diff --git a/.changeset/sweet-moose-raise.md b/.changeset/sweet-moose-raise.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..614802bd2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/sweet-moose-raise.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"sv": patch
+---
+
+fix: install `@better-auth/cli` as a dev dependency
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 833531cd5..9eed6f024 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Linux users, you will have to ensure 'sudo' is not required. See [docker post in
 ```sh
 git clone https://github.com/sveltejs/cli.git
 cd cli
-pnpm install
+pnpm i
 ```
 
 ## Build and run
diff --git a/documentation/docs/10-introduction/10-overview.md b/documentation/docs/10-introduction/10-overview.md
index 564bcf969..67a4316db 100644
--- a/documentation/docs/10-introduction/10-overview.md
+++ b/documentation/docs/10-introduction/10-overview.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ The command line interface (CLI), `sv`, is a toolkit for creating and maintainin
 
 ## Usage
 
-The easiest way to run `sv` is with [`npx`](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v8/commands/npx) (or the equivalent command if you're using a different package manager — for example, `pnpx` if you're using [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/)):
+The easiest way to run `sv` is with [`npx`](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v8/commands/npx) (or the equivalent command if you're using a different package manager — for example, `pnpm dlx` if you're using [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/)):
 
 ```sh
 npx sv <command> <args>
diff --git a/documentation/docs/10-introduction/20-faq.md b/documentation/docs/10-introduction/20-faq.md
index e3aaa7f78..275d23488 100644
--- a/documentation/docs/10-introduction/20-faq.md
+++ b/documentation/docs/10-introduction/20-faq.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ title: Frequently asked questions
 Running `sv` looks slightly different for each package manager. Here is a list of the most common commands:
 
 - **npm** : `npx sv create`
-- **pnpm** : `pnpx sv create` or `pnpm dlx sv create`
+- **pnpm** : `pnpm dlx sv create`
 - **Bun** : `bunx sv create`
 - **Deno** : `deno run npm:sv create`
 - **Yarn** : `yarn dlx sv create`
diff --git a/packages/sv/src/addons/better-auth.ts b/packages/sv/src/addons/better-auth.ts
index cd55b0277..1670c4d37 100644
--- a/packages/sv/src/addons/better-auth.ts
+++ b/packages/sv/src/addons/better-auth.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ export default defineAddon({
 		let drizzleDialect: Dialect;
 
 		sv.devDependency('better-auth', '^1.4.18');
+		sv.devDependency('@better-auth/cli', '^1.4.18');
 
 		sv.file(`drizzle.config.${language}`, (content) => {
 			const { ast, generateCode } = parse.script(content);
@@ -134,7 +135,7 @@ export default defineAddon({
 			json.packageScriptsUpsert(
 				data,
 				'auth:schema',
-				`npx @better-auth/cli generate --config ${authConfigPath} --output ${authSchemaPath} --yes`
+				`better-auth generate --config ${authConfigPath} --output ${authSchemaPath} --yes`
 			);
 			return generateCode();
 		});
diff --git a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/cli.ts b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/cli.ts
index 4b8564853..61fa5e05c 100644
--- a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/cli.ts
@@ -108,6 +108,11 @@ describe('cli', () => {
 				generated = generated.replaceAll('\r\n', '\n'); // make it work on Windows too
 				if (!generated.endsWith('\n')) generated += '\n'; // ensure trailing newline
 
+				// Normalize sv version in README.md to avoid snapshot drift
+				if (relativeFile === 'README.md') {
+					generated = generated.replace(/sv@\d+\.\d+\.\d+/g, 'sv@0.0.0');
+				}
+
 				await expect(generated).toMatchFileSnapshot(
 					path.resolve(snapPath, relativeFile),
 					`file "${relativeFile}" does not match snapshot`
diff --git a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-only/README.md b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-only/README.md
index 2709fe8ef..7844bbfc6 100644
--- a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-only/README.md
+++ b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-only/README.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ To recreate this project with the same configuration:
 
 ```sh
 # recreate this project
-npx sv create --template minimal --types ts --no-install packages/sv/.test-output/cli/create-only
+npx sv@0.0.0 create --template minimal --types ts --no-install packages/sv/.test-output/cli/create-only
 ```
 
 ## Developing
diff --git a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/README.md b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/README.md
index 639b5c0c7..c65e1b6f7 100644
--- a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/README.md
+++ b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/README.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ To recreate this project with the same configuration:
 
 ```sh
 # recreate this project
-npx sv create --template minimal --types ts --add prettier eslint vitest="usages:unit,component" playwright tailwindcss="plugins:typography,forms" sveltekit-adapter="adapter:node" devtools-json drizzle="database:sqlite+sqlite:libsql" better-auth="demo:password,github" mdsvex paraglide="languageTags:en,es+demo:yes" mcp="ide:claude-code,cursor,gemini,opencode,vscode,other+setup:local" --no-install packages/sv/.test-output/cli/create-with-all-addons
+npx sv@0.0.0 create --template minimal --types ts --add prettier eslint vitest="usages:unit,component" playwright tailwindcss="plugins:typography,forms" sveltekit-adapter="adapter:node" devtools-json drizzle="database:sqlite+sqlite:libsql" better-auth="demo:password,github" mdsvex paraglide="languageTags:en,es+demo:yes" mcp="ide:claude-code,cursor,gemini,opencode,vscode,other+setup:local" --no-install packages/sv/.test-output/cli/create-with-all-addons
 ```
 
 ## Developing
diff --git a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/package.json b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/package.json
index 27d02f979..5cd80f37d 100644
--- a/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/package.json
+++ b/packages/sv/src/cli/tests/snapshots/create-with-all-addons/package.json
@@ -19,9 +19,10 @@
 		"db:generate": "drizzle-kit generate",
 		"db:migrate": "drizzle-kit migrate",
 		"db:studio": "drizzle-kit studio",
-		"auth:schema": "npx @better-auth/cli generate --config src/lib/server/auth.ts --output src/lib/server/db/auth.schema.ts --yes"
+		"auth:schema": "better-auth generate --config src/lib/server/auth.ts --output src/lib/server/db/auth.schema.ts --yes"
 	},
 	"devDependencies": {
+		"@better-auth/cli": "^1.4.18",
 		"@eslint/compat": "^2.0.2",
 		"@eslint/js": "^9.39.2",
 		"@inlang/paraglide-js": "^2.10.0",
diff --git a/packages/sv/src/core/common.ts b/packages/sv/src/core/common.ts
index aea103306..036557986 100644
--- a/packages/sv/src/core/common.ts
+++ b/packages/sv/src/core/common.ts
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ export function buildAndLogArgs(
 	args: string[],
 	lastArgs: string[] = []
 ): string {
-	const allArgs = ['sv', command, ...args];
+	const allArgs = [`sv@${pkg.version}`, command, ...args];
 
 	// Handle install option
 	if (agent === null || agent === undefined) allArgs.push('--no-install');