Node 25.7.0 runtime failure from yargs v17 (require is not defined)

[chenrui333]

After Node 25.7.0 rollout in Homebrew (homebrew/homebrew-core#269249), marp-cli fails at runtime due to yargs v17.

Error:

ReferenceError: require is not defined in ES module scope, you can use import instead
at .../node_modules/yargs/yargs:3
Node.js v25.7.0

Homebrew failure evidence:

• https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/actions/runs/22557136565/job/65336577807

Local repro with Homebrew bottle:

• marp --version fails with the same stack

Upstream context:

• yargs issue for Node 25.7 + yargs v17: Node.js v25.7 and 26 breaks yargs v16 and v17 yargs/yargs#2509

Could you cut a fix/release compatible with Node 25.7+ (or otherwise advise a supported workaround)?

[yhatt]

Thank you for organizing the issue clearly 👍

As workarounds, you can either use a standalone binary (bundles a compatible version of Node.js) or use a stable release of Node.js (even-numbered versions).

The root cause is expected to be resolved by an update to yargs, #670. However, since it includes incompatibilities with older versions of Node.js, it would be difficult to merge the update immediately. Currently we have to wait for the upstream patch release.

[stefanhaerter]

+1 on this issue. Experienced it with Arch Linux. Temporarily downgraded nodejs to 25.4 again - leaving the instructions here in case they are useful: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Downgrading_packages

[yhatt]

It seems Node.js is addressing an incompatible change in nodejs/node#62083. It will probably be fixed in a future version update.

IMO: To avoid issues caused by the incompatibility from the latest version, it's recommended to use the stable version (even-numbered major versions, LTS) of Node for common use, rather than development versions (odd-numbered major versions).

UPDATE: Form Node.js v26, you will no longer need to consider whether it is odd or even version: https://nodejs.org/blog/announcements/evolving-the-nodejs-release-schedule

[yhatt]

UPDATE: Node.js discussion has been more heated than anticipated, and I'm not sure if this regression will be addressed. Due to this confusion, yargs also seems unable to reflect a fix immediately.

Again, if you are using the latest odd-version Node.js (25) for regurlar operations, it would be wise to downgrade into even-numbered version of Node.js (24). Currently odd major versions of Node.js have been treated as in-development version, and I feel that it's not designed for common using.

[yhatt]

Node.js 25.8.1 has been released, with including fixed module resolution.

Note

An upcoming Node.js 26+ will reintroduce the renewed module resolution behavior, which revives an error in the current yargs v17. yargs is currently working on forward compatibility: yargs/yargs#2514

[yhatt]

Node.js v26 has been released! However, the fix PR of yargs is not yet merged and shipped, so this error is re-introduced in Node.js 26.

[stefanhaerter]

Thank you for the heads up 😊