What causes "In virtual modules, all globs must start with '/'" in vitejs/vite?

Use absolute globs from project root in the virtual module: import.meta.glob('/src/routes/*.js').

vitejs/vite · error · Error

In virtual modules, all globs must start with '/'

Error message

In virtual modules, all globs must start with '/'

What it means

import.meta.glob globs are resolved relative to the importing module's directory. Virtual modules have no real file directory (dir is falsy), so a relative glob (./foo, ../foo) cannot be resolved. Vite requires absolute globs (starting with '/') when there is no dir, optionally combined with options.base.

Solutions

Use absolute globs from project root in the virtual module: import.meta.glob('/src/routes/*.js').
Pass options.base so Vite can resolve relative globs against it: import.meta.glob('./routes/*.js', { base: '/src' }).
Move the glob call out of the virtual module into a real file and have the virtual module import that file.
If you control the plugin, compute absolute paths at generation time instead of relying on relative resolution.

Example fix

// before (inside a virtual module)
const routes = import.meta.glob('./routes/*.js')
// after
const routes = import.meta.glob('/src/routes/*.js')
// or
const routes = import.meta.glob('./routes/*.js', { base: '/src' })

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// In virtual modules, force absolute globs
function safeGlob(glob, isVirtual, base) {
  if (isVirtual && (glob.startsWith('./') || glob.startsWith('../')) && !base) {
    throw new Error(`Virtual glob must be absolute: ${glob}`)
  }
  return glob
}

Type guard

function isAbsoluteGlob(glob): boolean {
  return glob.startsWith('/') || glob.startsWith('**')
}

Prevention

In virtual modules, always use globs starting with '/' or pass options.base.
Centralize glob calls in real files when possible.
Document for plugin users that virtual contexts require absolute globs.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling import.meta.glob with a relative pattern from inside a virtual module (a module id that is not a real file, e.g. a plugin-generated module with no file path), where isRelative is true and no options.base is supplied.

Common situations: A plugin generates a virtual entry and that virtual code calls import.meta.glob('./routes/*.js'). Framework integrations that inject virtual modules containing glob calls hit this.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of vitejs/vite@b4d66fee14 (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9e7dc82f8fa20fe1. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/vite/src/node/plugins/importMetaGlob.ts:457

  if (!matches.length) return null

  const s = new MagicString(code)

  const staticImports = (
    await Promise.all(
      matches.map(
        async ({
          globsResolved,
          isRelative,
          options,
          index,
          start,
          end,
          onlyKeys,
          onlyValues,
        }) => {
          if (!dir && !options.base && isRelative) {
            throw new Error("In virtual modules, all globs must start with '/'")
          }

          const cwd = getCommonBase(globsResolved) ?? root
          const files = (
            await glob(globsResolved, {
              absolute: true,
              cwd,
              dot: !!options.exhaustive,
              expandDirectories: false,
              caseSensitiveMatch: options.caseSensitive ?? true,
              ignore: options.exhaustive ? [] : ['**/node_modules/**'],
              extglob: false,
            })
          )
            .filter((file) => file !== id)
            .sort()

          const objectProps: string[] = []

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