rollup-plugin-rm

1.0.2 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript

A Rollup plugin that executes the rm (remove) command during build hooks, specifically buildStart or buildEnd. Version 1.0.2 (current stable) has a low release cadence. It is a minimal alternative to rollup-plugin-delete or rollup-plugin-clean, offering no-config deletion via a simple string path argument. It ships TypeScript types and requires Rollup 3 or 4 as a peer dependency. Unlike alternatives, it does not support glob patterns or multiple directories—only a single path removal.

Common errors

error TypeError: rollup_plugin_rm_default is not a function ↓

cause Using named import 'rm' instead of default import

fix

Use import rm from 'rollup-plugin-rm'

error Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ESM]: require() of ES Module ↓

cause Using require() in a CommonJS context for an ESM-only package

fix

Migrate to ESM ('type':'module' in package.json) or use dynamic import: const rm = (await import('rollup-plugin-rm')).default

error Error: Cannot find module 'rollup' (or peer dependency missing) ↓

cause Rollup not installed as a dependency

fix

Run npm install rollup --save-dev

error rollup-plugin-rm: Path must be a string ↓

cause Passing an array or undefined as the path argument

fix

Pass a single string path: rm('dist', 'buildStart'). Use multiple calls for multiple paths.

Warnings

breaking Only supports string path argument, not an array of paths or glob patterns. Multiple directories require multiple plugin calls. ↓

fix Use multiple rm() calls for each directory, or switch to rollup-plugin-delete for glob support.

gotcha Plugin uses synchronous rimraf under the hood. It may block the build for large directories; consider using asynchronous alternatives if performance is critical. ↓

fix For large directories, remove synchronously via buildStart/buildEnd hooks manually using fs.promises.rm.

deprecated No deprecation warnings yet. Keep an eye on future releases for possible switch to async deletion. ↓

fix Monitor GitHub releases for potential breaking changes.

gotcha If the path does not exist, rimraf fails silently? Ensure the directory exists or wrap in try/catch? Documentation does not specify behavior for non-existent paths. ↓

fix Check existence before calling rm plugin; the underlying rimraf version may throw on ENOENT.

breaking Rollup 3 or 4 is required as peer dependency. Older Rollup 2 is not supported and will cause runtime hook mismatches. ↓

fix Upgrade Rollup to version 3 or 4, or use rollup-plugin-delete which supports Rollup 2.

Install

npm install rollup-plugin-rm

yarn add rollup-plugin-rm

pnpm add rollup-plugin-rm

Imports

default
wrong
```
const rm = require('rollup-plugin-rm')
```
correct
```
import rm from 'rollup-plugin-rm'
```
Plugin is ESM-only; require() will fail. Use dynamic import() if needed in CJS context.
rm
wrong
```
import { rm } from 'rollup-plugin-rm'
```
correct
```
import rm from 'rollup-plugin-rm'
```
Library exports a default export, not a named export. Named import will yield undefined.

RollupPluginRmOptions

wrong

import { RollupPluginRmOptions } from 'rollup-plugin-rm'

correct

import type { RollupPluginRmOptions } from 'rollup-plugin-rm'

Type import only – no runtime value. Use import type for type checking.

Quickstart

Shows removal of 'dist' folder at buildStart and 'dist/types' at buildEnd using the Rollup plugin.

import rm from 'rollup-plugin-rm';
import { defineConfig } from 'rollup';

export default defineConfig({
  input: 'src/index.js',
  output: { dir: 'output', format: 'cjs' },
  plugins: [
    rm('dist', 'buildStart'),
    rm('dist/types', 'buildEnd')
  ]
});