gatsbyjs/gatsby · error · Error

Neither "cache" or "getCache" was passed. getCache must be f

Error message

Neither "cache" or "getCache" was passed. getCache must be function that return Gatsby cache, "cache" must be the Gatsby cache, was ${typeof cache}

What it means

Thrown by createFileNodeFromBuffer when neither a `cache` object nor a `getCache` function is supplied. The plugin needs a Gatsby cache instance to persist buffer contents to disk and to deduplicate nodes across builds. After attempting to resolve a cache via `getCache('gatsby-source-filesystem')`, if `cache` is still not an object the call aborts. The template reports the runtime type so callers can see exactly what leaked through.

Source

Thrown at packages/gatsby-source-filesystem/src/create-file-node-from-buffer.js:145

  name,
}) => {
  // validation of the input
  // without this it's notoriously easy to pass in the wrong `createNodeId`
  // see gatsbyjs/gatsby#6643
  if (typeof createNodeId !== `function`) {
    throw new Error(
      `createNodeId must be a function, was ${typeof createNodeId}`
    )
  }
  if (typeof createNode !== `function`) {
    throw new Error(`createNode must be a function, was ${typeof createNode}`)
  }
  if (typeof getCache === `function`) {
    // use cache of this plugin and not cache of function caller
    cache = getCache(`gatsby-source-filesystem`)
  }
  if (typeof cache !== `object`) {
    throw new Error(
      `Neither "cache" or "getCache" was passed. getCache must be function that return Gatsby cache, "cache" must be the Gatsby cache, was ${typeof cache}`
    )
  }

  if (!buffer) {
    return Promise.reject(`bad buffer: ${buffer}`)
  }

  if (!hash) {
    hash = createContentDigest(buffer)
  }

  if (!name) {
    name = hash
  }

  // Check if we already requested node for this remote file
  // and return stored promise if we did.

View on GitHub (pinned to 8b06340921)

Solutions

1. Pass the Gatsby cache: spread `cache` from the helpers object (actions.createNode still needs createNode; cache comes from the second arg of sourceNodes: ({ cache, actions, createNodeId, createContentDigest })).
2. If you do not have direct cache access, pass getCache instead so the plugin resolves its own namespaced cache: getCache(`gatsby-source-filesystem`).
3. Verify the value is the actual cache object (typeof cache === 'object' && 'get' in cache) before calling.
4. If wrapping the call, forward both cache and getCache from your own helper signature so callers retain control.

Example fix

// before
createFileNodeFromBuffer({
  buffer,
  createNode,
  createNodeId,
})

// after
createFileNodeFromBuffer({
  buffer,
  cache,        // from sourceNodes (helpers.cache)
  createNode,
  createNodeId,
})

function hasCache(opts) {
  return (typeof opts.cache === 'object' && opts.cache !== null) ||
         typeof opts.getCache === 'function'
}
if (!hasCache({ cache, getCache })) {
  throw new Error('Missing Gatsby cache: pass `cache` or `getCache` from helpers')
}

const isCache = (v) => v !== null && typeof v === 'object' && typeof v.get === 'function' && typeof v.set === 'function'

try { createFileNodeFromBuffer(opts) } catch (e) { if (/Neither "cache" or "getCache"/.test(e.message)) { reporter.panic('Cache not forwarded to createFileNodeFromBuffer; check sourceNodes helpers') } throw e }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling createFileNodeFromBuffer({ buffer, createNode, createNodeId }) without passing cache or getCache; passing cache: undefined or cache: null explicitly; destructuring helpers inside sourceNodes but forgetting to forward cache; passing cache from a custom plugin object instead of the Gatsby-provided cache.

Common situations: Migrating from an older Gatsby version where cache was optional; copying example code that omitted cache; building a custom source plugin on top of gatsby-source-filesystem and only threading through createNode/createNodeId; refactoring that drops the cache key from a destructured helpers spread.

Related errors

• Neither "cache" or "getCache" was passed. getCache must be f
• createNodeId must be a function, was ${typeof createNodeId}
• createNode must be a function, was ${typeof createNode}
• Neither "cache" or "getCache" was passed. getCache must be f
• You must specify either a cache or a directory

AI-assisted analysis of gatsbyjs/gatsby@8b06340921 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1a4b7f2449a4743d. Report an issue: GitHub.