Background

In Node.js >= 24, certain older versions of yargs (used transitively across packages in the monorepo) cause runtime failures related to ES module scope and require resolution. To temporarily prevent ESM-scope/require-compat crashes in Node 24+ environments during CI test runs and installations, we introduced a hook in .pnpmfile.cjs (via #8460) that dynamically mutates any direct or indirect dependency on yargs to version 18.0.0 when the Node.js version is >= 24.

Why this was needed

• Some of our older package dependencies/tools pulled in outdated versions of yargs (such as yargs@16 or yargs@17).
• Node.js >= 24 implements stricter constraints and changed behaviors regarding ESM resolution and require(esm) integration, triggering loader/scope compatibility failures with these older yargs releases.
• Setting a global pnpm-file override was a safe, non-intrusive stopgap to stabilize the CI pipeline on newer Node.js versions without requiring a simultaneous, repo-wide upgrade of all individual packages.

Impact of the PNPM Workspace PR (#8973)

In our upcoming transition to a PNPM workspace (currently in progress in PR #8973):

• The programmatic .pnpmfile.cjs is deleted entirely.
• Instead of using a custom JS script to mutate dependencies during installation, the monorepo leverages PNPM's native, declarative overrides feature in the root package.json ("pnpm": { "overrides": { "yargs": "^17.7.2" } }).
• This means that once the PNPM workspace PR is merged, the code reviewer's commented line in .pnpmfile.cjs will be automatically cleaned up.
• However, the global override mechanism itself will still exist in the root package.json "pnpm.overrides" field.

When & How to Fix

To completely remove the global override from the root package.json:

1. Identify all packages/tools in the repository that still depend on versions of yargs older than 17.7.2 / 18.0.0.
2. Upgrade yargs to a consistent, modern version (e.g. ^18.0.0 or newer) across all sub-projects and tools.
3. Remove the "yargs" entry from "pnpm.overrides" in the root package.json.