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Version: 12.x

Scripts

How pnpm handles the scripts field of package.json.

Hidden Scripts​

Added in: v11.0.0

Scripts with names starting with . are hidden. They cannot be run directly via pnpm run and are omitted from the pnpm run listing. Hidden scripts can only be called from other scripts.

{
  "scripts": {
    ".helper": "echo 'I am hidden'",
    "build": "pnpm run .helper && tsc"
  }
}

In this example, pnpm run .helper would fail, but pnpm run build would succeed because .helper is called from another script.

Environment Variables​

pnpm sets the following environment variables during lifecycle script execution:

  • npm_package_name — the package name
  • npm_package_version — the package version
  • npm_lifecycle_event — the name of the running script (e.g., postinstall)
note

Since v11, pnpm no longer populates npm_config_* environment variables from the pnpm configuration. Only the well-known npm_* variables above are set, matching Yarn's behavior.

Built-in Command and Script Name Conflicts​

Added in: v11.0.0

The following built-in commands prefer user scripts: clean, setup, deploy, and rebuild. If your package.json defines a script with one of these names, pnpm <name> will execute the script instead of the built-in command.

To force the built-in command, use pnpm pm <name>.

Lifecycle Scripts​

pnpm:devPreinstall​

Runs when pnpm install runs in the project itself, including in CI. It does not run when the package is installed as a dependency of another project.

Runs before any dependency is installed.

This script is executed only when set in the root project's package.json.