Preview npm packages from any PR

I recently launched pkg.vc to solve a problem that’s been a pain for years:

How do you test npm package changes from a PR or feature branch, without local builds or polluting the public registry with throwaway versions?

What is pkg.vc?

It’s a service that lets you:

• Build and share installable npm packages from any branch or PR
• Get a unique install URL for each commit, branch, or PR
• Integrate with GitHub Actions or use it locally
• Private packages

I was inspired by pkg.pr.new (which is great!), but I needed something that worked with private packages and works outside of GitHub Actions.

How it Works

1. Install the CLI:

npm install -g pkg.vc
# or just use npx
npx pkg.vc --organization my-org ./my-package

You’ll need an API key (see the docs for setup).

2. Publish a Preview

After publishing, you get a unique install URL:

npm install https://pkg.vc/-/@my-org/my-package@5541c6f

You can use this URL in any project to test the package - no need to publish to npm.

3. Automate with GitHub Actions

You can set up a workflow so every PR automatically publishes a preview package.

- uses: pkg-vc/publish-action@main
  with:
    organization: my-org
    directory: my-package
    secret: ${{ secrets.PKG_VC_SECRET }}
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Now, every PR gets a comment with an install link.

What’s Next?

I’m still iterating on this, and I’d love feedback.
If you’ve struggled with this workflow, or have ideas for improvement, let me know!

• Docs
• Discord