| name | monorepo-detection |
| description | Canonical rules for detecting monorepo/workspace structure (Turborepo, pnpm workspaces, npm/yarn/bun workspaces) and locating the target app or package directory. Reference-only skill preloaded by other skills/subagents. |
| when_to_use | When any skill or agent needs to determine whether a project is a monorepo and, if so, pick the correct sub-package directory for further operations. |
| user-invocable | false |
Monorepo Detection
Single source of truth for monorepo detection. Any skill or agent that previously inlined monorepo checks (prd, design-system, code-reviewer) must defer here.
Detection order
Inspect the repository root (the directory containing .git/) in this order:
| Signal | Monorepo tool |
|---|
turbo.json present at root | Turborepo |
pnpm-workspace.yaml present at root | pnpm workspaces |
Root package.json contains a workspaces array or object | npm / yarn / bun workspaces |
nx.json present at root | Nx |
lerna.json present at root | Lerna |
If none match, the project is a single-package repo. Return monorepo: false and set targetDir to the repo root.
Locating the target sub-package
When a monorepo is detected and the task scope implies a specific app or package, pick the target directory by the work context:
| Work context | How to pick |
|---|
| Web / frontend work | Find the directory containing react-router.config.ts, next.config.*, or vite.config.* |
| Mobile work | Find the directory containing Expo config (app.config.ts / app.config.js / app.json with an expo key) AND expo in its package.json dependencies |
| Backend / API work | Find the directory containing nest-cli.json or an equivalent backend framework config |
| Shared package (types, utils, etc.) | The directory under packages/ most commonly referenced by app directories |
If multiple directories match the same work context (e.g., two Expo apps), do not guess — ask the user.
Fall back to the repo root only for shared tooling (root package.json scripts, CI config).
Output contract
type MonorepoDetectionResult = {
monorepo: boolean;
tool: 'turbo' | 'pnpm-workspaces' | 'workspaces' | 'nx' | 'lerna' | null;
repoRoot: string;
targetDir: string;
};
Coordination with framework-detection
framework-detection must run inside targetDir, not at repoRoot. Running it at the wrong level gives wrong results for monorepos (e.g., root package.json may list only devDeps).
