rush why

rush why <package> [flags]

Shows every dependency chain that caused a package to be installed — useful for debugging unexpected packages, resolving version conflicts, or understanding your dependency tree.

Flags

Flag	Default	Description
`--depth <n>`	all	Max levels to trace back toward the root
`--verbose`	`false`	Show detailed dependency chain information

Examples

Show all dependency paths to lodash:

rush why lodash

Show why @types/node is installed:

rush why @types/node

Show only immediate dependents (2 levels up):

rush why axios --depth 2

Output

[email protected]
  my-app (dependency)
  └── [email protected] (dependency)
      └── my-app (dependency)

If a package is pulled in via multiple paths, each path is listed as a separate section.

Dependency type labels

Label	Meaning
`(dependency)`	Listed in `dependencies`
`(dev)`	Listed in `devDependencies`
`(optional)`	Listed in `optionalDependencies`
`peer` badge	Listed in `peerDependencies`
`[deduped]`	Already counted in another path