Summary & Key Takeaways ​

• When self-updating from pnpm v10's @pnpm/exe to v11+ on Intel macOS, pnpm self-update now transparently switches to the JS-only pnpm package from npm.
• This change prevents users from being left with a non-working pnpm binary on Intel Macs due to an upstream Node.js SEA bug.
• A warning is printed when this swap occurs, noting that the new install requires Node.js to be available on PATH.
• pnpm self-update (without a version argument) will no longer downgrade pnpm if the registry's latest dist-tag points to an older release than the currently active version.

Our Commentary ​

It's good to see pnpm addressing the Intel Mac issue across both its current and previous major versions. This specific v10 patch focuses on a smoother transition for existing users, which is a thoughtful touch. While not a groundbreaking feature, it highlights a commitment to user experience, especially when dealing with platform-specific quirks and upstream dependencies.