PM-Auto (Package Manager Automation)

Install your entire project stack with one command.

PM-Auto is a CLI that lets you define reusable package presets (your usual tech stacks) and install them anywhere instantly. No more copy-pasting npm commands or forgetting dependencies.

If you regularly set up the same kind of projects, PM-Auto saves real time.

Why PM-Auto Exists (Plain English)

Most devs do this:

npm install react react-dom
npm install -D @types/react @types/react-dom
npm install vite @vitejs/plugin-react
npm install three @react-three/fiber gsap

Every. Single. Time.

PM-Auto lets you define that once in a config file, then reuse it forever:

pm-auto install vite

Done.

Core Concepts

PM-Auto is built around presets.

A preset is:

• A name (e.g. vite, next, threejs-react)
• A package manager (npm, pnpm, or yarn)
• A list of packages to be installed

You store presets in a JSON config file. PM-Auto reads that file and runs the commands for you.

Installation

npm install -g pm-auto
# or
pnpm add -g pm-auto
# or
yarn global add pm-auto

Verify:

pm-auto -V

Quick Start (Minimal Path)

1. Create a config file

Create config.json:

{
  "example": {
    "presetName": "example",
    "description": "A sample configuration demonstrating all options for PM-Auto",
    "packageManager": "bun",
    "packages": [
      {
        "command": "create-next-app",
        "interactive": true,
        "dev": false, //optional
        "version": "latest", //optional
        "flags": ["."] //optional
      },
    ]
  }
}

2. Register the config path

pm-auto config ./config.json

(⚠️ Always make sure to register the config path before using PM-Auto and anytime you make changes to the config path.)

3. Install a preset

pm-auto install example

PM-Auto executes each command using the specified package manager.

Commands Overview

pm-auto install

Install presets from your config.

pm-auto install [preset-name]

Common options:

• --dry-run → preview commands without running them
• --add-flags "<flags>" → append flags to non-interactive installs

Example:

pm-auto install example --dry-run

pm-auto uninstall

Uninstall packages defined in presets.

pm-auto uninstall example

Use --dry-run to preview.

pm-auto list

List all presets in your config.

pm-auto list

pm-auto describe

Show details about a specific preset.

pm-auto describe example

pm-auto config

Set or update the config file path.

pm-auto config ./relative/path/to/config.json

pm-auto config-path

Show the currently active config path.

pm-auto config-path

Configuration

PM-Auto uses a JSON config file to define presets.

When you run:

pm-auto config ./config.json

PM-Auto will automatically prepend an example preset to the file whether it’s empty or not. This is intentional — the example acts as inline documentation so you immediately see how presets are structured.

You are expected to edit or delete the example once you understand it.

Full Config Structure (All Options)

{
  "example": {
    "presetName": "example",
    "description": "A sample configuration demonstrating all options for PM-Auto",
    "packageManager": "bun",
    "packages": [
      {
        "command": "create-next-app",
        "interactive": true,
        "dev": false,
        "version": "latest",
        "flags": ["."]
      },
      {
        "command": "shadcn",
        "interactive": true,
        "dev": false,
        "version": "latest",
        "flags": ["init"]
      },
      {
        "command": "gsap",
        "interactive": false,
        "dev": false,
        "version": "3.11.4",
        "flags": ["--peer-deps"]
      },
      {
        "command": "@react-three/fiber",
        "interactive": false,
        "dev": false
      },
      {
        "command": "clsx",
        "interactive": false,
        "dev": false
      },
      {
        "command": "@types/three",
        "interactive": false,
        "dev": true
      }
    ]
  }
}

Config Fields Explained (Plain English)

Preset Level

• example → internal key (can be anything)
• presetName → name you pass to the CLI (pm-auto install example)
• description → shown in list and describe
• packageManager → npm, pnpm, yarn, or bun
• packages → ordered list of install commands

Package Level

Each entry in packages represents one install command.

• command → package or tool name
• interactive → true if the command prompts for input
• dev → install as dev dependency
• version → exact version ("3.11.4", "latest", or omitted)
• flags → extra CLI flags or arguments

PM-Auto builds the final command for you.

Example output:

npm install [email protected] -D

Real Examples

Three.js + React

{
  "threejs-react": {
    "name": "threejs-react",
    "description": "Three.js + React setup",
    "packageManager": "pnpm",
    "packages": [
      { "command": "three @react-three/fiber @react-three/drei", "interactive": false },
      { "command": "@types/three --save-dev", "interactive": false },
      { "command": "gsap leva", "interactive": false }
    ]
  }
}

Full‑Stack TypeScript

{
  "fullstack-ts": {
    "name": "fullstack-ts",
    "description": "Express + TypeScript backend",
    "packageManager": "npm",
    "packages": [
      { "command": "typescript ts-node --save-dev", "interactive": false },
      { "command": "@types/node --save-dev", "interactive": false },
      { "command": "express dotenv cors helmet", "interactive": false }
    ]
  }
}

Best Practices

• Group packages you always install together
• Keep preset names short (vite, next, api)

Common Issues

Nothing installs

• Check config path: pm-auto config-path
• Validate JSON formatting

Command hangs

• You forgot "interactive": true

Wrong package manager

• Double-check packageManager field

Requirements

• Node.js 14+
• npm, pnpm, yarn 2+, or bun

If you set up projects more than twice, it’s already worth it.