diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 387f76c7..b0232335 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
     "dist-list-cmd": "node ./packages/cli/dist/cli.js list --all",
     "dist-roll-version-dry-run": "node ./packages/cli/dist/cli.js version --git-dry-run",
     "dist-roll-publish-dry-run": "node ./packages/cli/dist/cli.js publish from-package --git-dry-run",
+    "dist-roll-publish-alpha-dry-run": "node ./packages/cli/dist/cli.js publish --git-dry-run --exact --include-merged-tags --preid alpha --dist-tag next prerelease",
     "dist-exec-win": "node ./packages/cli/dist/cli.js exec --scope {@lerna-lite/cli,@lerna-lite/core} -- echo hello from package: %LERNA_PACKAGE_NAME%",
     "dist-exec-unix": "node ./packages/cli/dist/cli.js exec -- echo hello from package: ${LERNA_PACKAGE_NAME}",
     "dist-pack-tarball": "node ./packages/cli/dist/cli.js run pack-tarball",
diff --git a/packages/core/src/package-graph/package-graph.ts b/packages/core/src/package-graph/package-graph.ts
index 621c5300..fb430855 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/package-graph/package-graph.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/package-graph/package-graph.ts
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ import { NpaResolveResult } from '../models';
  *
  * @extends {Map<string, PackageGraphNode>}
  */
-export class PackageGraph extends Map {
+export class PackageGraph extends Map<string, PackageGraphNode> {
   /**
-   * @param {import("@lerna/package").Package[]} packages An array of Packages to build the graph out of.
+   * @param {Package[]} packages - An array of Packages to build the graph out of.
    * @param {'allDependencies'|'dependencies'} [graphType]
    *    Pass "dependencies" to create a graph of only dependencies,
    *    excluding the devDependencies that would normally be included.
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ export class PackageGraph extends Map {
       localDependencies = 'force'; // eslint-disable-line
     }
 
-    // @ts-ignore
     super(packages.map((pkg: Package) => [pkg?.name ?? '', new PackageGraphNode(pkg)]));
 
     if (packages.length !== this.size) {
@@ -127,7 +126,7 @@ export class PackageGraph extends Map {
    * they depend on. i.e if packageA depended on packageB `graph.addDependencies([packageA])`
    * would return [packageA, packageB].
    *
-   * @param {import("@lerna/package").Package[]} filteredPackages The packages to include dependencies for.
+   * @param {Package[]} filteredPackages - The packages to include dependencies for.
    */
   addDependencies(filteredPackages: Package[]) {
     return this.extendList(filteredPackages, 'localDependencies');
@@ -138,7 +137,7 @@ export class PackageGraph extends Map {
    * that depend on them. i.e if packageC depended on packageD `graph.addDependents([packageD])`
    * would return [packageD, packageC].
    *
-   * @param {import("@lerna/package").Package[]} filteredPackages The packages to include dependents for.
+   * @param {Package[]} filteredPackages - The packages to include dependents for.
    */
   addDependents(filteredPackages: Package[]) {
     return this.extendList(filteredPackages, 'localDependents');
@@ -149,16 +148,15 @@ export class PackageGraph extends Map {
    * `PackageGraphNode` property that is a collection of `PackageGraphNode`s.
    * Returns input packages with any additional packages found by traversing `nodeProp`.
    *
-   * @param {import("@lerna/package").Package[]} packageList The list of packages to extend
-   * @param {'localDependencies'|'localDependents'} nodeProp The property on `PackageGraphNode` used to traverse
+   * @param {Package[]} packageList - The list of packages to extend
+   * @param {'localDependencies'|'localDependents'} nodeProp - The property on `PackageGraphNode` used to traverse
    */
   extendList(packageList: Package[], nodeProp: 'localDependencies' | 'localDependents') {
     // the current list of packages we are expanding using breadth-first-search
-    const search = new Set<PackageGraphNode>(packageList.map(({ name }) => this.get(name)));
+    const search = new Set<PackageGraphNode>(packageList.map(({ name }) => this.get(name) as PackageGraphNode));
 
     // an intermediate list of matched PackageGraphNodes
-    /** @type {PackageGraphNode[]} */
-    const result: PackageGraphNode[] = [];
+    const result: Array<PackageGraphNode> = [];
 
     search.forEach((currentNode) => {
       // anything searched for is always a result
@@ -167,7 +165,7 @@ export class PackageGraph extends Map {
       currentNode[nodeProp].forEach((meta, depName) => {
         const depNode = this.get(depName);
 
-        if (depNode !== currentNode && !search.has(depNode)) {
+        if (depNode && depNode !== currentNode && !search.has(depNode)) {
           search.add(depNode);
         }
       });
@@ -245,7 +243,7 @@ export class PackageGraph extends Map {
     const cyclePaths: string[] = [];
     const nodeToCycle = new Map<PackageGraphNode, CyclicPackageGraphNode>();
     const cycles = new Set<CyclicPackageGraphNode>();
-    const alreadyVisited = new Set<PackageGraphNode>();
+    const alreadyVisited = new Set<string>();
     const walkStack: Array<PackageGraphNode | CyclicPackageGraphNode> = [];
 
     function visits(baseNode, dependentNode) {
@@ -259,10 +257,11 @@ export class PackageGraph extends Map {
       }
 
       // Otherwise the same node is checked multiple times which is very wasteful in a large repository
-      if (alreadyVisited.has(topLevelDependent)) {
+      const identifier = `${baseNode.name}:${topLevelDependent.name}`;
+      if (alreadyVisited.has(identifier)) {
         return;
       }
-      alreadyVisited.add(topLevelDependent);
+      alreadyVisited.add(identifier);
 
       if (topLevelDependent === baseNode || (topLevelDependent.isCycle && topLevelDependent.has(baseNode.name))) {
         const cycle: any = new CyclicPackageGraphNode();
diff --git a/packages/diff/src/diff-command.ts b/packages/diff/src/diff-command.ts
index 07390100..39199c83 100644
--- a/packages/diff/src/diff-command.ts
+++ b/packages/diff/src/diff-command.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Command, CommandType, DiffCommandOption, Package, spawn, ValidationError } from '@lerna-lite/core';
+import { Command, CommandType, DiffCommandOption, PackageGraphNode, spawn, ValidationError } from '@lerna-lite/core';
 
 import { getLastCommit } from './lib/get-last-commit';
 import { hasCommit } from './lib/has-commit';
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export class DiffCommand extends Command<DiffCommandOption> {
   }
 
   initialize() {
-    let targetPackage: Package | undefined = undefined;
+    let targetPackage: PackageGraphNode | undefined = undefined;
     const packageName = this.options.pkgName;
 
     if (packageName) {
diff --git a/packages/publish/src/publish-command.ts b/packages/publish/src/publish-command.ts
index 840af2c4..cda32887 100644
--- a/packages/publish/src/publish-command.ts
+++ b/packages/publish/src/publish-command.ts
@@ -563,7 +563,7 @@ export class PublishCommand extends Command<PublishCommandOption> {
 
       for (const [depName, resolved] of node.localDependencies) {
         // other canary versions need to be updated, non-canary is a no-op
-        const depVersion = this.updatesVersions?.get(depName) || this.packageGraph?.get(depName).pkg.version;
+        const depVersion = this.updatesVersions?.get(depName) || this.packageGraph?.get(depName)!.pkg.version;
 
         // it no longer matters if we mutate the shared Package instance
         node.pkg.updateLocalDependency(
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ export class PublishCommand extends Command<PublishCommandOption> {
     return pMap(updatesWithLocalLinks, (node: PackageGraphNode) => {
       for (const [depName, resolved] of node.localDependencies) {
         // regardless of where the version comes from, we can't publish 'file:../sibling-pkg' specs
-        const depVersion = this.updatesVersions?.get(depName) || this.packageGraph?.get(depName).pkg.version;
+        const depVersion = this.updatesVersions?.get(depName) || this.packageGraph?.get(depName)!.pkg.version;
 
         // it no longer matters if we mutate the shared Package instance
         node.pkg.updateLocalDependency(
@@ -616,7 +616,7 @@ export class PublishCommand extends Command<PublishCommandOption> {
 
       // 1. update & bump version of local dependencies
       for (const [depName, resolved] of node.localDependencies) {
-        const depVersion = this.updatesVersions?.get(depName) || this.packageGraph?.get(depName).pkg.version;
+        const depVersion = this.updatesVersions?.get(depName) || this.packageGraph?.get(depName)!.pkg.version;
 
         // it no longer matters if we mutate the shared Package instance
         node.pkg.updateLocalDependency(
diff --git a/packages/version/src/version-command.ts b/packages/version/src/version-command.ts
index 11658a4a..77763684 100644
--- a/packages/version/src/version-command.ts
+++ b/packages/version/src/version-command.ts
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ export class VersionCommand extends Command<VersionCommandOption> {
       let hasBreakingChange = false;
 
       for (const [name, bump] of versions) {
-        hasBreakingChange = hasBreakingChange || isBreakingChange(this.packageGraph?.get(name).version, bump);
+        hasBreakingChange = hasBreakingChange || isBreakingChange(this.packageGraph?.get(name)!.version, bump);
       }
 
       if (hasBreakingChange) {
@@ -610,7 +610,7 @@ export class VersionCommand extends Command<VersionCommandOption> {
         pkg.set('version', this.updatesVersions?.get(pkg?.name ?? ''));
 
         // update pkg dependencies
-        for (const [depName, resolved] of this.packageGraph?.get(pkg.name).localDependencies) {
+        for (const [depName, resolved] of this.packageGraph?.get(pkg.name)!.localDependencies) {
           const depVersion = this.updatesVersions?.get(depName);
 
           if (depVersion && resolved.type !== 'directory') {