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Workspace reinstall must clear package node_modules before pnpm install

docs/solutions/developer-experience/2026-04-01-workspace-reinstall-must-clear-package-node-modules-before-pnpm-install.md

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Original Source

Workspace reinstall must clear package node_modules before pnpm install

Problem

Local Bun test failures started exploding before the actual spec code ran. The error blamed package-local React paths like packages/dnd/node_modules/react, even though the repo installed successfully and the DnD code itself was fine.

Symptoms

  • bun test packages/dnd/src/DndPlugin.spec.tsx fails with ENOENT reading "/Users/.../packages/dnd/node_modules/react"
  • pnpm check dies in the fast test lane before reaching the original task
  • pnpm install says the lockfile is already up to date, but the broken package-local path does not recover

What Didn't Work

  • Re-running pnpm install alone. That reused the existing workspace layout and left the dead package-local symlinks in place.
  • Looking at DnD code first. The failure happened before the spec even executed, so changing product code would have been cargo cult nonsense.

Solution

Clear the local JS install state across the workspace, then reinstall once.

This repo now has a dedicated helper:

bash
pnpm run reinstall

The script lives at tooling/scripts/reinstall.sh. It removes:

  • root node_modules
  • workspace package node_modules
  • app node_modules
  • .turbo
  • apps/www/.next
  • apps/www/.contentlayer
  • tsconfig.tsbuildinfo

Then it runs:

bash
pnpm install

After that, the previously failing DnD test path worked again:

bash
bun test packages/dnd/src/DndPlugin.spec.tsx
pnpm --filter @platejs/dnd test src/DndPlugin.spec.tsx
pnpm test

Why This Works

The broken paths were stale package-local symlinks, not missing dependencies in source.

The key clue was that packages/dnd/node_modules/react existed as a symlink, but its target under root/node_modules/.bun/... no longer existed. pnpm install by itself did not repair that state because the workspace install was considered current enough to reuse.

A real reinstall works because it deletes the stale package-local node_modules trees before rebuilding the workspace dependency graph.

Prevention

  • When Bun or fast-suite failures complain about ENOENT on package-local node_modules/react, treat it as local install corruption first.
  • Run pnpm run reinstall once before touching product code.
  • Do not use reinstall as a lazy substitute for real code fixes. If the reinstall does not change the failure shape, go back to normal debugging.