diff --git a/.changeset/smooth-singers-smell.md b/.changeset/smooth-singers-smell.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fa25230bba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/smooth-singers-smell.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"@pnpm/core": patch
+"@pnpm/plugin-commands-installation": patch
+"pnpm": patch
+---
+
+`onlyBuiltDependencies` should work.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/install/extendInstallOptions.ts b/packages/core/src/install/extendInstallOptions.ts
index c3b6af0bb8..af828a6735 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/install/extendInstallOptions.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/install/extendInstallOptions.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export interface StrictInstallOptions {
   rawConfig: object
   verifyStoreIntegrity: boolean
   engineStrict: boolean
-  neverBuiltDependencies: string[]
+  neverBuiltDependencies?: string[]
   onlyBuiltDependencies?: string[]
   nodeExecPath?: string
   nodeLinker?: 'isolated' | 'hoisted' | 'pnp'
@@ -133,7 +133,6 @@ const defaults = async (opts: InstallOptions) => {
     },
     lockfileDir: opts.lockfileDir ?? opts.dir ?? process.cwd(),
     lockfileOnly: false,
-    neverBuiltDependencies: [] as string[],
     nodeVersion: process.version,
     nodeLinker: 'isolated',
     overrides: {},
diff --git a/packages/plugin-commands-installation/src/getOptionsFromRootManifest.ts b/packages/plugin-commands-installation/src/getOptionsFromRootManifest.ts
index b1c2574513..24f7b38d99 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-commands-installation/src/getOptionsFromRootManifest.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-commands-installation/src/getOptionsFromRootManifest.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export default function getOptionsFromRootManifest (manifest: ProjectManifest):
   // but we really replace the version specs to any other version spec, not only to exact versions,
   // so we cannot call it resolutions
   const overrides = manifest.pnpm?.overrides ?? manifest.resolutions
-  const neverBuiltDependencies = manifest.pnpm?.neverBuiltDependencies ?? []
+  const neverBuiltDependencies = manifest.pnpm?.neverBuiltDependencies
   const onlyBuiltDependencies = manifest.pnpm?.onlyBuiltDependencies
   const packageExtensions = manifest.pnpm?.packageExtensions
   const peerDependencyRules = manifest.pnpm?.peerDependencyRules