FuelLabs/fuels-ts · error · FuelError

MISSING_PROVIDER

MISSING_PROVIDER

Error message

Cannot create transaction request without provider

What it means

Thrown by ContractFactory.createTransactionRequest() (packages/contract/src/contract-factory.ts:146) when this.provider is null/undefined. A provider is required to compute the contract ID and assemble the CreateTransactionRequest with correct chain parameters. The provider is set during construction: if the third argument to new ContractFactory() is null, or is an object that does not expose a 'provider' property, this.provider stays null.

Source

Thrown at packages/contract/src/contract-factory.ts:146

   */
  createTransactionRequest(deployOptions?: DeployContractOptions & { bytecode?: BytesLike }) {
    const storageSlots = (deployOptions?.storageSlots ?? [])
      .concat(this.storageSlots)
      .map(({ key, value }) => ({
        key: hexlifyWithPrefix(key),
        value: hexlifyWithPrefix(value),
      }))
      .filter((el, index, self) => self.findIndex((s) => s.key === el.key) === index)
      .sort(({ key: keyA }, { key: keyB }) => keyA.localeCompare(keyB));

    const options = {
      salt: randomBytes(32),
      ...(deployOptions ?? {}),
      storageSlots,
    };

    if (!this.provider) {
      throw new FuelError(
        ErrorCode.MISSING_PROVIDER,
        'Cannot create transaction request without provider'
      );
    }

    if (deployOptions?.configurableConstants) {
      this.setConfigurableConstants(deployOptions.configurableConstants);
    }

    const bytecode = deployOptions?.bytecode || this.bytecode;
    const stateRoot = options.stateRoot || getContractStorageRoot(options.storageSlots);
    const contractId = getContractId(bytecode, options.salt, stateRoot);
    const transactionRequest = new CreateTransactionRequest({
      bytecodeWitnessIndex: 0,
      witnesses: [bytecode],
      ...options,
    });
    transactionRequest.addContractCreatedOutput(contractId, stateRoot);

View on GitHub (pinned to b3f37c91ac)

Solutions

Pass an Account (Wallet) or Provider as the third argument to new ContractFactory(bytecode, abi, accountOrProvider).
Call factory.connect(provider) to obtain a new factory instance bound to a provider.
If using deploy methods, ensure the factory was constructed with a connected Wallet/Account, not just a raw provider for read-only access.

Example fix

// before
const factory = new ContractFactory(bytecode, abi);
await factory.deploy();

// after
const factory = new ContractFactory(bytecode, abi, wallet);
await factory.deploy();

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const factory = new ContractFactory(bytecode, abi);
if (!factory.provider) {
  throw new Error('ContractFactory has no provider. Pass a Provider or Account as the 3rd argument.');
}
const { transactionRequest } = factory.createTransactionRequest();

Type guard

function hasProvider(factory: ContractFactory): factory is ContractFactory & { provider: Provider } {
  return factory.provider !== null && factory.provider !== undefined;
}

Try / catch

try {
  const { transactionRequest } = factory.createTransactionRequest();
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof FuelError && e.code === 'missing-provider') {
    // re-create factory with provider/account
    const factoryWithProvider = new ContractFactory(bytecode, abi, wallet);
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Always pass an Account/Wallet or Provider as the third argument to new ContractFactory().
Use factory.connect(provider) to create a provider-bound copy if the factory was initially created without one.
Check factory.provider before calling deploy or createTransactionRequest in code paths where the provider may be absent.

When it happens

Trigger: Constructing a ContractFactory without a provider/account (third constructor argument omitted or null), then calling createTransactionRequest(), deploy(), deployAsCreateTx(), or deployAsBlobTx(). Also triggered if a non-Account, non-Provider object is passed as the third argument (it is treated as a Provider and assigned directly but may be null).

Common situations: Building a ContractFactory from bytecode and ABI for later use (e.g. in tests or scripts) without immediately connecting a provider; forgetting to pass the wallet/provider; refactoring code that previously passed the provider separately.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of FuelLabs/fuels-ts@b3f37c91ac (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1e3a77fcab9d89dc. Report an issue: GitHub.