diff --git a/packages/config/src/index.ts b/packages/config/src/index.ts
index 321aee9e7d..04dd73ffa3 100644
--- a/packages/config/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/config/src/index.ts
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ export default async (
   const npmConfig = loadNpmConf(cliArgs, types, {
     'bail': true,
     'globalconfig': npmDefaults.globalconfig,
+    'lock': true,
     'package-lock': npmDefaults['package-lock'],
     'prefix': npmDefaults.prefix,
     'registry': npmDefaults.registry,
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/install.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/install.ts
index 9fea33ce13..abe7316d83 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/install.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/install.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-import {install, installPkgs} from 'supi'
+import {StoreController} from 'package-store'
+import {
+  install,
+  InstallOptions,
+  installPkgs,
+} from 'supi'
 import createStoreController from '../createStoreController'
 import requireHooks from '../requireHooks'
 import {PnpmOptions} from '../types'
@@ -10,7 +15,10 @@ import {PnpmOptions} from '../types'
  */
 export default async function installCmd (
   input: string[],
-  opts: PnpmOptions,
+  opts: PnpmOptions & {
+    store?: string,
+    storeController?: StoreController,
+  },
 ) {
   // `pnpm install ""` is going to be just `pnpm install`
   input = input.filter(Boolean)
@@ -20,11 +28,17 @@ export default async function installCmd (
     opts.hooks = requireHooks(prefix, opts)
   }
 
-  const store = await createStoreController(opts)
-  const installOpts = Object.assign(opts, {
-    store: store.path,
-    storeController: store.ctrl,
-  })
+  const installOpts = (
+    opts.storeController && opts.store
+      ? opts
+      : await (async () => {
+          const store = await createStoreController(opts)
+          return Object.assign(opts, {
+            store: store.path,
+            storeController: store.ctrl,
+          })
+        })()
+  ) as InstallOptions
 
   if (!input || !input.length) {
     return install(installOpts)
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/link.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/link.ts
index 510a6b0eae..4d1900bd62 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/link.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/link.ts
@@ -54,10 +54,17 @@ export default async (
     globalPkgNames.forEach((pkgName) => pkgPaths.push(path.join(globalPkgPath, 'node_modules', pkgName)))
   }
 
+  // TODO: allow the linked packages to use different stores
   await Promise.all(
     pkgPaths.map((prefix) => installLimit(async () =>
-      await install([], await getConfigs({...opts.cliArgs, prefix}, {excludeReporter: true})),
+      await install([], {
+        ...await getConfigs({...opts.cliArgs, prefix}, {excludeReporter: true}),
+        store: linkOpts.store,
+        storeController: linkOpts.storeController,
+      }),
     )),
   )
   await link(pkgPaths, path.join(cwd, 'node_modules'), linkOpts)
+
+  await linkOpts.storeController.close()
 }
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/createStore.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/createStore.ts
index a35189c703..2496751e70 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/createStore.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/createStore.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import createFetcher from '@pnpm/default-fetcher'
 import createResolver from '@pnpm/default-resolver'
-import { StrictPnpmOptions } from '@pnpm/types'
 import LRU = require('lru-cache')
 import createStore from 'package-store'
 import path = require('path')
@@ -9,7 +8,7 @@ export default async (
   opts: {
     registry?: string,
     rawNpmConfig: object,
-    lock?: boolean,
+    lock: boolean,
     store: string,
     alwaysAuth?: boolean,
     strictSsl?: boolean,
@@ -31,6 +30,7 @@ export default async (
     packageImportMethod?: 'auto' | 'hardlink' | 'copy' | 'reflink',
   },
 ) => {
+  // TODO: either print a warning or just log if --no-lock is used
   const sopts = Object.assign(opts, {
     locks: opts.lock ? path.join(opts.store, '_locks') : undefined,
     registry: opts.registry || 'https://registry.npmjs.org/',
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/createStoreController.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/createStoreController.ts
index faa43bfc71..188080d941 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/createStoreController.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/createStoreController.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import logger from '@pnpm/logger'
 import {connectStoreController} from '@pnpm/server'
 import storePath from '@pnpm/store-path'
 import delay = require('delay')
-import loadJsonFile = require('load-json-file')
 import fs = require('mz/fs')
 import {StoreController} from 'package-store'
 import path = require('path')
@@ -30,7 +29,7 @@ export default async function (
     userAgent?: string,
     ignoreFile?: (filename: string) => boolean,
     offline?: boolean,
-    lock?: boolean,
+    lock: boolean,
     lockStaleDuration?: number,
     networkConcurrency?: number,
     store?: string,
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts
index c8b4657b7c..36f5df6133 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export interface PnpmOptions {
   networkConcurrency?: number,
   fetchingConcurrency?: number,
   lockStaleDuration?: number,
-  lock?: boolean,
+  lock: boolean,
   childConcurrency?: number,
   repeatInstallDepth?: number,
   ignorePnpmfile?: boolean,
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/test/link.ts b/packages/pnpm/test/link.ts
index 5adb49a7ff..16afefadc7 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/test/link.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/test/link.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import writePkg = require('write-pkg')
 import {
   pathToLocalPkg,
   prepare,
-  testDefaults,
   execPnpm,
  } from './utils'
 import fs = require('mz/fs')