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devalog merged 3 commits into from
May 11, 2026
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Document pnpm prerequisite for fern docs dev #5457

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bbd900b
Document pnpm global install prerequisite for fern docs dev
fern-api[bot] May 11, 2026
802e972
Merge pnpm prerequisite into Prerequisites callout
fern-api[bot] May 11, 2026
44b0b00
make more concise
devalog May 11, 2026
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7 changes: 7 additions & 0 deletions fern/products/docs/pages/preview-publish/preview-changes-locally.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ Fern offers two ways to preview documentation changes:
Install the following:
- Node.js version 22 or higher
- [The Fern CLI](/learn/cli-api-reference/cli-reference/overview#install-fern-cli)
- [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/installation), available on your `PATH`. `fern docs dev` uses pnpm internally to install the dependencies it needs to render your preview (for example, `esbuild`), so it must be installed globally even if your project uses npm or yarn.
</Info>

## Local development
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -55,6 +56,12 @@ Some features are disabled in local development:

`fern docs dev` and `fern generate --docs` must be run from a directory that contains a [`fern/` folder](/learn/docs/getting-started/project-structure) with a `docs.yml` inside. Change into your project directory, or add a `docs.yml`.

#### Failed to install required package due to error: Command failed with exit code 1: pnpm i esbuild
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🚫 [vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[Microsoft.HeadingColons] Capitalize ': p'.

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@github-actions github-actions Bot May 11, 2026

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📝 [vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[FernStyles.FirstPerson] Use first person (such as ' i') sparingly.


`fern docs dev` shells out to pnpm to install the dependencies it needs to render your preview. Install [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/installation) globally and make sure it's on your `PATH`, then rerun `fern docs dev`. Your project's package manager (npm, yarn, etc.) doesn't need to change.

If the same command also prints `[ERR_PNPM_IGNORED_BUILDS] Ignored build scripts: esbuild`, run `pnpm approve-builds` and approve `esbuild` so pnpm allows its post-install scripts to run.

#### Broken link to /some/path (resolved path: ...)

`fern check` reports this when a link in a Markdown page doesn't resolve to a real page, anchor, or file in your docs.
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