[rush] Support per-subspace pnpmVersion override in subspace-level pnpm-config.json

Start with Subspace.ts, pnpm-config.schema.json, and PnpmOptionsConfiguration.ts to trace configuration and fallback behavior. Then follow the listed entry points in BaseInstallManager.ts, WorkspaceInstallManager.ts, InstallHelpers.ts, RushPnpmCommandLineParser.ts, and PublishAction.ts; done means each subspace can resolve its version while global-version behavior remains unchanged.

Summary

I'm working on many large Rush monorepos that uses the subspaces feature. Different subspaces have different needs for pnpm versions due to:

1. Legacy subspaces that need to stay on older pnpm versions for stability
2. New subspaces that want to adopt newer pnpm features (e.g., pnpm 11.x catalogs, improved worktree dependency handling)
3. Gradual migration strategies where we can't upgrade all subspaces at once

Currently, rush.json has a single pnpmVersion that applies globally to the entire repository. When the subspaces feature is enabled, each subspace already has its own pnpm-config.json (for things like useWorkspaces, strictPeerDependencies, etc.), but there is no way to specify a different pnpmVersion per subspace.

This forces us to either:

• Upgrade all subspaces simultaneously (risky for large repos)
• Stay on an older global pnpm version and miss new features
• Maintain separate Rush repositories (defeating the purpose of a unified monorepo)

I would like to propose that when subspaces are enabled, each subspace's pnpm-config.json should be able to optionally override the global pnpmVersion from rush.json. If not specified, it should fall back to the global version.

Details

Proposed Design

We have done an analysis of the impact and prepared a detailed implementation plan. The key points are:

1. Configuration Extension

Add an optional pnpmVersion field to pnpm-config.json (the subspace-level config file, not the global one):

// common/config/subspaces/legacy/pnpm-config.json
{
  "pnpmVersion": "8.8.0",
  "useWorkspaces": true
}

// common/config/subspaces/modern/pnpm-config.json
{
  "pnpmVersion": "11.0.0",
  "useWorkspaces": true
}

If omitted, it falls back to the global pnpmVersion from rush.json — preserving full backward compatibility.

2. Subspace-Level Resolution

Add a getPnpmVersion() method to the Subspace class that implements the priority:

public getPnpmVersion(): string {
  // 1. Subspace pnpm-config.json (if pnpmVersion is specified)
  // 2. Fallback to rush.json global pnpmVersion
}

3. pnpm-local Installation Path Isolation

Currently, InstallHelpers.ensureLocalPackageManagerAsync() installs pnpm to ~/.rush/pnpm-<version> and creates a junction at common/temp/pnpm-local.
Assume that the version of pnpm configured in rush.json is 8.8.0, whereas a subspace is configured with version 9.15.0.

We need to version-isolate the junction:

# Current:
common/temp/pnpm-local/ -> ~/.rush/pnpm-8.8.0

# Proposed:
common/temp/pnpm-local/8.8.0/ -> ~/.rush/pnpm-8.8.0
common/temp/pnpm-local/9.15.0/ -> ~/.rush/pnpm-9.15.0
common/temp/pnpm-local/ -> ~/.rush/pnpm-8.8.0

Same version across different subspaces shares the same junction.

4. Install Manager Adaptation

The following modules need to use subspace.getPnpmVersion() instead of rushConfiguration.packageManagerToolVersion:

• BaseInstallManager.pushConfigurationArgs — pnpm version condition logic
• WorkspaceInstallManager — use subspace pnpm version packageManagerFilename path, replace rushConfigurationJson.pnpmVersion with subspace.getPnpmVersion()
• RushPnpmCommandLineParser — version compatibility checks (patch >=7.4.0, patch-remove >=8.5.0, approve-builds >=10.1.0, etc.) and the binary execution path when run rush-pnpm
• InstallHelper.ensureLocalPackageManagerAsync() — ensureLocalPackageManagerAsync() to accept an optional version parameter
• PublishAction._npmPublishAsync() — use the subspace pnpm junction first, falling back to the global one

5. Backward Compatibility

• No subspaces enabled: Behavior is identical to today. rushConfiguration.packageManagerToolVersion and packageManagerToolFilename remain unchanged.
• Subspaces enabled but no pnpmVersion in subspace config: Falls back to global rush.json value.
• External plugins: They can continue using rushConfiguration.packageManagerToolVersion as the global default.
• Autoinstallers: The can continue using rushConfiguration.packageManagerToolVersion as the global default.
• rush add: The pnpm view command can continue using rushConfiguration.packageManagerToolVersion as the global default.

6. Known Constraints (acceptable trade-offs)

• pnpm-sync cross-version inject dependencies: Not supported for the first iteration. We can add a validation that cross-subspace injected dependencies require the same pnpm version across involved subspaces.
• rush-pnpm CLI: Already supports --subspace, so it naturally maps to the correct version once the above changes are made.

Full Impact Analysis with AI

Have identified 10 categories, 30+ files/modules affected.

A quick summary of the most impactful files:

Category	Key Files	Nature of Change
Config	pnpm-config.schema.json, PnpmOptionsConfiguration.ts	Add pnpmVersion field
Data Model	Subspace.ts, RushConfiguration.ts	Add getPnpmVersion(), fallback logic
Install	InstallHelpers.ts	Version-parameterized ensureLocalPackageManagerAsync()
Install Manager	BaseInstallManager.ts	All version checks → subspace version
Install Manager	WorkspaceInstallManager.ts	packageManagerFilename → subspace path
CLI	RushPnpmCommandLineParser.ts	All version checks → _subspace.getPnpmVersion()
Utilities	PackageJsonUpdater.ts, SetupChecks.ts	Batch by subspace or global fallback
Plugins	rush-resolver-cache-plugin	Version check → subspace version

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Standard questions

Question	Answer
@microsoft/rush globally installed version?	5.172.1
rushVersion from rush.json?	5.172.1
pnpmVersion, npmVersion, or yarnVersion from rush.json?	[email protected]
(if pnpm) useWorkspaces from pnpm-config.json?	true
Operating system?	Mac
Would you consider contributing a PR?	Yes
Node.js version (node -v)?	22.21.0