jestjs/jest · error · TypeError

Unable to forward JSDOM console output - neither sendTo nor…

Error message

Unable to forward JSDOM console output - neither sendTo nor forwardTo methods are available

What it means

Thrown by the JSDOM environment constructor when the JSDOM VirtualConsole instance has neither a `forwardTo` method (JSDOM 27+) nor a `sendTo` method (JSDOM 26). This is a version-compatibility safety net — the abstract environment supports both API shapes and throws only if neither is found, indicating an unrecognized JSDOM version.

Solutions

Pin `jsdom` to a version known to work with your Jest version (check jest-environment-jsdom's peerDependencies).
Run `npm ls jsdom` or `yarn why jsdom` to find conflicting versions.
If using a custom jsdom module, ensure it exposes either `VirtualConsole.forwardTo` or `VirtualConsole.sendTo`.

Example fix

// before: package.json allows any jsdom
"devDependencies": { "jsdom": "latest" }

// after: pin compatible version
"devDependencies": { "jsdom": "^27.0.0" }

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Verify jsdom version compatibility before running tests
function checkJsdomVersion() {
  const jsdom = require('jsdom');
  const vc = new jsdom.VirtualConsole();
  if (typeof vc.forwardTo !== 'function' && typeof vc.sendTo !== 'function') {
    throw new Error('Installed jsdom version is incompatible with jest-environment-jsdom');
  }
}

Type guard

function hasConsoleForwarding(vc: unknown): vc is { forwardTo: Function } | { sendTo: Function } {
  return typeof (vc as any)?.forwardTo === 'function' || typeof (vc as any)?.sendTo === 'function';
}

Prevention

Pin jsdom to the version recommended by your jest-environment-jsdom release.
Run `npm ls jsdom` regularly to detect version conflicts.
Avoid installing jsdom globally or as a transitive dependency from unexpected sources.

When it happens

Trigger: Installing a JSDOM version that changed or removed both `VirtualConsole.sendTo` and `VirtualConsole.forwardTo`. Using a non-standard jsdom fork. The abstract base class is instantiated with a jsdom module that has an incompatible API surface.

Common situations: Upgrading or downgrading `jsdom` independently of `jest-environment-jsdom`. Using a beta or experimental JSDOM release. A package manager resolution conflict pulling an unexpected jsdom version.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jestjs/jest@8e6d128e4a (2026-08-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4619b9b480914236. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/jest-environment-jsdom-abstract/src/index.ts:68

    const {JSDOM, ResourceLoader, VirtualConsole} = jsdomModule;

    const virtualConsole = new VirtualConsole();

    if (
      'forwardTo' in virtualConsole &&
      typeof virtualConsole.forwardTo === 'function'
    ) {
      // JSDOM 27+ uses `forwardTo`
      virtualConsole.forwardTo(context.console);
    } else if (
      'sendTo' in virtualConsole &&
      typeof virtualConsole.sendTo === 'function'
    ) {
      // JSDOM 26 uses `sendTo`
      virtualConsole.sendTo(context.console, {omitJSDOMErrors: true});
    } else {
      // Fallback for unexpected API changes
      throw new TypeError(
        'Unable to forward JSDOM console output - neither sendTo nor forwardTo methods are available',
      );
    }

    virtualConsole.on('jsdomError', error => {
      context.console.error(error);
    });

    this.dom = new JSDOM(
      typeof projectConfig.testEnvironmentOptions.html === 'string'
        ? projectConfig.testEnvironmentOptions.html
        : '<!DOCTYPE html>',
      {
        pretendToBeVisual: true,
        resources:
          typeof projectConfig.testEnvironmentOptions.userAgent === 'string'
            ? new ResourceLoader({
                userAgent: projectConfig.testEnvironmentOptions.userAgent,

View on GitHub (pinned to 8e6d128e4a)