gohugoio/hugo · error

babel config not found

Error message

babel config %q not found

What it means

Thrown by the Babel transformer when options.Config is explicitly set by the user (via the babel options 'config' key) but the named file cannot be resolved against the project's JS config file system (BaseFs.ResolveJSConfigFile returns empty). Auto-discovered configs (babel.config.js/mjs/cjs) never trigger this; it fires only for a user-specified config path that is missing.

Solutions

1. Verify the file referenced by options["config"] exists; the error message echoes the exact path Hugo could not resolve.
2. Use an absolute path or place the config at the project/working-dir root so BaseFs.ResolveJSConfigFile can find it.
3. Drop the 'config' option entirely and let Hugo auto-discover babel.config.js / babel.config.mjs / babel.config.cjs.

Example fix

// before
{{ $js := resources.Get "js/main.js" | babel (dict "config" "configs/babel.js") }}

// after
{{ $js := resources.Get "js/main.js" | babel (dict "config" "babel.config.js") }}

// Validate the user-specified babel config path exists before invoking.
if cfg, ok := opts["config"]; ok {
    p := filepath.Clean(fmt.Sprint(cfg))
    if _, err := os.Stat(p); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("babel config %q not found", p)
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling resources.Babel with an options map containing "config": "./some/path/babel.config.js" where that path does not exist under the project or asset filesystem, or passing a relative path that BaseFs.ResolveJSConfigFile cannot resolve to an absolute file.

Common situations: Renaming or deleting a custom babel config without updating the babel options in the template; pointing config at a path inside assets/ that has not been created; case-sensitivity mismatch on Linux for a config path copied from macOS/Windows.

Related errors

• postcss config not found
• : failed to transform ( )
• cannot use --renderToMemory with --destination
• cardinalityThreshold threshold must be between 0 and 100
• could not find in the import context

AI-assisted analysis of gohugoio/hugo@52c9bd7908 (2026-08-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9ca610dce89770d8. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at resources/resource_transformers/babel/babel.go:148

	if t.options.Config != "" {
		configFile = t.options.Config
	} else {
		for _, name := range []string{"babel.config.js", "babel.config.mjs", "babel.config.cjs"} {
			configFile = t.rs.BaseFs.ResolveJSConfigFile(name)
			if configFile != "" {
				break
			}
		}
	}

	if configFile != "" {
		configFile = filepath.Clean(configFile)
		// We need an absolute filename to the config file.
		if !filepath.IsAbs(configFile) {
			configFile = t.rs.BaseFs.ResolveJSConfigFile(configFile)
			if configFile == "" && t.options.Config != "" {
				// Only fail if the user specified config file is not found.
				return fmt.Errorf("babel config %q not found", t.options.Config)
			}
		}
	}

	ctx.ReplaceOutPathExtension(".js")

	var cmdArgs []any

	if configFile != "" {
		infol.Logf("use config file %q", configFile)
		cmdArgs = []any{"--config-file", configFile}
	}

	if optArgs := t.options.toArgs(); len(optArgs) > 0 {
		cmdArgs = append(cmdArgs, optArgs...)
	}
	cmdArgs = append(cmdArgs, "--filename="+ctx.SourcePath)

View on GitHub (pinned to 52c9bd7908)