docs: recommend install-strategy=linked to catch phantom dependencies#9690
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…#9678) Encourages package authors to develop under `install-strategy=linked` to surface undeclared ("phantom") dependencies before publishing. Under the default hoisted `node_modules`, a package can `import` a dependency it never declared and still resolve it: a transitive dependency hoisted alongside it (or a workspace root's `node_modules`) happens to satisfy the import. That undeclared dependency passes the author's own build silently, then fails for a consumer who installs the package on its own. The linked (isolated) layout exposes only a package's declared dependencies, so such an import can fail at the author's build instead of shipping broken. The change documents this in two places: - The `install-strategy` entry in the config reference now recommends that authors use `--install-strategy=linked` during development, cross-linked to the developers guide. - The Developers guide gains a "Catching undeclared ("phantom") dependencies" section under "Before Publishing", with a note that this is one check — a dependency satisfied by a `devDependency` or a workspace root's `node_modules` can still resolve locally — alongside auditing the dependencies the published package actually uses. This is documentation-only; the config reference text is generated from the `install-strategy` definition description. ## References Closes #9675 (cherry picked from commit fdcfcee)
owlstronaut
approved these changes
Jun 29, 2026
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Backport of #9678 to
release/v11.