Vite creates .vite/deps_temp_* temp files in the project directory unexpectedly

[Junah-Park]

Vite is generating temporary dependency files in my project, specifically inside .vite/deps_temp_* directories. These files unexpectedly get added to Git when I commit changes, and I don't want them polluting my repository.

client/.vite/deps_temp_1ddde431/package.json

{
  "type": "module"
}

Steps to Reproduce

Start a Vite project.
Run the dev server (vite or npm run dev).

git add .
git commit -m "message"

Notice that a .vite/deps_temp_* directory is included in the commit.

Expected Behavior

Vite should not create these temp files inside my project workspace.

Workarounds Tried

Adding .vite/ to .gitignore (I do not want to add this to .gitignore).

Modifying vite.config.js:

export default defineConfig({
  cacheDir: "/tmp/vite_cache",
});
This prevents the issue but is not an ideal solution.
Disabling optimizeDeps, but that slows down performance:
js
Copy
Edit
export default defineConfig({
  optimizeDeps: {
    disabled: true,
  },
});

Vite Version: 5.3.4
OS: CentOS 9
Node Version: 18

How do I prevent these files from being randomly created and staying in my project folder?

[Junah-Park]

Found one solution:

By default, Vite creates a .vite folder in your project root for caching. You can instruct it to use a subfolder of node_modules instead. Most people already ignore node_modules, so this automatically keeps any temp files out of Git.

Update vite.config.js (or vite.config.ts)

import { defineConfig } from 'vite'

export default defineConfig({
  // ...
  cacheDir: 'node_modules/.vite', // <--- Move Vite’s cache inside node_modules
})

[sapphi-red]

Vite creates the .vite folder in the node_modules next to the nearest package.json. It that doesn't exist, then Vite will create .vite folder next to the config. I guess it's happening because you don't have a package.json.

vite/packages/vite/src/node/config.ts

Lines 1302 to 1309 in ce0ccc6

	const pkgDir = findNearestPackageData(resolvedRoot, packageCache)?.dir
	const cacheDir = normalizePath(
	config.cacheDir
	? path.resolve(resolvedRoot, config.cacheDir)
	: pkgDir
	? path.join(pkgDir, `node_modules/.vite`)
	: path.join(resolvedRoot, `.vite`),
	)