facebook/relay · error

The {} argument in exec_time_resolvers directive should be t

Error message

The {} argument in exec_time_resolvers directive should be the string name of your provider file.

What it means

When building an operation, the execTimeResolvers (exec_time_resolvers) directive's named argument must be a string naming the runtime resolver provider file. Anything else (non-string constant, variable) hits the panic arm, because codegen needs a literal file name to emit the import.

Source

Thrown at compiler/crates/relay-codegen/src/build_ast.rs:445

        //  @exec_time_resolvers but without the exec time provider argument, exec time is enabled by default.
        // `use_experimental_provider` make the exec time query use the experimental exec time exeuctor in runtime
        // `use_network_normalization_provider` make the query opt in to the executeWithNetwork coordinated
        //  publish path at runtime. Used to explicitly route variable-gated S2C queries.
        let (
            exec_time_resolvers_enabled_provider,
            use_experimental_provider,
            use_network_normalization_provider,
        ) = if let Some(directive) = operation.directives.named(*EXEC_TIME_RESOLVERS) {
            let parse_provider_arg = |arg_name: ArgumentName| {
                directive
                    .arguments
                    .named(arg_name)
                    .map(|arg| match &arg.value.item {
                        Value::Constant(ConstantValue::String(cons)) => WithLocation {
                            item: *cons,
                            location: arg.value.location,
                        },
                        _ => panic!(
                            "The {} argument in exec_time_resolvers directive should be the string name of your provider file.",
                            arg_name.0.lookup()
                        ),
                    })
            };
            (
                parse_provider_arg(*EXEC_TIME_RESOLVERS_ENABLED_ARGUMENT),
                parse_provider_arg(ArgumentName(intern!("useExperimentalProvider"))),
                parse_provider_arg(ArgumentName(intern!("useNetworkNormalizationProvider"))),
            )
        } else {
            (None, None, None)
        };

        let mut context = ContextualMetadata {
            has_client_edges: false,
            has_client_to_server_resolvers: false,
            has_exec_time_resolvers_directive,

View on GitHub (pinned to 668b1b85e0)

Solutions

1. Set the directive argument to a literal string containing the provider file name, e.g. @exec_time_resolvers(provider: "MyQueryResolvers").
2. Remove the variable and inline the provider name as a quoted string.
3. Check the directive name/argument spelling matches what the compiler expects for exec_time_resolvers.
4. Regenerate the operation from the tooling that owns the exec_time_resolvers directive so it emits a string constant.

Example fix

// before
query MyQuery @exec_time_resolvers(provider: $file) { ... }
// after
query MyQuery @exec_time_resolvers(provider: "MyQueryResolvers") { ... }

fn validate_exec_time_resolvers(op: &ExecutableDefinition) -> Result<(), String> {
    for d in op.directives() {
        if d.name.item.0.contains("exec_time_resolvers") {
            for a in &d.arguments {
                if !matches!(a.value.item, Value::Constant(ConstantValue::String(_))) {
                    return Err(format!("{} must be a string", a.name.item.0));
                }
            }
        }
    }
    Ok(())
}

let result = std::panic::catch_unwind(|| build_operation(...));
if result.is_err() { report("exec_time_resolvers argument must be a literal string"); }

When it happens

Trigger: An operation defines a `... on Query @exec_time_resolvers(...)` style directive whose argument (looked up by arg_name) is not Value::Constant(ConstantValue::String) — e.g. a variable, number, or object — during build_operation.

Common situations: Typo or wrong value type in the exec_time_resolvers argument; injecting the provider name via a GraphQL variable; a refactor where the provider name moved into config but the directive still needs a literal string.

Related errors

• Expected at most one handle directive, got `{handle_field_di
• @__metadata directive should have only one argument!
• @__metadata directive expect only constant argument values.
• Unexpected RelayResolverMetadata on inline fragment while ge
• Unexpected parent type for resolver.

AI-assisted analysis of facebook/relay@668b1b85e0 (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/54e6ae9b94587c1f. Report an issue: GitHub.