vite-plugin-deadfile

1.4.0 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript

Vite plugin to find unused source files (dead files) in Vite projects. Current stable version 1.4.0, released under MIT license. Uses @swc/core to detect pure type references and handles Vite's dynamic import (glob-import) feature via the isDynamicModuleLive callback. Differentiators: built for Vite ecosystem, supports TypeScript, customizable include/exclude patterns, optional throw-on-found for CI, and output to file. Peer dependency: vite ^4.0.0 || ^5.0.0 || ^6.0.0.

Common errors

error TypeError: deadFile is not a function ↓

cause Using named import { deadFile } instead of default import.

fix

Use default import: import deadFile from 'vite-plugin-deadfile'

error Cannot find module '@swc/core' ↓

cause @swc/core is an optional peer dependency but not installed.

fix

Run: npm install @swc/core --save-dev

error Error: `root` must be a string ↓

cause Passing root as something other than a string (e.g., array).

fix

Set root to a string: deadFile({ root: 'src' })

error [vite-plugin-deadfile] All source files: 0 ↓

cause Root directory is empty or include pattern matches no files.

fix

Verify root path and include pattern: root must contain source files matching include.

Warnings

breaking Plugin does not work with Vite versions before 4.0; peer dependencies only allow ^4.0.0 || ^5.0.0 || ^6.0.0. ↓

fix Upgrade Vite to 4.x, 5.x, or 6.x.

gotcha The default root is '.', which may include node_modules if not excluded. node_modules is excluded by default but other non-source dirs may be included. ↓

fix Set root explicitly (e.g., root: 'src') and use include/exclude patterns.

gotcha Dynamic imports (glob-import) require manually marking glob-imported files as alive via isDynamicModuleLive callback, otherwise they may be falsely reported as dead. ↓

fix Implement isDynamicModuleLive callback to return true for dynamically imported files.

gotcha The plugin uses @swc/core for type detection; if @swc/core is not installed, type-only imports may be incorrectly reported as dead. ↓

fix Install @swc/core as a dev dependency to enable accurate type reference detection.

deprecated No deprecation warnings reported for current version. ↓

fix N/A

Install

npm install vite-plugin-deadfile

yarn add vite-plugin-deadfile

pnpm add vite-plugin-deadfile

Imports

deadFile

wrong

import { deadFile } from 'vite-plugin-deadfile'

correct

import deadFile from 'vite-plugin-deadfile'

Default export. Named import deadFile will be undefined. Use default import.

DeadFileOptions

wrong

const DeadFileOptions = require('vite-plugin-deadfile').DeadFileOptions

correct

import type { DeadFileOptions } from 'vite-plugin-deadfile'

TypeScript type only, not a runtime value.

deadFile (CommonJS)

wrong

const deadFile = require('vite-plugin-deadfile')

correct

const deadFile = require('vite-plugin-deadfile').default

CommonJS import requires .default access. The package is ESM-first.

Quickstart

Shows basic setup: import deadFile, pass options (root, include/exclude patterns, throw on found, output to file).

// vite.config.js
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import deadFile from 'vite-plugin-deadfile';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [deadFile({
    root: 'src',
    include: ['**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}'],
    exclude: ['**/*.test.*', '**/*.spec.*'],
    throwWhenFound: true,
    output: 'dead-files.txt'
  })],
});