Package Manager Detection

Quick Start: Sequant automatically detects your project’s package manager (npm, Bun, Yarn, or pnpm) from lockfiles and uses the correct commands throughout the workflow. No configuration required.

How It Works

During sequant init, the package manager is detected from your lockfile:

Lockfile	Detected PM
bun.lockb / bun.lock	Bun
yarn.lock	Yarn
pnpm-lock.yaml	pnpm
package-lock.json	npm
No lockfile	npm (default)

The detected package manager is stored in .sequant-manifest.json and used for all subsequent commands.

Usage

Automatic Detection

Simply run init - detection happens automatically:

sequant init

Output shows the detected package manager:

📋 Stack: nextjs
📦 Package Manager: bun

Verification

Check your manifest to see the stored package manager:

cat .sequant-manifest.json | jq .packageManager

Command Mapping

Sequant uses the correct commands for each package manager:

Package Manager	Run Script	Execute Package	Install
npm	npm run <script>	npx <pkg>	npm install
Bun	bun run <script>	bunx <pkg>	bun install
Yarn	yarn <script>	yarn dlx <pkg>	yarn install
pnpm	pnpm run <script>	pnpm dlx <pkg>	pnpm install

Where Commands Are Used

• Worktree setup: When creating feature worktrees, Sequant runs the correct install command
• Post-update: After sequant update, dependencies are reinstalled with the correct PM
• Hook detection: Test and build failure detection in hooks works with all package managers

Priority Order

If multiple lockfiles exist (rare), Sequant uses this priority:

1. Bun (bun.lockb, bun.lock)
2. Yarn (yarn.lock)
3. pnpm (pnpm-lock.yaml)
4. npm (package-lock.json)

Common Workflows

Migrating to a Different Package Manager

If you switch package managers:

1. Delete old lockfile
2. Create new lockfile with your new PM
3. Re-run sequant init (or manually edit manifest)

# Example: Switch from npm to Bun
rm package-lock.json
bun install  # Creates bun.lockb
sequant init  # Re-detects as Bun

Manual Override

Edit .sequant-manifest.json directly if needed:

{
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "stack": "nextjs",
  "packageManager": "bun",
  "installedAt": "2026-01-09T00:00:00.000Z"
}

Troubleshooting

Wrong Package Manager Detected

Symptoms: Sequant uses npm commands but you use Bun/Yarn/pnpm

Solution:

1. Ensure your lockfile exists in the project root
2. Re-run sequant init to re-detect
3. Or manually edit .sequant-manifest.json

Missing packageManager in Manifest

Symptoms: Older projects don’t have packageManager field

Solution: This is normal for projects initialized before this feature. Sequant defaults to npm. To update:

# Re-initialize to detect package manager
sequant init

# Or manually add to manifest

Install Command Fails in Worktree

Symptoms: bun install or similar fails in feature worktree

Solution: Ensure your package manager is installed globally and in PATH:

# Verify PM is available
bun --version   # or yarn/pnpm

Supported Package Managers

Package Manager	Version	Notes
npm	Any	Default, always available with Node.js
Bun	1.0+	Fast JS runtime and package manager
Yarn	1.x, 2.x+	Classic and Berry versions
pnpm	7.0+	Efficient disk space usage

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Generated for Issue #6 on 2026-01-10