pm unlink

Overview

The pm unlink command removes symbolic links created by pm link, restoring packages to their published versions from the registry.

Syntax

pm unlink [...args]

Arguments

string[]

Package names or arguments passed to your package manager’s unlink command

Examples

Unlink Specific Package

pm unlink my-library

Output

Running: pnpm unlink my-library

This removes the symbolic link and restores the package from the registry.

Unlink All Packages

In the project with linked packages:

pm unlink

Output

Running: pnpm unlink

Remove Global Link

In the package that was globally linked:

cd ~/projects/my-library
pm unlink

Output

Running: pnpm unlink

Use Cases

After Local Development

When you’re done developing locally:

Unlink Package

Remove the symbolic link:

cd ~/projects/my-app
pm unlink my-library

Reinstall from Registry

Install the published version:

pm install

Verify

Check the package is from registry:

pm ls my-library

Before Deployment

Ensure no development links exist:

# Check for linked packages
pm ls

# Unlink any found
pm unlink my-dev-package

# Clean install
pm install

Always unlink packages before deploying to production to avoid missing dependencies.

Switching Development Setup

Switch from linked to published version:

# Unlink local version
pm unlink ui-library

# Install published version
pm add ui-library

How It Works

From src/commands/unlink.ts:10-17:

export const unlinkCmd = cli.Command.make('unlink', { args: argsArg }, (args) =>
  Effect.gen(function* () {
    const pm = yield* PackageManagerService;
    const passthrough = Array.from(args.args);
    const cmd = ShellCommand.make(pm.name, 'unlink', ...passthrough);
    yield* Console.log(`Running: ${pm.name} unlink ${passthrough.join(' ')}`);
    yield* runShellCommand(cmd);
  }).pipe(Effect.provide(PackageManagerLayer)),
);

The command:

Detects your package manager
Passes all arguments to the native unlink command
Removes symbolic links from node_modules

Package Manager Behavior

# Unlink specific package
pnpm unlink my-package

# Remove global link
pnpm unlink --global

# Unlink specific package
bun unlink my-package

# Unlink from current directory
bun unlink

# Unlink specific package
npm unlink my-package

# Remove global link
npm unlink

Verification

Check if package is still linked:

pm ls my-package

Output (linked)

[email protected]
└── [email protected] -> /Users/you/projects/my-package

Output (unlinked)

[email protected]
└── [email protected]

No -> arrow means it’s installed normally.

Restore Published Version

After unlinking, reinstall from registry:

pm unlink my-library
pm install

Or reinstall specific package:

pm unlink my-library
pm add my-library

Common Workflows

Complete Cleanup

Remove all development links:

# Unlink packages
pm unlink package-a package-b

# Clean node_modules
rm -rf node_modules

# Fresh install
pm install

Switch Between Linked and Published

# Development mode (linked)
pm link my-library

# Production mode (published)
pm unlink my-library
pm install

Verify No Links

# Check for symbolic links
pm ls | grep '->'

# Should return nothing if no links exist

Troubleshooting

Package Still Linked

If unlink doesn’t work:

Manual removal:

rm -rf node_modules/my-package
pm install

Clean reinstall:
rm -rf node_modules pm install

Global Link Persists

# List global links
pm ls --global

# Remove global link
cd ~/projects/my-package
pm unlink --global

Module Resolution Issues

After unlinking, you may need to:

# Clear package manager cache
pm cache clean

# Reinstall
pm install

Best Practices

Unlink before commits - Don’t commit with linked packages
Document linked packages - Keep track of what’s linked
Verify after unlink - Check with pm ls that links are removed
Clean install after - Run pm install to restore published versions

If you’re working in a monorepo, workspace features handle linking automatically - you don’t need manual link/unlink.

pm link - Create symbolic links
pm ls - List dependencies and check for links
pm install - Reinstall packages from registry

Get Started

Core Concepts

Commands

Guides

Overview

Syntax

Arguments

Examples

Unlink Specific Package

Unlink All Packages

Remove Global Link

Use Cases

After Local Development

Before Deployment

Switching Development Setup

How It Works

Package Manager Behavior

Verification

Restore Published Version

Common Workflows

Complete Cleanup

Switch Between Linked and Published

Verify No Links

Troubleshooting

Package Still Linked

Global Link Persists

Module Resolution Issues

Best Practices

​Overview

​Syntax

​Arguments

​Examples

​Unlink Specific Package

​Unlink All Packages

​Remove Global Link

​Use Cases

​After Local Development

​Before Deployment

​Switching Development Setup

​How It Works

​Package Manager Behavior

​Verification

​Restore Published Version

​Common Workflows

​Complete Cleanup

​Switch Between Linked and Published

​Verify No Links

​Troubleshooting

​Package Still Linked

​Global Link Persists

​Module Resolution Issues

​Best Practices

​Related Commands

Overview

Syntax

Arguments

Examples

Unlink Specific Package

Unlink All Packages

Remove Global Link

Use Cases

After Local Development

Before Deployment

Switching Development Setup

How It Works

Package Manager Behavior

Verification

Restore Published Version

Common Workflows

Complete Cleanup

Switch Between Linked and Published

Verify No Links

Troubleshooting

Package Still Linked

Global Link Persists

Module Resolution Issues

Best Practices

Related Commands