pnpm CLI

Short aliases

Added in: v11.0.0

pn is available as a short alias for pnpm, and pnx as a short alias for pnpm dlx. You can use them anywhere you'd use pnpm or pnpx:

pn install
pn add express
pn build
pn test
pnx create-vue my-app

Differences vs npm

Unlike npm, pnpm validates all options. For example, pnpm install --target_arch x64 will fail as --target_arch is not a valid option for pnpm install.

However, some dependencies may use the npm_config_ environment variable, which is populated from the CLI options. In this case, you have the following options:

1. explicitly set the env variable: npm_config_target_arch=x64 pnpm install
2. force the unknown option with --config.: pnpm install --config.target_arch=x64

Boolean flags

A boolean flag can be written on its own, negated with a no- prefix, or given an explicit value:

pnpm install --prod            # devDependencies are skipped
pnpm install --no-prod         # devDependencies are installed
pnpm install --prod=false      # the same, since v12.4.0
pnpm install --prod=true       # the same as --prod

The --config. escape hatch takes a value the same way: --config.trust-lockfile=false.

Options

-C <path>, --dir <path>

Run as if pnpm was started in <path> instead of the current working directory.

Which project a command acts on

Run from a subdirectory of a project, a command acts on the nearest ancestor directory that has a manifest, so pnpm bin from packages/app/src reports paths under packages/app. Two commands stay where you are: pnpm init creates its manifest in the current directory, and pnpm exec runs the command there.

-w, --workspace-root

Run as if pnpm was started in the root of the workspace instead of the current working directory.

Commands

For more information, see the documentation for individual CLI commands. Here is a list of handy npm equivalents to get you started:

npm command	pnpm equivalent
npm install	pnpm install
npm i <pkg>	pnpm add <pkg>
npm run <cmd>	pnpm <cmd>
npx <pkg>	pnx <pkg>

When an unknown command is used, pnpm will search for a script with the given name, so pnpm run lint is the same as pnpm lint. If there is no script with the specified name, then pnpm will execute the command as a shell script, so you can do things like pnpm eslint (see pnpm exec).

Environment variables

Some environment variables that are not pnpm related might change the behaviour of pnpm:

• CI

These environment variables may influence what directories pnpm will use for storing global information:

• XDG_CACHE_HOME
• XDG_CONFIG_HOME
• XDG_DATA_HOME
• XDG_STATE_HOME

You can search the docs to find the settings that leverage these environment variables.