yarnpkg/yarn · error · MessageError

publishPrivate

Error message

publishPrivate

What it means

publish.js:146-147 reads the root manifest and, if `pkg.private` is truthy, throws publishPrivate. The `private` flag exists precisely to prevent accidental publication of internal packages.

Source

Thrown at src/cli/commands/publish.js:147

  if (args.length > 1) {
    throw new MessageError(reporter.lang('tooManyArguments', 1));
  }
  if (!await fs.exists(dir)) {
    throw new MessageError(reporter.lang('unknownFolderOrTarball'));
  }

  const stat = await fs.lstat(dir);
  let publishPath = dir;
  if (stat.isDirectory()) {
    config.cwd = path.resolve(dir);
    publishPath = config.cwd;
  }

  // validate package fields that are required for publishing
  // $FlowFixMe
  const pkg = await config.readRootManifest();
  if (pkg.private) {
    throw new MessageError(reporter.lang('publishPrivate'));
  }
  if (!pkg.name) {
    throw new MessageError(reporter.lang('noName'));
  }

  let registry: string = '';

  if (pkg && pkg.publishConfig && pkg.publishConfig.registry) {
    registry = pkg.publishConfig.registry;
  }

  reporter.step(1, 4, reporter.lang('bumpingVersion'));
  const commitVersion = await setVersion(config, reporter, flags, [], false);

  //
  reporter.step(2, 4, reporter.lang('loggingIn'));
  const revoke = await getToken(config, reporter, pkg.name, flags, registry);

View on GitHub (pinned to c2dda503f3)

Solutions

1. If publication is genuinely intended, remove `"private": true` (or set it false) from package.json.
2. If the package should stay private, this error is correct—do not publish; abort the workflow.
3. For monorepo setups, publish from the specific workspace package that is NOT marked private, not the private root.

Example fix

// before — package.json
{
  "name": "myapp",
  "private": true
}
// after (only if you truly intend to publish)
{
  "name": "mylib",
  "private": false
}

const pkg = require('./package.json');
if (pkg.private) {
  throw new Error('Refusing to publish: package.json has "private: true".');
}

function isPublishable(pkg) {
  return typeof pkg === 'object' && pkg !== null && !pkg.private;
}

try {
  await runYarn(['publish']);
} catch (e) {
  if (/publishPrivate/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error('Package is marked private; remove the flag only if publication is intended.');
    return;
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `yarn publish` on a package.json that contains `"private": true` (common for apps, monorepo roots, and internal libraries that must never be published).

Common situations: Trying to publish an application/private lib; monorepo root marked private; copy-pasted package.json that retained `private: true` from a template.

Related errors

• invalidAccess
• Don't know how to handle this file type
• publishFail
• tooManyArguments
• unknownFolderOrTarball

AI-assisted analysis of yarnpkg/yarn@c2dda503f3 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9527bfd872c969e5. Report an issue: GitHub.