjs hooks (readPackage, updateConfig, beforePacking), finders, resolvers/fetchers | [features-hooks](references/features-hooks.md) |
| Peer Dependencies | Auto-install, strict mode, rules, dedupePeers, peers check | [features-peer-deps](references/features-peer-deps.md) |
| Config Dependencies | Share hooks/settings/catalogs/patches across repos via configDependencies | [features-config-dependencies](references/features-config-dependencies.md) |
| Global Virtual Store & Shims | Shared node_modules, git-worktree multi-agent setups, isolated global packages, project-aware bins, other package managers | [features-global-virtual-store](references/features-global-virtual-store.md) |
| Supply-Chain Security | Build approval (allowBuilds), minimumReleaseAge, trustPolicy, lockfile integrity | [features-supply-chain-security](references/features-supply-chain-security.md) |
| Task Orchestration | Cross-project task graphs (tasks/dependsOn), concurrency groups, priority, pnpm pipeline | [features-task-orchestration](references/features-task-orchestration.md) |
| Release Management | Native versioning: pnpm change/version -r/lane, lanes, epics, fixed groups | [features-versioning](references/features-versioning.md) |
| Multi-Ecosystem | Python (pypi:) and Cargo (crate:) dependencies alongside npm (experimental) | [features-multi-ecosystem](references/features-multi-ecosystem.md) |

## Best Practices

| Topic | Description | Reference |
|-------|-------------|-----------|
| CI/CD Setup | GitHub Actions, GitLab, Docker, pnpm ci, store caching, frozen lockfiles | [best-practices-ci](references/best-practices-ci.md) |
| Migration | npm/Yarn → pnpm, phantom deps, and pnpm v10 → v11 → v12 upgrade notes | [best-practices-migration](references/best-practices-migration.md) |
| Performance | Install optimizations, allowBuilds, global virtual store, workspace parallelization | [best-practices-performance](references/best-practices-performance.md) |

More from antfu/skills

SkillDescription
antfuAnthony Fu's opinionated tooling and conventions for JavaScript/TypeScript projects. Use when setting up new projects, configuring ESLint/Prettier alternatives, monorepos, library publishing, or when the user mentions Anthony Fu's preferences.
antfu-create-prCreate a reviewable GitHub pull request from the current branch with a Conventional Commits title, a concise evidence-based body, and before/after screenshots for UI changes. Use when asked to open, create, publish, or prepare a PR.
antfu-issue-triageTriage open issues and PRs of the current GitHub repo - find already-fixed, duplicate, and spam items, suggest labels, gauge demand from reactions and comments, then present a table of proposed actions and comments for confirmation before touching anything. Use when asked to triage, organize, clean up, or groom issues and PRs.
antfu-queryInterview the user relentlessly about a plan, decision, or idea until reaching a shared understanding, using the agent's interactive question tool (not plain text). Use when the user wants to stress-test their thinking, clarify requirements, or says "grill me" or "query me".
antfu-simplifySimplify the changes of the current PR or working tree with an ablation study - remove each piece of the diff and keep only what is proven needed - so the result has just-right abstraction, minimal clean code, and stays robust and universal. Use when asked to simplify, slim down, clean up, or reduce the current changes or PR.
nitroNitro is the framework-agnostic server toolkit (powering Nuxt) for building and deploying web servers anywhere. Use when working with nitro.config, server routes/event handlers, route rules, caching, storage, tasks, websockets, or deploying to Node/Bun/Deno/Cloudflare/Vercel.
nuxtNuxt full-stack Vue framework with SSR, auto-imports, and file-based routing. Use when working with Nuxt apps, server routes, useFetch, middleware, or hybrid rendering.
piniaPinia official Vue state management library, type-safe and extensible. Use when defining stores, working with state/getters/actions, or implementing store patterns in Vue apps.
unocssUnoCSS instant atomic CSS engine, superset of Tailwind CSS. Use when configuring UnoCSS, writing utility rules, shortcuts, or working with presets like Wind, Icons, Attributify.
viteVite build tool configuration, plugin API, SSR, and Vite 8 Rolldown migration. Use when working with Vite projects, vite.config.ts, Vite plugins, or building libraries/SSR apps with Vite.