pnpm Cheat Sheet

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Comprehensive pnpm CLI reference for installs, dependency management, scripts, filtering, and inspection.

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## Getting Started

Install pnpm with standalone script

↗#

curl -fsSL https://get.pnpm.io/install.sh | sh -

# Install pnpm via the official standalone script.

Set up pnpm on your machine

↗#

pnpm setup

# Creates the pnpm home directory and updates shell configuration as needed.

Initialize a package

↗#

pnpm init

# Create a package.json interactively.

Show pnpm help

↗#

pnpm help

# Display top-level CLI help.

Show help for a command

↗#

pnpm help add

# Display help for a specific subcommand.

Show pnpm version

↗#

pnpm --version

# Print the installed pnpm version.

Show Node.js version used by pnpm

↗#

pnpm exec node --version

# Check the Node runtime in the current environment.

## Install, Add, Remove, Update

Install all dependencies

↗#

pnpm install

# Install dependencies from package.json and lockfile.

Install with frozen lockfile

↗#

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

# Fail if the lockfile would need changes; common in CI.

Install in offline mode

↗#

pnpm install --offline

# Install using only already-fetched packages from the store.

Add dependency

↗#

pnpm add lodash

# Add a package to dependencies.

Add dev dependency

↗#

pnpm add -D typescript

# Add a package to devDependencies.

Add optional dependency

↗#

pnpm add -O fsevents

# Add a package to optionalDependencies.

Add exact version

↗#

pnpm add react@18.3.1 --save-exact

# Save an exact version instead of a range.

Remove dependency

↗#

pnpm remove lodash

# Remove a package from dependencies.

Update dependencies

↗#

pnpm update

# Update dependencies according to the allowed ranges.

Update package to latest

↗#

pnpm update react --latest

# Update a package to the latest available version.

Dedupe lockfile

↗#

pnpm dedupe

# Reduce duplicates in the lockfile when possible.

Import lockfile from npm or Yarn

↗#

pnpm import

# Generate pnpm-lock.yaml from package-lock.json, npm-shrinkwrap.json, or yarn.lock.

## Run, Exec, and Inspect

Run a package script

↗#

pnpm run build

# Run a script from package.json.

Run script via shorthand

↗#

pnpm test

# Run a script without typing run when there is no command ambiguity.

Execute binary in project context

↗#

pnpm exec eslint .

# Run a locally installed binary without adding it to PATH manually.

Run one-off package

↗#

pnpm dlx create-vite@latest my-app

# Download and run a package without permanently installing it.

List installed packages

↗#

pnpm list

# Show installed packages in a tree structure.

List top-level packages

↗#

pnpm list --depth 0

# Show only top-level dependencies.

Explain why a package is present

↗#

pnpm why react

# Show why a package is installed in the dependency graph.

Show outdated dependencies

↗#

pnpm outdated

# List dependencies with newer versions available.

Audit dependencies

↗#

pnpm audit

# Scan dependencies for known vulnerabilities.

Attempt audit fixes

↗#

pnpm audit --fix

# Try to apply non-breaking security updates automatically.

Print store path

↗#

pnpm store path

# Show the location of the content-addressable store.

## Filtering and Recursive Execution

Install across workspace

↗#

pnpm -r install

# Run install recursively across workspace packages.

Run build in all workspace packages

↗#

pnpm -r run build

# Run a script recursively in all packages.

Operate on one workspace package

↗#

pnpm --filter @acme/web test

# Limit a command to a selected workspace package.

Filter package and dependents

↗#

pnpm --filter @acme/ui... build

# Target a package and packages that depend on it.

Filter package and its deps

↗#

pnpm --filter ...@acme/api test

# Target a package and its dependency chain.

Filter by directory

↗#

pnpm --filter ./packages/web... lint

# Target packages by path selector.

Run in parallel

↗#

pnpm -r --parallel run dev

# Run a script in parallel across packages.

Stream prefixed output

↗#

pnpm -r --stream test

# Stream real-time output from recursive runs.

More in pnpm

pnpm CI, Env, and Patching

CI installs, fetch, production pruning, Node runtime management, patching, and troubleshooting.

pnpm Publish and Registry

Pack, publish, dist-tags, registries, auth, and package metadata queries.

pnpm Config and Store

Configuration, .npmrc, store/cache operations, and installation model settings.

pnpm Workspaces

Workspace setup, filtering, recursive execution, deploy flows, and catalogs.

pnpm Install and Dependencies

Dependency types, package sources, versions, lockfiles, and reproducible installs.

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