diff --git a/lib/manager/npm/post-update/yarn.ts b/lib/manager/npm/post-update/yarn.ts
index 817afd3c8140b33cff1f3f003d474094941444a3..4b1939c836f930dfd2b883c31092678b75a862ff 100644
--- a/lib/manager/npm/post-update/yarn.ts
+++ b/lib/manager/npm/post-update/yarn.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ export async function generateLockFile(
   logger.debug(`Spawning yarn install to create ${cwd}/yarn.lock`);
   let lockFile = null;
   try {
-    let installYarn = 'npm i -g npm';
+    let installYarn = 'npm i -g yarn';
     const yarnCompatibility = config.compatibility?.yarn;
     if (validRange(yarnCompatibility)) {
       installYarn += `@${quote(yarnCompatibility)}`;