find-babel-config

2.1.2 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

A lightweight utility to locate the closest Babel configuration file (babel.config.js, babel.config.json, .babelrc, etc.) from a given directory, searching upwards. Version 2.1.2 is stable and actively maintained. It supports both async and sync APIs with config depth control. Compared to alternatives like cosmiconfig, it specializes in Babel configs and has no direct dependency on Babel itself, making it a simple drop-in for Babel-integrated tools. The package is ESM- and CJS-compatible.

Common errors

error Cannot find module 'find-babel-config' ↓

cause Package not installed or not in node_modules.

fix

Run 'npm install find-babel-config' or add to package.json.

error findBabelConfig.sync is not a function ↓

cause CommonJS require returns the async function; sync is not automatically imported.

fix

Use 'const findBabelConfig = require('find-babel-config'); const sync = findBabelConfig.sync;'

error TypeError: findBabelConfig is not a function ↓

cause Default import from ESM might fail if bundler treats it incorrectly.

fix

Ensure bundler supports CommonJS interop. Use 'import pkg from 'find-babel-config'; const findBabelConfig = pkg.default || pkg;'

error ENOENT: no such file or directory, scandir '/some/path' ↓

cause The provided directory does not exist.

fix

Verify the directory path exists before calling findBabelConfig.

Warnings

breaking In version 2.0.0, the API changed from callback-based to promise-based async. ↓

fix Use promises or async/await instead of callbacks.

gotcha The sync method may throw errors if the directory does not exist, unlike async which rejects the promise. ↓

fix Wrap sync calls in try-catch.

gotcha Depth parameter is inclusive: setting depth=1 means only the given directory is searched, no parent. ↓

fix Use depth=Infinity (default) for unlimited search, or depth=n to search n levels up.

deprecated The package does not support Babel configuration as an ES module (babel.config.mjs) or TypeScript (babel.config.ts). ↓

fix Use cosmiconfig for broader config file support.

gotcha When using relative directory paths, they are resolved from process.cwd(), not from the module's location. ↓

fix Pass absolute paths to avoid ambiguity.

Install

npm install find-babel-config

yarn add find-babel-config

pnpm add find-babel-config

Imports

findBabelConfig
wrong
```
const findBabelConfig = require('find-babel-config')
```
correct
```
import findBabelConfig from 'find-babel-config'
```
Default export is the async function. In CommonJS, require works fine; no default import distinction.

findBabelConfigSync

wrong

import { sync } from 'find-babel-config'

correct

import findBabelConfig from 'find-babel-config'; const sync = findBabelConfig.sync

The sync method is a property of the default export, not a named export.

Result

wrong

import { Result } from 'find-babel-config'

correct

import findBabelConfig from 'find-babel-config'; type Result = { file: string | null; config: any }

TypeScript types are not exported; you must define the result type yourself.

Quickstart

Demonstrates async and sync usage to find the closest babel config from the current directory.

import findBabelConfig from 'find-babel-config';

// Async usage
const directory = process.cwd();
findBabelConfig(directory)
  .then(({ file, config }) => {
    if (file) {
      console.log('Found config at:', file);
      console.log('Config:', JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
    } else {
      console.log('No babel config found');
    }
  })
  .catch(err => {
    console.error('Error finding config:', err);
  });

// Sync usage
const { file, config } = findBabelConfig.sync(directory);
if (file) {
  console.log('Sync found config at:', file);
}