diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-internal-personas.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-internal-personas.yml
index 33b7d028..8b007c9b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-internal-personas.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-internal-personas.yml
@@ -164,12 +164,15 @@ jobs:
             echo "::group::Preparing $NAME ($DIR)"
 
             pushd "$DIR" >/dev/null
+            # --workspaces-update=false keeps `npm version` from reifying the root
+            # lockfile, which fails on pnpm's workspace:* protocol if an npm
+            # `workspaces` field ever appears in the root package.json.
             if [ "$INPUT_VERSION" = "none" ]; then
               :
             elif [[ "$INPUT_VERSION" == pre* ]]; then
-              npm version "$INPUT_VERSION" --no-git-tag-version --preid="$INPUT_PREID"
+              npm version "$INPUT_VERSION" --no-git-tag-version --preid="$INPUT_PREID" --workspaces-update=false
             else
-              npm version "$INPUT_VERSION" --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version
+              npm version "$INPUT_VERSION" --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version --workspaces-update=false
             fi
             VERSION=$(node -p 'require("./package.json").version')
             popd >/dev/null
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-persona.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-persona.yml
index 3c1c4d7e..643d5e98 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-persona.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-persona.yml
@@ -98,14 +98,17 @@ jobs:
           BUMP='${{ github.event.inputs.version }}'
           PREID='${{ github.event.inputs.prerelease_id }}'
 
+          # --workspaces-update=false keeps `npm version` from reifying the root
+          # lockfile, which fails on pnpm's workspace:* protocol if an npm
+          # `workspaces` field ever appears in the root package.json.
           if [ -n "$CUSTOM" ]; then
-            npm version "$CUSTOM" --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version
+            npm version "$CUSTOM" --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version --workspaces-update=false
           elif [ "$BUMP" = "none" ]; then
             : # keep existing version
           elif [[ "$BUMP" == pre* ]]; then
-            npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version --preid="$PREID"
+            npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version --preid="$PREID" --workspaces-update=false
           else
-            npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version
+            npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version --workspaces-update=false
           fi
 
           VERSION=$(node -p 'require("./package.json").version')
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
index c7d3521e..0dfe3367 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -171,7 +171,10 @@ jobs:
           }
 
           for (const e of heals) {
-            execSync(`npm version ${baseline} --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version`, {
+            // --workspaces-update=false: with any npm `workspaces` config in scope,
+            // `npm version` otherwise tries to reify the root lockfile and dies on
+            // pnpm's workspace:* protocol (EUNSUPPORTEDPROTOCOL).
+            execSync(`npm version ${baseline} --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version --workspaces-update=false`, {
               cwd: `packages/${e.pkg}`,
               stdio: 'inherit',
             });
@@ -196,14 +199,17 @@ jobs:
           PREID='${{ github.event.inputs.prerelease_id }}'
           for pkg in ${{ steps.targets.outputs.packages }}; do
             pushd "packages/$pkg" > /dev/null
+            # --workspaces-update=false keeps `npm version` from reifying the root
+            # lockfile, which fails on pnpm's workspace:* protocol if an npm
+            # `workspaces` field ever appears in the root package.json.
             if [ -n "$CUSTOM" ]; then
-              npm version "$CUSTOM" --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version
+              npm version "$CUSTOM" --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version --workspaces-update=false
             elif [ "$BUMP" = "none" ]; then
               : # keep existing version (useful for first publish or re-publish)
             elif [[ "$BUMP" == pre* ]]; then
-              npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version --preid="$PREID"
+              npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version --preid="$PREID" --workspaces-update=false
             else
-              npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version
+              npm version "$BUMP" --no-git-tag-version --workspaces-update=false
             fi
             NEW=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
             VERSIONS+=" $pkg:$NEW"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e5ad6c85..7d087d61 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@
   "private": true,
   "version": "0.1.0",
   "packageManager": "pnpm@10.17.1",
-  "workspaces": [
-    "packages/*"
-  ],
   "devDependencies": {
     "@types/node": "^22.18.0",
     "agent-trajectories": "^0.5.3",