importing monorepo package throws "server relative imports are not implemented yet"

[snebjorn]

Summary

I've run into an issue with using my own package in my nextjs setup. The package is imported using the yarn workspace syntax

"orval": "workspace:*"

When I use turbopack I get this error

When I use webpack and esmExternals: 'loose' it almost works. But I run into another issue with the package find-up not being imported correctly.

How do I use my own package in a nextjs project?

Additional information

project structure:

root
 └── docs <-- nextjs project
 └── packages
     ├── package-a
     ├── package-b <-- these are the packages I want to use

### Example

https://github.com/snebjorn/orval/tree/docs-cleanup/docs

[akrmcodes]

I had a similar setup (Next.js app in docs/ + Yarn workspaces packages). A couple of things helped:

Transpile local workspaces
In docs/next.config.js, make sure your internal packages are transpiled by Next (works with both Turbopack and webpack):

 @type {import('next').NextConfig}
const nextConfig = {
  transpilePackages: ['package-a', 'package-b'], // your workspace packages
  // If you fall back to webpack:
  experimental: { esmExternals: 'loose' }, // optional (webpack-only)
};
module.exports = nextConfig;

This tells Next to bundle/transform your internal packages (replaces next-transpile-modules).
Docs: Next.js transpilePackages.
Next.js

ESM externals & find-up
find-up is ESM-only in recent versions. If any consumer uses require('find-up'), it breaks. Use ESM or a dynamic import:

// ESM usage inside your package:
import { findUp } from 'find-up';
// or dynamic:
const { findUp } = await import('find-up');

Alternatively, pin a CJS-compatible version of find-up as a quick test.
Background on ESM externals in Next:
Next.js

Turbopack vs webpack
experimental.esmExternals applies to webpack, not Turbopack. With Turbopack, make sure your workspace packages ship ESM (or are transpiled via transpilePackages) and avoid require() on ESM deps. Turbopack config reference:
Next.js

Package exports
In each workspace package, define a clear ESM export in package.json:

{
  "name": "package-a",
  "type": "module",
  "exports": {
    ".": {
      "import": "./dist/index.js"
    }
  }
}

(Or provide both ESM/CJS if you need compatibility.)

After adding the above, remove lockfile and reinstall to ensure links are fresh:

rm -rf node_modules .turbo .next
pnpm i   # or yarn / npm

Then next dev (Turbopack) should start without the import error; webpack + esmExternals: 'loose' should also work if you prefer webpack for now.

[snebjorn]

thank you, this was really helpful ❤️

When using Turbopack I keep getting the "server relative imports are not implemented yet" error.
But downgrading find-up and using webpack get me further.

I'm curious as to why that works. I thought build tools took care of this.
With find-up@5 the "compiled" code looks like this

var import_find_up = __toESM(require("find-up"));

with find-up@7 it's

var import_find_up = require("find-up");

Also NextJS seem to output CJS which could be part of the problem. Is there a way to make it output ESM?

[akrmcodes]

Yeah, the reason webpack “works” but Turbopack fails is that find-up@7 is ESM-only.
When you do require('find-up'), webpack can patch it with esmExternals: 'loose', but Turbopack doesn’t support that interop yet.

That’s why find-up@5 (CJS) works fine, while v7 throws the “server relative imports” error.
The real fix is to switch your usage to ESM:

// in ESM files
import { findUp } from 'find-up'

// in CJS
const { findUp } = await import('find-up')
You don’t really control Next’s output format (CJS vs ESM) — the key is making your own packages and imports ESM-friendly.
If you need a quick workaround: pin find-up@5 and later move to ESM when Turbopack’s interop improve