diff --git a/packages/app/e2e.test.ts b/packages/app/e2e.test.ts
index 03817188..1cecb457 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e.test.ts
@@ -153,6 +153,9 @@ describe.sequential.each([
     expect(process.stderr).toContain("pkg-pr-new:");
     expect(process.stderr).toContain("playground-a:");
     expect(process.stderr).toContain("playground-b:");
+    expect(process.stderr).toContain(
+      "private-playground/ because the package is private",
+    );
   }, 20_000);
 
   it(`serves and installs playground-a for ${mode}`, async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/index.ts b/packages/cli/index.ts
index 2a9c8be7..c82d5ee4 100644
--- a/packages/cli/index.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/index.ts
@@ -274,16 +274,13 @@ const main = defineCommand({
             const pJsonPath = path.resolve(p, "package.json");
             const pJson = await readPackageJson(pJsonPath);
 
-            if (!pJson) {
+            if (!pJson || pJson.private) {
               continue;
             }
 
             if (!pJson.name) {
               throw new Error(`"name" field in ${pJsonPath} should be defined`);
             }
-            if (pJson.private) {
-              continue;
-            }
 
             const packageName = pJson.name;
             packageInfos.push({ packageName, pJson });
@@ -471,15 +468,15 @@ const main = defineCommand({
             }
 
             try {
+              if (pJson.private) {
+                console.warn(`skipping ${p} because the package is private`);
+                continue;
+              }
               if (!pJson.name) {
                 throw new Error(
                   `"name" field in ${pJsonPath} should be defined`,
                 );
               }
-              if (pJson.private) {
-                console.warn(`skipping ${p} because the package is private`);
-                continue;
-              }
 
               const { filename, shasum } = await resolveTarball(
                 packMethod,
diff --git a/playgrounds/private-playground/package.json b/playgrounds/private-playground/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..352055cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playgrounds/private-playground/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "private": true
+}
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 6d922959..b358112c 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -257,6 +257,8 @@ importers:
         specifier: link:../playground-a
         version: link:../playground-a
 
+  playgrounds/private-playground: {}
+
   templates/example-1:
     dependencies:
       pkg-pr-new: