vuejs/devtools-v6 · error · Error

Storage wasn't initialized with 'init()'

Error message

Storage wasn't initialized with 'init()'

What it means

The shared storage utility wraps localStorage (or an in-memory fallback) and only loads data into `storageData` during init(). checkStorage() throws this when get/set/remove/clear is called before init(), because there is nowhere to read or write values. It is a lifecycle guard, not a data error.

Source

Thrown at packages/shared-utils/src/storage.ts:82

}

export function clearStorage() {
  checkStorage()
  if (useStorage) {
    storageData = {}
    target.chrome.storage.local.clear()
  }
  else {
    try {
      localStorage.clear()
    }
    catch (e) {}
  }
}

function checkStorage() {
  if (!storageData) {
    throw new Error('Storage wasn\'t initialized with \'init()\'')
  }
}

function getDefaultValue(value, defaultValue) {
  if (value == null) {
    return defaultValue
  }
  return value
}

View on GitHub (pinned to dd2ab5d427)

Solutions

1. Call and await `init()` from shared-utils storage before any other storage call, ideally at application startup.
2. Ensure init() actually succeeds: in browsers with localStorage blocked (private browsing) provide a storage shim or in-memory fallback.
3. Move storage reads/writes out of module top-level code into a post-init lifecycle hook.
4. Wrap storage access in a helper that lazily calls init() if storageData is not yet loaded.

Example fix

// before
import { getStorage } from '@vue-devtools/shared-utils'
const lastApp = getStorage('last-open-app') // throws

// after
import { init, getStorage } from '@vue-devtools/shared-utils'
await init()
const lastApp = getStorage('last-open-app')

import { init } from '@vue-devtools/shared-utils'
await init() // before ANY get/set/remove/clearStorage call

function storageReady() { return !!storageData } // or expose/init-check equivalent

try {
  setStorage('key', value)
} catch (e) {
  if (String(e).includes("init()")) { await init(); setStorage('key', value) }
  else throw e
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling getStorage, setStorage, removeStorage, or clearStorage before `await init()` (or when init() failed silently — its load errors are swallowed in a try/catch, leaving storageData undefined).

Common situations: Module-level code that reads a stored setting at import time before init() runs; forgetting to await the async init(); init() failing because localStorage is disabled (private mode, SSR without a shim) and the failure being caught and ignored.

AI-assisted analysis of vuejs/devtools-v6@dd2ab5d427 (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7e86ab2066fdf353. Report an issue: GitHub.