pnpm ERR_PNPM_OUTDATED_LOCKFILE in CI - Fix Lockfile Out of Sync

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

pnpm runs with --frozen-lockfile by default in CI. ERR_PNPM_OUTDATED_LOCKFILE means installing would change pnpm-lock.yaml, so package.json and the lockfile disagree.

What this error means

The CI install step fails with ERR_PNPM_OUTDATED_LOCKFILE, noting that the lockfile is not up to date with package.json. Locally pnpm install succeeds because it can update the lockfile.

ERR_PNPM_OUTDATED_LOCKFILE  Cannot perform a frozen installation
because the lockfile is not up to date with package.json
* 1 dependencies were added: left-pad@^1.3.0

Common causes

package.json changed without updating the lockfile

A dependency was added or bumped without re-running pnpm install, so pnpm-lock.yaml lags behind.

The lockfile was not committed

A regenerated lockfile stayed local, so CI checks out a stale version.

How to fix it

Regenerate and commit the lockfile

1. Run pnpm install locally to update pnpm-lock.yaml.
2. Commit the lockfile so CI is in sync.

pnpm install
git add pnpm-lock.yaml
git commit -m "Update pnpm-lock.yaml"

How to prevent it

• Commit pnpm-lock.yaml with every dependency change, pin pnpm via packageManager, and keep --frozen-lockfile in CI so drift fails fast before merge.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• Node.js documentation
• npm CLI documentation
• GitHub Actions documentation