When you use local file: dependencies during development, npm creates symlinks (Linux/Mac) or junctions (Windows) in node_modules pointing back to the source directories. This is great for development — changes are reflected immediately — but these links break when you copy or deploy the project to another machine.

Solution

freezepak --freeze replaces every symlink/junction in node_modules with a real copy of the target directory. The project becomes fully self-contained and portable. It also adds a preinstall guard to package.json that blocks npm install from accidentally restoring the links and undoing the freeze.

freezepak --unfreeze removes the guard and runs npm install to restore normal linked dependencies.

Installation

npm install -g @bobfrankston/freezepak

CLI Usage

freezepak [path] --freeze      # Replace links with real copies
freezepak [path] --unfreeze    # Restore links via npm install
freezepak [path] --pack        # Freeze, pack to .tgz, then unfreeze
freezepak -v                   # Show version

The optional path argument specifies the project directory (defaults to the current directory).

Library Usage

freezepak can also be imported and used programmatically:

import { freezepak, freezeDependencies, unfreezeDependencies } from '@bobfrankston/freezepak';

// Freeze, create .tgz archive, then unfreeze — returns path to .tgz
const tgzPath: string = freezepak('/path/to/project');

// Freeze only (replace symlinks/junctions with real copies)
freezeDependencies('/path/to/project');

// Unfreeze only (remove guard, run npm install to restore links)
unfreezeDependencies('/path/to/project');

Idempotency

Both operations are idempotent — safe to run multiple times:

--freeze skips entries that are already real directories (not links). Running freeze twice on the same project just reports 0 frozen packages the second time. The preinstall guard is overwritten with the same value.
--unfreeze checks for the preinstall guard before acting. If there's no guard (already unfrozen), it reports "nothing to unfreeze" and exits without running npm install.

Reversibility

The dependencies field in package.json is never modified — your file: paths remain intact. This is what makes unfreeze possible: npm install reads those paths and recreates the links. The only package.json change is the preinstall guard in scripts, which unfreeze removes.

How it works

Freeze

Walks node_modules (including @scope/ directories)
For each entry, checks if it's a symlink or junction (comparing realpathSync to the entry path)
If linked: removes the link, copies the real target directory in its place via fs.cpSync
Saves any existing preinstall script as frozen-preinstall
Sets preinstall to a guard that blocks npm install with an error message

Unfreeze

Restores the original preinstall script (if one was saved as frozen-preinstall), or removes the guard entirely
Runs npm install which reads the preserved file: paths in dependencies and recreates proper symlinks/junctions