monorepo

name	monorepo
description	Detect and navigate monorepos correctly. Use when working with repos containing multiple packages (pnpm/yarn/npm workspaces, Turborepo, Nx, Lerna). Ensures commands run in correct package scope, dependencies are routed properly, and cross-package changes are coordinated.
when_to_use	monorepo, workspace, turborepo, nx, lerna, pnpm workspace, multiple packages, cross-package, packages/ directory, workspace:*
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob, Bash
paths	["**/pnpm-workspace.yaml","**/turbo.json","**/nx.json","**/lerna.json","**/go.work"]
user-invocable	false

AI-consumed reference. Optimized for Claude to read during execution. Human-readable explanation: see docs/architecture/HIERARCHICAL_PLANNING.md or docs/getting-started/ depending on topic.

Monorepo Handling

Monorepos break many assumptions: which package.json is "the" one, where node_modules live, which test command runs, what install actually does. This skill ensures operations target the correct scope.

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Detection

On session start or first file edit, check for these markers:

File	Tool
pnpm-workspace.yaml	pnpm workspaces
turbo.json	Turborepo
nx.json	Nx
lerna.json	Lerna
package.json with "workspaces": [...]	npm / yarn workspaces
Cargo.toml with [workspace]	Rust workspaces
go.work	Go workspaces
pyproject.toml with Poetry/uv workspace config	Python workspaces

If detected → monorepo mode ON. Record in workflow state. All subsequent commands must respect package scope.

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Key Rules

1. Always identify the target package first

Before any install, test, or build:

• Which package is the change in? Full path: packages/<name>/
• Run scoped, not from root: pnpm --filter <name> test

2. Cross-package changes = coordinate

If a change touches package A's API used by package B:

• List all consumers: grep -r "@your-org/package-a" packages/
• Update all consumers in the same PR
• Run tests across all affected packages, not just A

3. Dependency placement matters

Dependency type	Where to install
Used by 1 package	That package's package.json
Used by 2+ packages	Shared config package or root devDependencies
Dev tooling (eslint, prettier, jest)	Root
Workspace packages	Listed as "workspace:*" in consumer's dependencies

4. Build order respects the dependency graph

Don't assume alphabetical build order. Check the graph:

• Turborepo: turbo.json pipeline field
• Nx: nx graph visualises it
• pnpm: pnpm list --recursive --depth=0

5. Tests run scoped — not from root

# ❌ Wrong — runs all tests, slow, often broken
npm test

# ✓ Right — tests only affected packages
turbo test --filter=[HEAD^1]
nx affected:test
pnpm --filter='...[HEAD^1]' test

[HEAD^1] computes packages affected since the last commit. CI should use the same.

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Common Gotchas

• node_modules hoisting — package A may accidentally use package B's transitive dep. When B changes, A breaks. Fix: explicit dependency declaration, don't rely on hoist.
• TypeScript project references — changes to package A won't appear in package B until tsc --build runs across references. Check tsconfig.json → references.
• Jest/Vitest root config — may not pick up per-package configs. Check that monorepo tooling hands off correctly (Turborepo and Nx usually do; raw pnpm doesn't).
• CI matrix — running the full suite on every PR wastes money. Use affected-only detection.
• Lockfile per workspace vs root — npm 7+ and pnpm keep a single root lockfile. Don't commit per-package lockfiles.

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Integration with Aura Frog Workflow

• Phase 1 design — identify all packages touched in the plan
• Phase 2 tests — scope to affected packages only
• Phase 3 build — run scoped builds, not root
• Phase 4 review — check cross-package contracts (API compatibility between versions)

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Tie-Ins

• skills/framework-expert/SKILL.md — your framework may have monorepo-specific integration
• skills/test-writer/SKILL.md — test placement in monorepo (per-package vs shared test dir)
• rules/core/verification.md — verify commands ran in the right scope (which tests actually executed?)
• commands/run.md — run-orchestrator loads this skill when monorepo markers detected