react/create-react-app · critical · Error

Using `babel-preset-react-app` requires that you specify `NO

Error message

Using `babel-preset-react-app` requires that you specify `NODE_ENV` or `BABEL_ENV` environment variables. Valid values are "development", "test", and "production". Instead, received: ${JSON.stringify(env)}.

What it means

dependencies.js performs the same NODE_ENV/BABEL_ENV gate as create.js. Before returning its plugin list it asserts the active environment is one of development/test/production. The dependencies entry needs the environment to choose CommonJS vs ESM assumptions and module transformations, so an unknown env is fatal.

Source

Thrown at packages/babel-preset-react-app/dependencies.js:54

  var isEnvProduction = env === 'production';
  var isEnvTest = env === 'test';

  var areHelpersEnabled = validateBoolOption('helpers', opts.helpers, false);
  var useAbsoluteRuntime = validateBoolOption(
    'absoluteRuntime',
    opts.absoluteRuntime,
    true
  );

  var absoluteRuntimePath = undefined;
  if (useAbsoluteRuntime) {
    absoluteRuntimePath = path.dirname(
      require.resolve('@babel/runtime/package.json')
    );
  }

  if (!isEnvDevelopment && !isEnvProduction && !isEnvTest) {
    throw new Error(
      'Using `babel-preset-react-app` requires that you specify `NODE_ENV` or ' +
        '`BABEL_ENV` environment variables. Valid values are "development", ' +
        '"test", and "production". Instead, received: ' +
        JSON.stringify(env) +
        '.'
    );
  }

  return {
    // Babel assumes ES Modules, which isn't safe until CommonJS
    // dies. This changes the behavior to assume CommonJS unless
    // an `import` or `export` is present in the file.
    // https://github.com/webpack/webpack/issues/4039#issuecomment-419284940
    sourceType: 'unambiguous',
    presets: [
      isEnvTest && [
        // ES features necessary for user's Node version
        require('@babel/preset-env').default,

View on GitHub (pinned to 6254386531)

Solutions

Set NODE_ENV (or BABEL_ENV) to development/test/production in the shell or script that runs the dependencies compile.
Use cross-env in package.json to set NODE_ENV portably: `cross-env NODE_ENV=production babel ...`.
If invoking programmatically, pass the env explicitly to the preset's third argument as Babel resolves it.
Ensure your CI runner exports NODE_ENV for the job.

Example fix

// before
// .babelrc.js
module.exports = { presets: ['babel-preset-react-app/dependencies'] };
// run: babel src --out-dir lib   (no NODE_ENV)
// after
// run with: cross-env NODE_ENV=production babel src --out-dir lib

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const VALID_ENVS = ['development', 'test', 'production'];
function assertDepsEnv() {
  const env = process.env.BABEL_ENV || process.env.NODE_ENV;
  if (!VALID_ENVS.includes(env)) {
    throw new Error(`Set NODE_ENV/BABEL_ENV for the dependencies pass (got ${String(env)})`);
  }
}
assertDepsEnv();

Type guard

const isKnownEnv = (e) =>
  ['development', 'test', 'production'].includes(e);

Try / catch

try {
  babel.transform(code, { presets: ['babel-preset-react-app/dependencies'] });
} catch (e) {
  if (/NODE_ENV|BABEL_ENV/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error('Dependencies pass needs NODE_ENV set to development/test/production');
    process.exit(1);
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Run the dependencies compile through an npm script that sets NODE_ENV.
Use cross-env to set NODE_ENV portably across OSes.
Add a prebuild step that asserts the environment.
Document in your build README that the dependencies pass requires NODE_ENV.

When it happens

Trigger: Loading babel-preset-react-app/dependencies when neither BABEL_ENV nor NODE_ENV is one of the three valid values (unset, empty, or a custom stage). The `!isEnvDevelopment && !isEnvProduction && !isEnvTest` guard triggers.

Common situations: A dependencies-only Babel pass invoked from a script that doesn't set NODE_ENV. Monorepo tooling that runs Babel over node_modules/dependencies in a CI shell missing env vars. Reusing the entry outside react-scripts without replicating its env setup.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of react/create-react-app@6254386531 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d8484e44d554e262. Report an issue: GitHub.