Specified images.loaderFile does not exist at "${absolutePat

Error message

Specified images.loaderFile does not exist at "${absolutePath}".

What it means

When `images.loaderFile` is set, Next.js resolves it relative to the project dir via `join(dir, images.loaderFile)` and checks existence with `existsSync` (config.ts:795-800). If the file is missing it throws, because the loader resolution happens at build time and a missing file would produce a broken image pipeline. The resolved absolute path is shown in the message.

Source

Thrown at packages/next/src/server/config.ts:797

    // Append trailing slash for non-default loaders and when trailingSlash is set
    if (
      images.path &&
      !images.path.endsWith('/') &&
      (images.loader !== 'default' || result.trailingSlash)
    ) {
      images.path += '/'
    }

    if (images.loaderFile) {
      if (images.loader !== 'default' && images.loader !== 'custom') {
        throw new Error(
          `Specified images.loader property (${images.loader}) cannot be used with images.loaderFile property. Please set images.loader to "custom".`
        )
      }
      const absolutePath = join(dir, images.loaderFile)
      if (!existsSync(absolutePath)) {
        throw new Error(
          `Specified images.loaderFile does not exist at "${absolutePath}".`
        )
      }
      images.loaderFile = absolutePath
    }
  }

  warnCustomizedOption(
    result,
    'experimental.esmExternals',
    true,
    'experimental.esmExternals is not recommended to be modified as it may disrupt module resolution',
    configFileName,
    silent
  )

  warnOptionHasBeenMovedOutOfExperimental(
    result,

View on GitHub (pinned to 0ae8c72462)

Solutions

Verify the file exists at the printed absolute path with `ls <path>`.
Correct the loaderFile value to a relative path from the project root that resolves to the file.
On case-sensitive filesystems, ensure the casing in loaderFile matches the actual filename exactly.

Example fix

// before (file at ./src/image-loader.ts)
module.exports = { images: { loader: 'custom', loaderFile: './loaders/my-loader.ts' } }
// after
module.exports = { images: { loader: 'custom', loaderFile: './src/image-loader.ts' } }

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const fs = require('fs'); const path = require('path');
if (config.images?.loaderFile) {
  const abs = path.join(__dirname, config.images.loaderFile);
  if (!fs.existsSync(abs)) throw new Error('loaderFile missing at ' + abs);
}

Type guard

function loaderFileExists(dir: string, rel: unknown): boolean {
  if (typeof rel !== 'string') return false;
  try { return require('fs').existsSync(require('path').join(dir, rel)); } catch { return false; }
}

Prevention

Resolve loaderFile with an absolute path in tests to catch typos early.
On case-sensitive CI, ensure filename casing matches exactly.

When it happens

Trigger: Setting `loaderFile: './src/loaders/my-loader.js'` when the file does not exist or the path is misspelled. Also fires if the file was deleted after the config was written, or the working directory differs.

Common situations: Renaming/moving the loader file without updating config. Using an absolute-looking path that resolves against an unexpected dir. Case-sensitivity mismatches on Linux after developing on macOS/Windows.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of vercel/next.js@0ae8c72462 (2026-08-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e7552e75cce05463. Report an issue: GitHub.