package.json

meow treats package.json as the authority for dependencies, scripts, and project metadata. It’s a standard npm manifest — meow reads the fields below and only ever writes the dependency sections, on explicit add / remove / install <pkg> actions. Your scripts and metadata are never rewritten.

Fields meow reads

package.json

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "type": "module",
  "dependencies": {
    "zod": "^3.23.0"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "typescript": "^5.8.0"
  },
  "peerDependencies": {
    "react": "^19.0.0"
  },
  "overrides": {
    "vite": "^7"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "meow run main.ts",
    "build": "meow run build.ts"
  },
  "workspaces": ["apps/*", "packages/*"]
}

Field	How meow uses it
`dependencies` / `devDependencies`	The direct dependencies meow resolves and installs.
`peerDependencies`	Read for resolution context.
`overrides`	Force a specific version for a (possibly transitive) package during resolve.
`scripts`	Runnable via `meow run <name>` / `meow dev` / `meow task`, with `pre`/`post` hooks.
`workspaces`	Monorepo package globs — either `["apps/*"]` or `{ "packages": [...], "nohoist": [...] }`.
`name` / `version`	Project metadata.

type: "module" is recommended (and what meow init writes). meow runs ESM natively; CommonJS interop still works in node-compat mode.

Dependency specifiers

The version strings follow npm semantics — see the full table in version specifiers. In short:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "exact": "1.2.3",                       // exactly 1.2.3
    "caret": "^1.2.3",                      // >=1.2.3 <2.0.0
    "partial": "1.2",                       // >=1.2.0 <1.3.0
    "tag": "latest",                        // a dist-tag
    "aliased": "npm:@scope/real-pkg@^2"     // install another package under this name
  }
}

How meow edits it

meow add zod              # inserts/updates "zod" in dependencies
meow add -D vitest        # inserts/updates "vitest" in devDependencies
meow remove zod           # removes "zod" (by name — no version)

After editing the manifest, meow runs a normal install so meow.lock.jsonl stays in sync.

If the same package appears in both dependencies and devDependencies with different specifiers, meow reports a conflict rather than silently picking one:

dependency react is declared in both dependencies and devDependencies
with different specifiers (^18.0.0 vs ^19.0.0)

Keep a package in one section, or make the specifiers match.

Compatibility marker

Some framework detectors look for a package-lock.json. meow can write a minimal marker (flagged meowCompatibilityLockfile) without ceding authority — your meow.lock.jsonl stays the source of truth:

meow install --compat-lockfile

The lockfile

How package.json resolves into meow.lock.jsonl.

Get started

Core concepts

Runtime

Package manager

Toolchain

Observability

Configuration

package.json

Fields meow reads

Dependency specifiers

How meow edits it

Compatibility marker

The lockfile

​Fields meow reads

​Dependency specifiers

​How meow edits it

​Compatibility marker

The lockfile

Fields meow reads

Dependency specifiers

How meow edits it

Compatibility marker