Provide Must Be Called Synchronously During Setup

Impact: HIGH - The provide() function must be called synchronously during the component's setup() phase. Calling it asynchronously (inside callbacks, promises, or after await) will fail silently, and descendant components will not receive the provided value.

Task Checklist

• [ ] Always call provide() at the top level of setup() or <script setup>
• [ ] Never call provide() inside async callbacks or after await statements
• [ ] For async data, provide a ref first, then update its value later
• [ ] Use immediate provide() with reactive containers for dynamic data

The Gotcha: Async Provide Fails Silently

Wrong - Provide after async operation:

<script setup>
import { provide } from 'vue'

// WRONG: provide() called after await - will NOT work
onMounted(async () => {
  const userData = await fetchUser()
  provide('user', userData) // Silent failure!
})
</script>

Wrong - Provide inside callback:

<script setup>
import { provide } from 'vue'

// WRONG: provide() inside callback - will NOT work
setTimeout(() => {
  provide('config', { theme: 'dark' }) // Silent failure!
}, 0)
</script>

Wrong - Provide after await in setup:

<script setup>
import { provide } from 'vue'

const response = await fetch('/api/config')
const config = await response.json()

// WRONG: This is after an await, setup context may be lost
provide('config', config) // May not work reliably
</script>

Solution: Provide Synchronously, Update Async

Correct - Provide ref immediately, update later:

<script setup>
import { provide, ref, onMounted } from 'vue'

// Provide immediately with initial value
const user = ref(null)
const isLoading = ref(true)
const error = ref(null)

provide('userState', {
  user,
  isLoading,
  error
})

// Update the ref values asynchronously
onMounted(async () => {
  try {
    const userData = await fetchUser()
    user.value = userData
  } catch (e) {
    error.value = e
  } finally {
    isLoading.value = false
  }
})
</script>

<!-- Consumer component -->
<script setup>
import { inject } from 'vue'

const { user, isLoading, error } = inject('userState')
</script>

<template>
  <div v-if="isLoading">Loading...</div>
  <div v-else-if="error">Error: {{ error.message }}</div>
  <div v-else>Welcome, {{ user?.name }}</div>
</template>

Pattern: Async Data Provider

Create a reusable pattern for async-provided data:

<!-- AsyncDataProvider.vue -->
<script setup>
import { provide, ref, onMounted, watch } from 'vue'

const props = defineProps({
  fetchFn: {
    type: Function,
    required: true
  },
  provideKey: {
    type: [String, Symbol],
    required: true
  },
  immediate: {
    type: Boolean,
    default: true
  }
})

const data = ref(null)
const isLoading = ref(false)
const error = ref(null)

async function load() {
  isLoading.value = true
  error.value = null

  try {
    data.value = await props.fetchFn()
  } catch (e) {
    error.value = e
  } finally {
    isLoading.value = false
  }
}

// Provide synchronously
provide(props.provideKey, {
  data,
  isLoading,
  error,
  reload: load
})

// Fetch asynchronously
if (props.immediate) {
  onMounted(load)
}
</script>

<template>
  <slot />
</template>

Usage:

<template>
  <AsyncDataProvider
    :fetch-fn="() => api.getUser(userId)"
    provide-key="userData"
  >
    <UserProfile />
  </AsyncDataProvider>
</template>

Why This Happens

Vue's provide() relies on the current component instance context, which is only available synchronously during setup. After setup completes:

1. The setup context is cleared
2. provide() can't find the current instance
3. The call fails silently (no error thrown)

Checking for Setup Context

You can verify if setup context is available:

import { getCurrentInstance } from 'vue'

function debugProvide(key, value) {
  const instance = getCurrentInstance()

  if (!instance) {
    console.error(
      `provide() called outside setup context. ` +
      `Key: ${String(key)}. This will fail silently.`
    )
    return
  }

  provide(key, value)
}

App-Level Provide (Exception)

app.provide() can be called anytime during app initialization:

// main.js
import { createApp } from 'vue'
import App from './App.vue'

const app = createApp(App)

// This works - app-level provide
app.provide('appConfig', { version: '1.0.0' })

// Even async is OK at app level before mount
fetchConfig().then(config => {
  app.provide('apiConfig', config)
  app.mount('#app')
})

But once the app is mounted, app.provide() should not be called.

Reference

• Vue.js Composition API - provide()
• Vue.js Provide/Inject Guide