Prettier "Cannot find plugin" - Fix Missing Prettier Plugins in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

Prettier tried to load a plugin named in your config and could not find it. The plugin is referenced in .prettierrc (or the prettier key) but was never installed - or only installed locally and not declared as a dependency.

What this error means

Running Prettier (directly or via prettier --check in CI) fails with Cannot find plugin "<x>" or Couldn't resolve plugin "<x>", naming the plugin from your config.

prettier output

[error] Cannot find plugin "prettier-plugin-tailwindcss". Did you forget to
install it?
[error] Resolved config from '/app/.prettierrc' references a missing plugin.

Common causes

Plugin not installed

A plugin listed in .prettierrc plugins (e.g. prettier-plugin-tailwindcss, @prettier/plugin-php) is not in package.json, so a clean install does not provide it.

Plugin path/name wrong

A misspelled plugin name, or a path-style reference that does not resolve from the config location, fails to load.

How to fix it

Install the plugins your config lists

Add every plugin named in .prettierrc as a dev dependency.

Terminal

npm install -D prettier prettier-plugin-tailwindcss
npm ls prettier-plugin-tailwindcss

Reference plugins by resolvable name

List the installed package name in the config.

.prettierrc

// .prettierrc
{ "plugins": ["prettier-plugin-tailwindcss"] }

How to prevent it

Declare every Prettier plugin in devDependencies.
Install with npm ci so CI matches the lockfile.
Keep .prettierrc plugins entries pointed at installed packages.

Frequently asked questions

What causes ""Cannot find plugin""?

A plugin listed in .prettierrc plugins (e.g. prettier-plugin-tailwindcss, @prettier/plugin-php) is not in package.json, so a clean install does not provide it.

How do I fix "Cannot find plugin"?

Add every plugin named in .prettierrc as a dev dependency.