pnpm Workspaces for Monorepo Management

Quick Guide: pnpm 10.x workspaces for monorepo management. pnpm-workspace.yaml defines workspace packages. workspace:* protocol for internal linking. catalog: protocol for dependency version synchronization. --filter for targeted commands. Shared tsconfig and tooling config across packages. Changesets for versioning and publishing. Strict dependency isolation by default.

---

<critical_requirements>

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

(You MUST use workspace:* protocol for ALL internal package dependencies -- never hardcode versions)

(You MUST use --frozen-lockfile in CI -- pnpm enables this by default in CI environments)

(You MUST define workspace packages in pnpm-workspace.yaml at the repository root)

(You MUST put pnpm-specific settings in pnpm-workspace.yaml -- NOT .npmrc (pnpm v10 change))

(You MUST use catalog: protocol when sharing dependency versions across 3+ packages)

(You MUST use --filter for targeted commands instead of pnpm -r when only specific packages changed)

</critical_requirements>

---

Auto-detection: pnpm-workspace.yaml, pnpm workspaces, workspace protocol, workspace:*, catalog:, pnpm filter, pnpm recursive, pnpm monorepo, pnpm-lock.yaml, .npmrc pnpm, pnpm catalogs, pnpm publish

When to use:

• Setting up a monorepo with pnpm workspaces
• Configuring pnpm-workspace.yaml for workspace package discovery
• Linking internal packages with workspace:* protocol
• Synchronizing dependency versions with catalog: protocol
• Running scripts across workspaces with --filter or -r
• Publishing packages from a pnpm workspace
• Setting up CI/CD pipelines with pnpm caching
• Sharing TypeScript, ESLint, or Prettier config across workspace packages
• Migrating from npm/yarn workspaces to pnpm

When NOT to use:

• Single-package projects with no shared code
• Projects using Bun or Yarn as their package manager
• Projects that need npm compatibility exclusively (e.g., npm workspaces)
• Task orchestration logic (use a dedicated task runner on top of pnpm)

Key patterns covered:

• pnpm-workspace.yaml setup and workspace package discovery
• Workspace protocol (workspace:*, workspace:^, workspace:~)
• Catalogs for dependency version synchronization
• Filtering commands (--filter, -F, glob patterns, dependency selectors)
• Running scripts across workspaces (-r, --parallel, --workspace-concurrency)
• Settings in pnpm-workspace.yaml (v10: settings moved from .npmrc)
• Publishing with publishConfig and changesets
• CI/CD with GitHub Actions, caching, and --frozen-lockfile
• Shared TypeScript configuration patterns
• Monorepo directory structure conventions

Detailed resources:

• Core Setup -- pnpm-workspace.yaml, .npmrc, directory structure, settings
• Shared Packages -- workspace protocol, catalogs, TypeScript/ESLint config
• Scripts & Filtering -- --filter, recursive execution, dependency management
• Publishing & Versioning -- changesets, publishConfig, Docker
• CI/CD Pipelines -- GitHub Actions, automated release
• Quick Command Reference -- condensed lookup table

---

<philosophy>

Philosophy

pnpm workspaces provide strict, efficient monorepo management with content-addressable storage. Unlike npm/yarn, pnpm creates a non-flat node_modules where packages can only access their declared dependencies -- this strictness catches missing dependency declarations early. The workspace protocol (workspace:*) ensures internal packages always link locally, while catalogs (catalog:) centralize version management to eliminate version drift.

Core principles:

• Strict by default -- packages cannot access undeclared dependencies
• Disk efficient -- content-addressable store shares identical files across projects
• Security first -- v10 blocks lifecycle scripts by default to prevent supply chain attacks
• Single lockfile -- one pnpm-lock.yaml at the workspace root for all packages

When to use pnpm workspaces:

• Monorepos with multiple apps and shared packages
• Projects that need strict dependency isolation
• Teams that want disk-efficient dependency storage
• Publishing multiple related npm packages from one repo

When NOT to use:

• Single-package projects (no workspace benefits)
• Projects deeply invested in Yarn PnP or Berry features
• Environments where only npm is available (some CI/CD, restricted corporate setups)

</philosophy>

---

<patterns>

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: Workspace Configuration (pnpm-workspace.yaml)

The pnpm-workspace.yaml file at the repository root defines which directories contain workspace packages. Every pnpm workspace MUST have this file.

# pnpm-workspace.yaml
packages:
  - "apps/*"
  - "packages/*"

In pnpm v10, settings moved from .npmrc to this file:

# pnpm-workspace.yaml (v10+)
packages:
  - "apps/*"
  - "packages/*"

linkWorkspacePackages: true
saveWorkspaceProtocol: rolling
disallowWorkspaceCycles: true

Why good: Single source of truth for workspace definition and settings

See examples/core.md for full workspace setup, directory structure, and all settings.

---

Pattern 2: Workspace Protocol (workspace:*)

The workspace protocol ensures internal packages always resolve to the local workspace version, never from the registry.

Protocol	During Development	After pnpm publish
workspace:*	Links to local package	Replaced with exact version (e.g., 1.5.0)
workspace:^	Links to local package	Replaced with caret range (e.g., ^1.5.0)
workspace:~	Links to local package	Replaced with tilde range (e.g., ~1.5.0)

{
  "dependencies": {
    "@repo/ui": "workspace:*",
    "@repo/types": "workspace:*"
  }
}

Why good: Guarantees local linking, pnpm refuses to resolve externally, version conversion on publish ensures correct semver

{
  "dependencies": {
    "@repo/ui": "^1.0.0"
  }
}

Why bad: Hardcoded versions may install from npm registry instead of local workspace, version mismatches across packages

See examples/packages.md for protocol variants, aliasing, and internal package setup.

---

Pattern 3: Catalogs for Version Synchronization

Catalogs define dependency versions once in pnpm-workspace.yaml and reference them across all packages with catalog:.

# pnpm-workspace.yaml
catalog:
  react: ^19.0.0
  react-dom: ^19.0.0
  typescript: ^5.7.0

{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "catalog:",
    "react-dom": "catalog:"
  }
}

Why good: Single version source of truth, updating one line updates all packages, eliminates merge conflicts

Named catalogs support version migration:

catalogs:
  react18:
    react: ^18.3.1
  react19:
    react: ^19.0.0

See examples/packages.md for named catalogs, strict enforcement, and full examples.

---

Pattern 4: Filtering Commands

--filter (or -F) restricts commands to specific packages instead of running across the entire workspace.

# Exact package
pnpm --filter @repo/web-app build

# Package and ALL its dependencies
pnpm --filter "web-app..." build

# Changed packages since main
pnpm --filter "...[origin/main]" test

# Exclude a package
pnpm --filter "!@repo/docs" build

Why good: Targeted execution saves CI time, dependency-aware filtering ensures correct build order

# BAD: Running everything when only one package changed
pnpm -r build

Why bad: Wastes CI time rebuilding all packages, no change detection

See examples/scripts.md for all filter variants, CI-optimized patterns, and graph exploration.

---

Pattern 5: Running Scripts Across Workspaces

# Topological order (respects dependency graph) -- use for build
pnpm -r build

# Parallel (ignores dependency graph) -- use for test, lint
pnpm -r --parallel test

# Controlled concurrency
pnpm -r --workspace-concurrency 4 build

# BAD: Building in parallel when packages depend on each other
pnpm -r --parallel build

Why bad: Packages may build before their dependencies finish, causing missing module failures

See examples/scripts.md for dependency management and adding dependencies.

---

Pattern 6: Shared TypeScript Configuration

Share TypeScript compiler options across all workspace packages using a configuration package.

{
  "name": "@repo/config-typescript",
  "private": true,
  "exports": {
    "./base": "./tsconfig.base.json",
    "./react": "./tsconfig.react.json",
    "./node": "./tsconfig.node.json"
  }
}

Consumer usage:

{
  "extends": "@repo/config-typescript/react",
  "include": ["src/**/*.ts", "src/**/*.tsx"]
}

Why good: Single source of truth for TypeScript settings, changes propagate to all packages

See examples/packages.md for full base/react/node configs and ESLint sharing.

---

Pattern 7: Publishing from Workspaces

Use publishConfig to control what gets published and changesets for versioning.

{
  "name": "@repo/ui",
  "main": "./src/index.ts",
  "publishConfig": {
    "main": "./dist/index.js",
    "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
    "access": "public"
  }
}

Why good: Source during development (fast HMR), built output on publish

pnpm changeset          # Create changeset
pnpm changeset version  # Bump versions + changelogs
pnpm publish -r         # Publish to npm

See examples/publishing.md for changesets config, Docker deployment, and migration.

---

Pattern 8: CI/CD with GitHub Actions

- uses: pnpm/action-setup@v4
  with:
    version: 10
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: 22
    cache: "pnpm"
- run: pnpm install
- run: pnpm --filter "...[origin/main]" build
- run: pnpm --filter "...[origin/main]" test

Why good: pnpm/action-setup@v4 handles installation, cache: "pnpm" caches the store, --frozen-lockfile is automatic in CI, change-based filtering only builds affected packages

See examples/ci.md for complete workflows including automated release with changesets.

</patterns>

---

<performance>

Performance Optimization

Install Performance:

• pnpm uses content-addressable storage -- identical files are stored once on disk
• Warm installs are up to 2x faster than npm/yarn due to hard linking
• --frozen-lockfile (default in CI) skips resolution for fastest installs

Workspace Performance:

• Use --filter to run commands only on affected packages
• Use --parallel for tasks without cross-package dependencies (test, lint)
• Use --workspace-concurrency to control parallelism on resource-constrained CI
• Change-based filtering (--filter "...[origin/main]") skips unchanged packages

Disk Savings:

• Global store deduplicates across projects (pnpm store path)
• Typical savings: 50-70% less disk space compared to npm

CI Caching:

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: 22
    cache: "pnpm"

This caches the pnpm content-addressable store between runs, making subsequent installs near-instant.

</performance>

---

<decision_framework>

Decision Framework

When to Use Catalogs vs Direct Versions

Does 3+ packages use this dependency?
  YES -> Use catalog: protocol
  NO  -> Direct version is fine

Will this dependency version be updated frequently?
  YES -> Use catalog: (one-line update)
  NO  -> Direct version is acceptable

workspace:* vs workspace:^ vs workspace:~

Are you publishing packages to npm?
  NO  -> Use workspace:* (exact local linking, version irrelevant)
  YES -> Do consumers need flexible version ranges?
    YES -> workspace:^ (caret range on publish)
    NO  -> workspace:* (exact version on publish)

When to Use --filter vs -r

Running a command in CI?
  YES -> Use --filter "...[origin/main]" (only affected packages)
  NO  -> Running locally?
    ALL packages -> pnpm -r <cmd>
    ONE package  -> pnpm --filter <name> <cmd>

Is the command order-dependent (build)?
  YES -> Use -r (topological order) or --filter with ...
  NO  -> Use --parallel for speed (lint, test)

pnpm vs npm vs Yarn Workspaces

Need strict dependency isolation?
  YES -> pnpm (non-flat node_modules by default)
  NO  -> Any works

Need disk efficiency?
  YES -> pnpm (content-addressable store)
  NO  -> Any works

Need zero-config PnP (no node_modules)?
  YES -> Yarn Berry with PnP
  NO  -> pnpm or npm

</decision_framework>

---

<red_flags>

RED FLAGS

High Priority Issues:

• Hardcoded versions for internal packages instead of workspace:* (breaks local linking, installs from registry)
• Settings in .npmrc that should be in pnpm-workspace.yaml (silently ignored in pnpm v10)
• Missing pnpm-workspace.yaml at repo root (pnpm will not recognize workspace packages)
• Running pnpm install without --frozen-lockfile in CI (lockfile can mutate silently)
• Using --parallel for build commands when packages depend on each other (race conditions)

Medium Priority Issues:

• Not using catalog: when 3+ packages share the same dependency version (version drift)
• Running pnpm -r build in CI instead of --filter "...[origin/main]" (wastes time)
• Missing private: true on internal packages (risk of accidental npm publish)
• Not configuring allowBuilds (or the older onlyBuiltDependencies) allowlist (blocks all install scripts in v10)

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing package managers (npm install in a pnpm workspace breaks the lockfile)
• Using shamefullyHoist: true as a quick fix instead of declaring missing dependencies properly
• Forgetting fetch-depth: 0 in GitHub Actions checkout (breaks git-based change detection)
• Running different pnpm versions locally vs CI (lockfile format incompatibility)

Gotchas & Edge Cases:

• workspace:* is replaced with the actual version on pnpm publish -- this is expected behavior, not a bug
• catalog: entries must match the dependency name exactly -- typos silently fall through
• --filter "...[origin/main]" requires git history -- use fetch-depth: 0 or at minimum fetch-depth: 2
• pnpm v10 blocks ALL lifecycle scripts by default -- use pnpm approve-builds to allowlist packages that need postinstall (like esbuild, sharp), or configure allowBuilds in pnpm-workspace.yaml
• injectWorkspacePackages: true is required for pnpm deploy (or use pnpm deploy --legacy to bypass)
• Circular workspace dependencies cause unpredictable script execution order -- use disallowWorkspaceCycles: true
• saveWorkspaceProtocol: rolling (default) means pnpm add auto-saves with workspace: -- this is correct behavior

</red_flags>

---

<critical_reminders>

CRITICAL REMINDERS

(You MUST use workspace:* protocol for ALL internal package dependencies -- never hardcode versions)

(You MUST use --frozen-lockfile in CI -- pnpm enables this by default in CI environments)

(You MUST define workspace packages in pnpm-workspace.yaml at the repository root)

(You MUST put pnpm-specific settings in pnpm-workspace.yaml -- NOT .npmrc (pnpm v10 change))

(You MUST use catalog: protocol when sharing dependency versions across 3+ packages)

(You MUST use --filter for targeted commands instead of pnpm -r when only specific packages changed)

Failure to follow these rules will cause broken dependency resolution, version drift, missed CI caching, and security vulnerabilities.

</critical_reminders>