perf(nuxt): disable NuxtLink visibility prefetching in dev mode#34325
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perf(nuxt): disable NuxtLink visibility prefetching in dev mode#34325
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Vite's dependency optimizer triggers a full page reload whenever it discovers a new dependency after the initial crawl. In dev, NuxtLink's prefetch (via IntersectionObserver/interaction) imports page chunks for routes the user isn't on, which can discover unbundled deps and reload the current page — losing component state. Route prefetching has negligible value in dev (localhost latency is instant), so skip it entirely: - `preloadRouteComponents` returns early when `import.meta.dev` - prefetch plugin skips `link:prefetch` hook registration in dev Layout loading on actual navigation (`router.beforeEach`) is preserved.
NuxtLink's shouldPrefetch already returns early in dev, so link:prefetch is never emitted and the plugin guard is unnecessary.
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WalkthroughThe prefetch logic in the Nuxt Link component now includes an additional development mode guard. The preload path will not execute when in development mode, alongside existing conditions that prevent preloading for external links or targeted content. This guard condition has been added to the existing check logic without modifying other control flow operations. 🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3 | ❌ 1❌ Failed checks (1 warning)
✅ Passed checks (3 passed)
✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings. ✨ Finishing touches
🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)
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Prefetch is now disabled in dev, so the test waiting for a prefetched payload request will time out.
Payload prefetch (JSON) doesn't trigger Vite dep discovery — only preloadRouteComponents (JS chunk imports) does. Move the dev guard to the specific call site instead of shouldPrefetch.
danielroe
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🔗 Linked issue
📚 Description
All page chunks are lazy in Nuxt. When we hit a page chunk and Vite finds dependencies that it wasn't able to find on the initial crawl, it can cause a reload.
When we load a Nuxt page and we preload NuxtLink's based on visibility, this leads to several unoptimized dependencies discovered as we try and use the page. As these optimizations can feel a bit cryptic, it's not clear to end users what's going on, it just feels buggy.
This is partially helped with #34320
To resolve this we can stop preloading in dev. This means that if a user navigates to a page for a dependency they don't have, it triggers a reload as they access the page. Still annoying but less disruptive.
Route prefetching has negligible value in dev, so
shouldPrefetch()now returns early whenimport.meta.dev. We do lose some environmental parity which is a concern and worth discussing if the trade-off is worth it.This should visualize how annoying it is https://stackblitz.com/edit/nuxt-starter-tfkhuqhq?file=app%2Fpages%2Findex.vue
Alternative: Maybe set a small window where we can preload links < 500ms before any meaningful interaction (i.e above the fold links are prefetched)