withastro/astro · error · AstroError

LiveContentConfigError

LiveContentConfigError

Error message

Live collections must be defined in a `src/live.config.ts` file. Check your collection definitions in ${importerFilename ?? 'your content config file'}.

What it means

`defineLiveCollection` inspects the stack trace to find its importing file and refuses to run outside a `live.config` file. Live collections (request-time data with live loaders) are only valid when defined in `src/live.config.ts`; the config file location is part of the contract, so defining them anywhere else — including `src/content.config.ts` — is rejected with LiveContentConfigError.

Solutions

Move every `defineLiveCollection` call into `src/live.config.ts`
Keep shared schemas/loaders in separate modules and import them from live.config.ts — only the define* calls must live in the config file itself
If the collection is actually build-time, use `defineCollection` in src/content.config.ts instead

Example fix

// before — src/content.config.ts
import { defineLiveCollection } from 'astro:content';
export const collections = { posts: defineLiveCollection({ loader }) };

// after — src/live.config.ts
export const collections = { posts: defineLiveCollection({ loader }) };

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// guard shared config modules: only allow defineLiveCollection from live.config.*
const file = import.meta.url;
if (!/live\.config\.[cm]?[jt]s$/.test(file)) {
  throw new Error('defineLiveCollection may only be called from src/live.config.ts');
}
export const collections = { posts: defineLiveCollection({ loader }) };

Prevention

Keep exactly two config files: src/content.config.ts (build-time) and src/live.config.ts (live) — never define live collections elsewhere
Put shared schemas/loaders in plain modules and import them; only the define* calls must sit in the config file
During migration, move collections one at a time and run `astro build`/dev after each move

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `defineLiveCollection({...})` in `src/content.config.ts`, a shared `collections.ts` helper module, or any file whose name does not contain 'live.config'; re-exporting or wrapping defineLiveCollection from a utility module (the stack-walk still finds the ultimate importer).

Common situations: Migrating to live collections and leaving definitions in the old content config; teams putting all collection config in one shared file; helper modules for schemas that also define collections.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of withastro/astro@157c500c38 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c83c60026b466a72. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/astro/src/content/config.ts:123

	S extends BaseSchema | undefined = undefined,
> = {
	type?: 'live';
	schema?: S;
	loader: L;
};

export type CollectionConfig<
	S extends BaseSchema,
	TLoader extends LoaderConstraint<{ id: string }> = LoaderConstraint<{ id: string }>,
> = ContentCollectionConfig<S> | DataCollectionConfig<S> | ContentLayerConfig<S, TLoader>;

export function defineLiveCollection<
	L extends LiveLoader,
	S extends BaseSchema | undefined = undefined,
>(config: LiveCollectionConfig<L, S>): LiveCollectionConfig<L, S> {
	const importerFilename = getImporterFilename();
	if (importerFilename && !importerFilename.includes('live.config')) {
		throw new AstroError({
			...AstroErrorData.LiveContentConfigError,
			message: AstroErrorData.LiveContentConfigError.message(
				'Live collections must be defined in a `src/live.config.ts` file.',
				importerFilename ?? 'your content config file',
			),
		});
	}
	// Default to live content type if not specified
	config.type ??= LIVE_CONTENT_TYPE;

	if (config.type !== LIVE_CONTENT_TYPE) {
		throw new AstroError({
			...AstroErrorData.LiveContentConfigError,
			message: AstroErrorData.LiveContentConfigError.message(
				'Collections in a live config file must have a type of `live`.',
				importerFilename,
			),
		});

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