What causes ""{_0}" not found in the workspace" in pnpm/pnpm?

List the actual workspace package names (read each package.json name, or `pnpm -r list --depth -1`) and rerun with the exact name.

pnpm/pnpm · error · UpdateError::WorkspacePackageNotFound

ERR_PNPM_WORKSPACE_PACKAGE_NOT_FOUND

ERR_PNPM_WORKSPACE_PACKAGE_NOT_FOUND

Error message

"{_0}" not found in the workspace

What it means

Raised when `pnpm update --workspace <name>` names a selector that no workspace project publishes. The update command matches the selector against workspace projects; a miss yields ERR_PNPM_WORKSPACE_PACKAGE_NOT_FOUND with the offending selector string.

Source

Thrown at pnpm/crates/package-manager/src/update.rs:170

/// Error type of [`Update`].
#[derive(Debug, Display, Error, Diagnostic)]
pub enum UpdateError {
    /// `--latest` was combined with a versioned selector (`foo@2`).
    #[display("Specs are not allowed to be used with --latest ({_0})")]
    #[diagnostic(code(ERR_PNPM_LATEST_WITH_SPEC))]
    LatestWithSpec(#[error(not(source))] String),

    /// Package selectors were given with `--depth 0` but none matched a
    /// direct dependency.
    #[display("None of the specified packages were found in the dependencies.")]
    #[diagnostic(code(ERR_PNPM_NO_PACKAGE_IN_DEPENDENCIES))]
    NoPackageInDependencies,

    /// A `--workspace` selector named a dependency that no workspace
    /// project publishes.
    #[display(r#""{_0}" not found in the workspace"#)]
    #[diagnostic(code(ERR_PNPM_WORKSPACE_PACKAGE_NOT_FOUND))]
    WorkspacePackageNotFound(#[error(not(source))] String),

    /// A resolver failed while computing the specifier `--latest` should
    /// write for a direct dependency.
    #[display("Failed to resolve the latest version of {name}: {error}")]
    #[diagnostic(code(ERR_PNPM_PACKAGE_MANAGER_UPDATE_RESOLVE_LATEST))]
    ResolveLatest {
        name: String,
        #[error(source)]
        error: pnpm_resolving_resolver_base::ResolveError,
    },

    /// A `named-registries` alias is misconfigured.
    #[diagnostic(transparent)]
    InvalidNamedRegistry(#[error(source)] pnpm_resolving_npm_resolver::MergeNamedRegistriesError),

    /// `minimumReleaseAgeExclude` contained an invalid rule.
    #[display("Invalid value in minimumReleaseAgeExclude: {_0}")]
    #[diagnostic(code(ERR_PNPM_INVALID_MINIMUM_RELEASE_AGE_EXCLUDE))]

View on GitHub (pinned to 6261b7f388)

Solutions

List the actual workspace package names (read each package.json name, or `pnpm -r list --depth -1`) and rerun with the exact name.
Run the command from the workspace root so all projects are discovered.
Fix the packages globs in pnpm-workspace.yaml so the intended project is part of the workspace.

Example fix

# before: directory name, not package name
pnpm update --workspace utils-lib
# after: exact package.json name
pnpm update --workspace @acme/utils

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# collect real workspace names before invoking update --workspace
pnpm -r list --depth -1 --json | jq -r '.[].name' > /tmp/ws-names.txt
grep -Fx "$SEL" /tmp/ws-names.txt || { echo "not a workspace package: $SEL"; exit 1; }
pnpm update --workspace "$SEL"

Prevention

Reference workspace packages by their package.json name, never by directory name.
Keep pnpm-workspace.yaml globs in sync when adding or moving projects.
Run workspace-wide commands from the workspace root.

When it happens

Trigger: Run `pnpm update --workspace foo` where no workspace package is named foo: the name is typo'd, the intended project is not matched by the packages globs in pnpm-workspace.yaml, or the command runs in a standalone project with no workspace at all.

Common situations: Using a directory name instead of the package.json name; a newly added or moved project not covered by the workspace globs; running from a subfolder while assuming workspace-wide discovery; stale shells after a package rename.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of pnpm/pnpm@6261b7f388 (2026-08-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c00ef4dcf1adb17a. Report an issue: GitHub.