slidevjs/slidev · critical · Error

Failed to resolve package "${importName}"

Error message

Failed to resolve package "${importName}"

What it means

Thrown by resolveImportPath(importName, ensure: true) after every resolution strategy fails: mlly resolvePath from the current module, global search paths (when Slidev runs globally), and resolve-global. Used for imports that Slidev treats as required (ensure: true).

Source

Thrown at packages/slidev/node/resolver.ts:166

  catch { }

  if (isInstalledGlobally.value) {
    for (const nm of invocationSearchPaths) {
      try {
        return await resolvePath(importName, {
          url: pathToFileURL(`${nm}${sep}`),
        })
      }
      catch { }
    }
    try {
      return resolveGlobal(importName)
    }
    catch { }
  }

  if (ensure)
    throw new Error(`Failed to resolve package "${importName}"`)
}

/**
 * Import an optional dependency (typically an optional peer dependency such as
 * `vite-plugin-pwa`) that the user may or may not have installed. Resolution is
 * attempted, in order, from the user's project root, the workspace root, the
 * global registry (when Slidev runs globally), and finally the cli's own
 * dependencies. Returns `undefined` when the package can't be resolved anywhere.
 */
export async function importOptionalDependency<T = any>(name: string): Promise<T | undefined> {
  const roots: string[] = []
  try {
    const { userRoot, userWorkspaceRoot } = await getRoots()
    roots.push(userRoot)
    if (userWorkspaceRoot !== userRoot)
      roots.push(userWorkspaceRoot)
  }
  catch { }

View on GitHub (pinned to 0d798ace58)

Solutions

1. Install the named package: npm i -D <importName> (or your package manager's equivalent).
2. If Slidev runs globally, install the dependency globally too (npm i -g <importName>) so the global search paths find it.
3. Verify the package name is spelled correctly and resolvable from the project root with node -e "require.resolve('<importName>')".
4. Re-run npm install / pnpm install to repair a partial install.

Example fix

// before: vite plugin missing locally
resolveImportPath('vite-plugin-pwa', true) // throws

// after: install it
// shell:
npm i -D vite-plugin-pwa

import { resolvePath } from 'mlly'
import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'

async function isResolvable(name: string): Promise<boolean> {
  try {
    await resolvePath(name, { url: import.meta.url })
    return true
  } catch {
    return false
  }
}

// before resolveImportPath(name, true):
if (!await isResolvable(name)) {
  throw new Error(`Install ${name} first: npm i -D ${name}`)
}

async function isImportable(name: string): Promise<boolean> {
  try {
    await import(name)
    return true
  } catch {
    return false
  }
}

try {
  return await resolveImportPath(name, true)
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message.startsWith('Failed to resolve package ')) {
    // prompt to install, or fall back to optional dependency handling
    throw new Error(`Missing dependency ${name}; run npm i -D ${name}`)
  }
  throw e
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling resolveImportPath(name, true) for a package that is neither in the project's node_modules, the workspace, the invocation search paths, nor the global registry. Common for Vite plugins, client entry modules, or required peers.

Common situations: A required peer/plugin (e.g. a syntax highlighter, vite-plugin) is not installed; running Slidev globally while the dependency is project-local (or vice versa); a corrupted/partial install where the package dir exists but lacks an entry point.

Related errors

• Failed to resolve package "${dep}"
• Failed to resolve global package "${name}"
• Invalid ${type} name "${name}". Only valid npm package names
• [slidev] Cannot find roots without entry
• Package "${pkg}" not found in "${importer}"

AI-assisted analysis of slidevjs/slidev@0d798ace58 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2fb99d58b23a085a. Report an issue: GitHub.