lingui macro import failed wrong babel plugin order

Fix lingui macro import failing from wrong babel plugin order

TL;DR

The lingui macro plugin must run before other transforms, so move it to the front of your babel plugins list. If another plugin transforms the JSX or the tagged templates first, the macro sees already-changed code and the import fails. Plugin order in babel is first-to-last for plugins, so put lingui first.

The error

Error: @lingui/macro: unable to transform, was the babel plugin applied?
import { t } from '@lingui/macro' left untransformed in output

Fix it

Step 1: Inspect your babel plugin order

grep -n "plugins" -A 10 babel.config.js | head -15

Expected: You see the plugins array in order.

Step 2: Move the lingui macro plugin to the front

node -e "console.log('plugins: [\"@lingui/babel-plugin-lingui-macro\", ...rest] -- first position')"

Expected: Lingui macro is the first plugin in the list.

Step 3: Clear babel cache and rebuild

npx babel --version && rm -rf node_modules/.cache && npx lingui extract | tail -3

Expected: Extraction runs and macro imports are transformed.

Step 4: Check the compiled output has no macro imports left

grep -rn "@lingui/macro" dist/ | head -3

Expected: No untransformed macro imports remain in the output.

When to use this

• Lingui macro imports survive into the compiled output
• The error asks whether the babel plugin was applied

When NOT to use this

• The plugin runs but messages are missing, check the macro usage itself
• You use SWC instead of babel, configure the SWC lingui plugin instead

Tool and version compatibility

• @lingui/babel-plugin-lingui-macro v3/v4, Babel 7
• Does not apply to SWC-based builds

Variant phrasings

macro works in dev but not in the production build

You have two babel configs and only one lists the plugin. Unify them or extend the prod config from the base.

conflict with the typescript preset

Order still matters, macro first, then preset-typescript. Presets run in reverse order, plugins run first-to-last.

Why it happens

Babel runs plugins in array order, each transforming the output of the last. The lingui macro needs to see the original t and Trans calls. If JSX or TypeScript transforms run first, the code shape changes and the macro no longer recognizes its own calls, leaving the import untransformed.

Edge cases

• babel.config.js at the root applies everywhere, .babelrc files can override per folder
• Cache hides order fixes, always clear the babel cache after reordering
• Some frameworks inject their own babel config, check for merged configs

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_UPyc2QrKD3-YHywu2HOFDg

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_UPyc2QrKD3-YHywu2HOFDg

Thread query: lingui macro import failed wrong babel plugin order

TL;DR: The lingui macro plugin must run before other transforms, so move it to the front of your babel plugins list. If another plugin transforms the JSX or the tagged templates first, the macro sees already-changed code and the import fails. Plugin order in babel is first-to-last for plugins, so put lingui first.