diff --git a/packages/create/src/cli.js b/packages/create/src/cli.js
index 77ca874..e438f0f 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/cli.js
+++ b/packages/create/src/cli.js
@@ -151,14 +151,34 @@ exports.run = async function run(options = {}) {
     result.on("download", () =>
       setLoadingMessage(spinner, "Downloading app...")
     );
-    result.on("install", () =>
-      setLoadingMessage(spinner, "Installing npm modules...")
+    result.on("install", installer => {
+      // Stop the spinner so the package manager's own output is readable.
+      clearTimeout(spinner.timeout);
+      spinner.stopAndPersist({
+        symbol: chalk.cyan("→"),
+        text: `Installing dependencies with ${installer}...\n`
+      });
+    });
+    result.on("install-error", (_err, installer) =>
+      spinner.warn(
+        `\`${installer} install\` did not finish cleanly. Your project was still ` +
+          `created — you may need to install dependencies manually.\n`
+      )
     );
-    result.on("init", () => setLoadingMessage(spinner, "Initializing repo..."));
-    const { projectPath, scripts: { start, dev } = {} } = await result;
+    result.on("init", () => {
+      spinner.start();
+      setLoadingMessage(spinner, "Initializing repo...");
+    });
+    const {
+      projectPath,
+      scripts: { start, dev } = {},
+      installer,
+      installed
+    } = await result;
     spinner.succeed(
       "Project created! To get started, run:\n\n" +
         chalk.cyan(`    cd ${path.relative(process.cwd(), projectPath)}\n`) +
+        (installed ? "" : chalk.cyan(`    ${installer} install\n`)) +
         (dev
           ? chalk.cyan("    npm run dev\n")
           : start
diff --git a/packages/create/src/exec.js b/packages/create/src/exec.js
index 0e1aa21..63b0965 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/exec.js
+++ b/packages/create/src/exec.js
@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@ const spawn = require("child_process").spawn;
 
 module.exports = function exec(cwd, bin, args) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    spawn(bin, args, {
+    // Pass a single command string rather than (bin, args) with `shell: true`.
+    // Passing an args array together with `shell: true` triggers Node's DEP0190
+    // deprecation warning. bin/args are always internally controlled here.
+    spawn([bin, ...args].join(" "), {
       cwd,
       shell: true,
-      stdio: "ignore",
+      stdio: "inherit",
       windowsHide: true
     })
       .once("error", reject)
diff --git a/packages/create/src/index.js b/packages/create/src/index.js
index 1a681df..21ff951 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/create/src/index.js
@@ -56,10 +56,10 @@ async function create(options = {}, emitter) {
 
   await downloadRepo(template, projectPath, options, emitter);
   const { scripts } = await rewritePackageJson(projectPath, name);
-  await installPackages(installer, projectPath, emitter);
+  const installed = await installPackages(installer, projectPath, emitter);
   await initGitRepo(projectPath, emitter);
 
-  return { projectPath, scripts };
+  return { projectPath, scripts, installer, installed };
 }
 
 exports.getExamples = async function () {
@@ -149,8 +149,17 @@ async function rewritePackageJson(fullPath, name) {
 }
 
 async function installPackages(installer, fullPath, emitter) {
-  emitter.emit("install");
-  await exec(fullPath, installer, ["install"]);
+  emitter.emit("install", installer);
+  try {
+    await exec(fullPath, installer, ["install"]);
+    return true;
+  } catch (err) {
+    // Don't fail the whole scaffold if dependency install exits non-zero.
+    // Some package managers (e.g. pnpm's ignored-build-scripts warning) exit
+    // non-zero even though the project is usable, so warn and keep going.
+    emitter.emit("install-error", err, installer);
+    return false;
+  }
 }
 
 function getExampleUrl(example, tag) {