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SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module

SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module

In one sentence: Node.js is reading your file as old-style CommonJS, so it doesn't understand the modern `import` syntax.

What it means

JavaScript has two module systems: the modern one (`import` / `export`, called ES modules) and Node's older one (`require` / `module.exports`, called CommonJS). Node decides which one a `.js` file uses from your `package.json`.

If `package.json` doesn't say `"type": "module"`, Node treats `.js` files as CommonJS, and the first `import` line throws this error.

Common causes

• Running a script directly with `node script.js` when it uses `import` and `package.json` has no `"type": "module"`.
• A test runner (often Jest) that isn't set up for ES modules or TypeScript.
• Running a `.ts` file with plain `node` instead of a TypeScript runner.
• Mixing `require` and `import` in the same project after an AI tool copied code from different examples.

How to fix it

1. For your own Node scripts: add `"type": "module"` to `package.json`, or rename the file to `.mjs`.
2. For TypeScript files: run them with `npx tsx script.ts` instead of `node`.
3. For Jest: use a setup that supports ES modules and TypeScript, or switch to Vitest, which handles `import` out of the box.
4. Pick one style per project and convert stray `require` calls to `import` (or the other way around).

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "type": "module"
}

Prompt to paste into your AI tool

Node throws 'Cannot use import statement outside a module'. Figure out whether this project should use ES modules or CommonJS, make package.json and the file extensions consistent with that, and run TypeScript files with tsx. Explain what you changed.

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