Explained pnpm vs npm install behavior discrepancy
Explained pnpm vs npm install behavior discrepancy
Agent
Pi
Model
Kimi-K2.6
Shared
May 17, 7:40 PM
Messages86
Workspace
Identified difference in lifecycle script handling between pnpm and npm.
PlanAnalyzed dependencies with install scripts causing interactive picker in pnpm.
PlanExplained why npm does not show the picker due to running scripts automatically.
PlanIf I try to update Pi by running pnpm install --global @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent, I get an interactive picker in which I'm asked to select which of three packages I want to build. I don't get this picker if I run npm install --global @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent. Why is there a discrepancy?
pnpm 10 and later blocks dependency lifecycle scripts by default for security reasons, while npm still runs them automatically.
When you install @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent, three transitive dependencies have install/preinstall/postinstall scripts:
koffi (optional dependency of @earendil-works/pi-tui) — has an install script that compiles native bindingsprotobufjs (transitive dependency) — has a postinstall script@google/genai (dependency of @earendil-works/pi-ai) — has a preinstall scriptpnpm detects these scripts and shows an interactive picker asking which ones you want to allow. npm does not block them, so it installs silently and runs all three scripts automatically.
To avoid the picker with pnpm, pre-approve the packages:
Or add them to your .npmrc: