chroma-core/chroma · error · Error

Please install @google/generative-ai as a dependency with, e

Error message

Please install @google/generative-ai as a dependency with, e.g. `npm install @google/generative-ai`

What it means

Static import helper for the Google embedding function: it wraps import("@google/generative-ai") in an unconditional try/catch, so every import failure — missing package, broken install, or bundler resolution — becomes the same 'install it as a dependency' message. The original error is discarded, which can mask non-obvious causes. Note the import destructures the named/default GoogleGenerativeAI export, so it targets the legacy @google/generative-ai package specifically.

Source

Thrown at clients/js/packages/chromadb-core/src/embeddings/GoogleGeminiEmbeddingFunction.ts:94

    });
    const embeddings = response.embeddings.map((e: any) => e.values);

    return embeddings;
  }

  /** @ignore */
  static async import(): Promise<{
    // @ts-ignore
    googleGenAi: typeof import("@google/generative-ai");
  }> {
    try {
      // @ts-ignore
      const { GoogleGenerativeAI } = await import("@google/generative-ai");
      const googleGenAi = GoogleGenerativeAI;
      // @ts-ignore
      return { googleGenAi };
    } catch (e) {
      throw new Error(
        "Please install @google/generative-ai as a dependency with, e.g. `npm install @google/generative-ai`",
      );
    }
  }

  buildFromConfig(config: StoredConfig): GoogleGenerativeAiEmbeddingFunction {
    return new GoogleGenerativeAiEmbeddingFunction({
      model: config.model_name,
      apiKeyEnvVar: config.api_key_env_var,
      taskType: config.task_type,
    });
  }

  getConfig(): StoredConfig {
    return {
      api_key_env_var: this.api_key_env_var,
      model_name: this.model,
      task_type: this.taskType,

View on GitHub (pinned to aecdd12c8a)

Solutions

npm install @google/generative-ai (the legacy package this function expects, not @google/genai)
If it is installed, reproduce the swallowed error: node -e "import('@google/generative-ai').then(m=>console.log('ok'),e=>console.error(e))"
Clean reinstall from the lockfile: rm -rf node_modules && npm ci
Use a different embedding function if you do not want the dependency

Example fix

// before: install message despite presence in package.json
// after: expose the real import error the helper swallows
// $ node -e "import('@google/generative-ai').then(m=>console.log('ok'), e=>console.error(e))"

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

async function canImport(pkg: string): Promise<boolean> {
  try {
    await import(pkg);
    return true;
  } catch {
    return false;
  }
}
if (!(await canImport("@google/generative-ai"))) {
  // choose another embedding function or fail with instructions
}

Try / catch

try {
  await ef.generate(texts);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && /@google\/generative-ai/.test(e.message)) {
    // probe the import to distinguish missing vs broken install
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Pin the Google SDK version in package.json rather than relying on hoisting
CI smoke-import each optional provider SDK
Prefer explicit embedding functions over lazy-loaded providers in bundled deployments

When it happens

Trigger: Any rejection of import("@google/generative-ai") via GoogleGenerativeAiEmbeddingFunction.import(): package absent, half-installed, or unresolvable by the bundler/runtime.

Common situations: node_modules desync after branch switches; teams migrating to the newer @google/genai SDK and assuming the old one is present; bundler exports-map failures in Lambda/edge builds; optional deps stripped by minimal install stages.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of chroma-core/chroma@aecdd12c8a (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/54550ad26c87a89f. Report an issue: GitHub.