ERR_PNPM_LINKING_FAILED when running pnpm install in Docker on macOS

[binaryfire]

Verify latest release

• I verified that the issue exists in the latest pnpm release

pnpm version

v8.7.1

Which area(s) of pnpm are affected? (leave empty if unsure)

No response

Link to the code that reproduces this issue or a replay of the bug

No response

Reproduction steps

1. Create a Node-based image which includes PNPM
2. On macOS, bind mount a project to it and attempt to run pnpm install a couple of times inside the container

Describe the Bug

This article describes the same bug I'm experiencing: https://zenn.dev/minedia/articles/2023-08-30-pnpm#%E4%BD%99%E8%AB%87%3A-pnpm%E3%81%AE%E3%82%A8%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC

Translated:

Basically, it seems like the hard links PNPM uses don't work properly under Docker for macOS.

Expected Behavior

PNPM should work the same way in Docker containers on macOS as it does on Linux and Windows WSL2

Which Node.js version are you using?

18.17.1

Which operating systems have you used?

• macOS
• Windows
• Linux

If your OS is a Linux based, which one it is? (Include the version if relevant)

macOS 12

[binaryfire]

Another thread explaining the same issue: https://twitter.com/david_negrier/status/1608012478851743744?s=20

[weyert]

Looks like a duplicate of #5803 or at least related

[Joshuajrodrigues]

Im facing same issue but on windows...

[dotoleeoak]

I added this line in .npmrc file and it works like charm!

package-import-method=clone-or-copy

[AIABHISHEK]

same error occured on windows I just updated the pnpm package and it worked .
pnpm -v 8.8.0

[can-acar]

The issue still persists in Windows.
Node 18.18.0
pnpm version 8.8.0

[meister245]

The way I resolved this issue is the following:

I added a postCreateCommand to my devcontainer.json

"postCreateCommand": "bash .devcontainer/post-create.sh",

In the post create script I set the pnpm store to a folder in the user home:
pnpm config set store-dir /home/vscode/.pnpm-store

I then added a mount in the devcontainer.json file, to mount my host pnpm store folder in the container:

"mounts": [
    "type=bind,source=/Users/${localEnv:USER}/Library/pnpm/store,target=/home/vscode/.pnpm-store"
]

since then pnpm install works without an issue.

[binaryartifex]

still persisting in windows. For some reason the cypress path is the only one that triggers this bloody error.

Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename 'F:\[...path]\node_modules\.pnpm\cypress@13.3.2\node_modules\cypress_tmp_27736' -> 'F:\[...path]\node_modules\.pnpm\cypress@13.3.2\node_modules\cypress'

[hanyaonian]

still persisting in windows. For some reason the cypress path is the only one that triggers this bloody error.

Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename 'F:\[...path]\node_modules\.pnpm\cypress@13.3.2\node_modules\cypress_tmp_27736' -> 'F:\[...path]\node_modules\.pnpm\cypress@13.3.2\node_modules\cypress'

Same here Q-Q
Every time I had this issue, I have to restart my computer (and then it works well).
I am using pnpm version 8.9.2 and Windows 10

[darkbasic]

Same issue on Arch Linux. I'm not using containers.

[artemgordash]

I added this line in .npmrc file and it works like charm!

package-import-method=clone-or-copy

with this works, thank you

[danielrotaermel]

Same issue on multiple windows machines (no docker involved). Tried pnpm 8.8.0 8.7.0 8.10.0 (installed via npm i -g pnpm). Always getting an ERR_PNPM_LINKING_FAILED Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename <some random package>

[danielrotaermel]

It seems like running Antivirus software could be the culprit npm/npm#10826 npm/npm#14027

Unfortunately this does not fix it npm/npm#10826 (comment)

[ickers]

FWIW, npm/npm#10826 (comment) was the clue that got me past this after much thrashing @danielrotaermel (again, windows and no docker) - closed VS Code and suddenly everything worked like a charm.

[danielrotaermel]

Found a way around the file locking by the anti virus software. Rerunning pnpm
install until antivirus is done checking the files. Note: after some experimentation that I found that hoisting via copy does not work -> symlinks work.

Maybe there is a way to increase the timeout for retries or at least log whats causing the file lock or something?

[darkbasic]

package-import-method=clone-or-copy

That doesn't work on Linux + zfs (no containers).
No other application is using the project folder.

[jdnavarro]

There is copy-clone bug in ZFS that may be related.

In my case, setting package-import-method=hardlink fixes the issue.

[mtymek]

I encountered the same issue today, and cleaning node_modules or pnpm prune did not help.
Switching the "file sharing implementation" (in Docker settings) from VirtioFS to gRPC FUSE has resolved it.

[rflihxyz]

Hey, I had the same issue and managed to get this fixed in my repo

https://github.com/panoratech/Panora

The solution was to add a line "node-linker=hoisted" to the .npmrc file

read more here: https://pnpm.io/npmrc#node-linker

Edit: the fix is not working for everyone

[gyunseo]

package-import-method=clone-or-copy

@dotoleeoak thanks! that workaround works!!!

[rocketjsquirrel]

Edit: the fix is not working for everyone

It worked for me on my intel mac, but not my co-worker with an apple processor based mac.
I added both entries:

package-import-method=clone-or-copy
node-linker=hoisted 

and it works for both of us.

[cristian-cll]

I too tried to switch from VirtioFS to gRPC FUSE and was able to run the command without problems. But I noticed that it lowered the I/O efficiency of the containers.
However, when I put in the .npmrc

package-import-method=clone-or-copy

All correct and with VirtioFS.
Thanks!