Tools - Jolter

Jolter separates runtimes from tools. Built-in tools such as npm, pnpm, and Yarn run through the selected Node.js runtime. Plugin-provided tools are installed by Jolter plugins and can expose their own command shims.

Built-in managed tools

Tool	Registry package	Commands
npm	`npm`	`npm`, `npx`
pnpm	`pnpm`	`pnpm`
Yarn	`@yarnpkg/cli-dist`	`yarn`

Tool tarballs come from the npm registry and are verified with registry SHA-512 integrity metadata. Exact Corepack-style hashes add another check when provided.

Activate a tool globally

Managed tools require an active Node.js runtime:

jolter use node@lts
jolter use pnpm@10
jolter use yarn@4

Jolter validates the tool’s declared engines.node range before activation.

Pin tools in a project

jolter pin node@24
jolter pin pnpm@10
jolter pin yarn@4
jolter sync

Result:

jolter.json

{
  "$schema": "https://schemas.jolter.dev/project/v2/schema.json",
  "schemaVersion": 2,
  "runtime": {
    "node": "24"
  },
  "tools": {
    "pnpm": "10",
    "yarn": "4"
  }
}

If jolter.json#tools is non-empty, it wins over package.json#packageManager. Put every intended managed tool in tools.

npm bundled with Node.js

Official Node.js archives include bundled npm and npx. Jolter can route those bundled commands through the selected Node.js runtime when no managed npm override applies. Pin or activate a managed npm version when you need npm to move independently from Node.js:

jolter pin npm@11
jolter sync

Plugin-provided tools

Plugins can provide tools such as eslint, prettier, or organization-specific commands.

jolter plugin install eslint
jolter use eslint@8

Schema v2 connects the tool and provider:

jolter.json

{
  "$schema": "https://schemas.jolter.dev/project/v2/schema.json",
  "schemaVersion": 2,
  "runtime": {
    "node": "24"
  },
  "tools": {
    "eslint": "8"
  },
  "plugins": {
    "@eslint/eslint": "1"
  }
}

Built-in tools do not require plugin declarations.

Diagnose tool issues

jolter doctor
jolter list

Common fixes:

Symptom	Fix
Tool requires Node.js	Pin or activate `node@...` first
Tool and Node.js are incompatible	Choose a compatible Node.js or tool line
Shim cannot find a project tool	Run `jolter sync`
Multiple plugins provide the same tool	Declare the provider in `jolter.json#plugins`

​Built-in managed tools

​Activate a tool globally

​Pin tools in a project

​npm bundled with Node.js

​Plugin-provided tools

​Diagnose tool issues