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7/7/2026

Scarab Diagnostic Field Test #038 - pnpm GitHub Actions Setup State Boundary
Short summary
A field test report from Scarab Systems diagnosing a pnpm setup-state persistence bug in GitHub Actions where PNPM_HOME was not carried across step boundaries. The fix was narrow: write PNPM_HOME and bin path to GITHUB_ENV and GITHUB_PATH files when present, implemented in both TypeScript and Rust code paths. The broader lesson is that code agents should identify the correct boundary of a failure before expanding scope, avoiding unnecessary redesigns.
- •pnpm setup failed to persist PNPM_HOME across GitHub Actions steps, causing ERR_PNPM_NO_GLOBAL_BIN_DIR
- •Fix writes setup state to GITHUB_ENV and GITHUB_PATH files instead of relying on shell profile persistence
- •Scarab's diagnostic philosophy: find the failing boundary first, then patch minimally rather than chasing error strings
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