Does Vite's config caching cause stale asset references with dynamic imports?

Answer first

No. Vite's config cache alone does not cause stale asset references for dynamic imports in Vite 5.x. Stale 404s after changing files that are referenced via glob patterns in config are a watcher invalidation gap, not a bug in dynamic import handling. Dynamic imports are tracked by the module graph and HMR. Config-derived assets are tracked separately and are only rebuilt when the config file itself changes.

Confirmed facts

• Vite persists resolved config and derived asset graphs under .vite. The dev server reloads config and rebuilds the manifest when vite.config.* is saved.
• vite clear-cache exists and removes the persistent .vite cache. It is a full, all-or-nothing operation and terminates in-memory dev server state. There is no granular API to invalidate only config-derived assets.
• Dynamic import chunks are content-hash based. The module graph updates on source file changes via the file system watcher. A restart or cache clear is not required for normal dynamic import updates.

Likely explanation for the symptom you describe

When a glob pattern lives in vite.config.ts, e.g. for manualChunks, assets inclusion, or plugin options, Vite computes the matched set at config resolve time. The cache key incorporates file system metadata for the config, not for every file the glob can match. Therefore:

• Adding, removing or renaming files that match the glob does NOT invalidate the config cache.
• The dev server keeps serving the previously resolved asset list and chunk references until the config file mtime changes or the server restarts.
• This can manifest as 404s for dynamically imported chunks that were generated from the old glob set, even though the source code changed.

This is a config-derived asset graph staleness problem, not a dynamic import cache problem.

Steps needed for this case

1. Identify where the glob is used. If it is in vite.config.ts, change the config file to force reload, e.g. touch vite.config.ts, or restart the dev server.
2. If you need reliable updates without manual restarts, move glob resolution out of config into source code where possible, e.g. use import.meta.glob instead of a config-time glob. Source-level globs are watched by the module graph.
3. As a last resort for persistent 404s after config-glob changes, run vite clear-cache then restart the dev server. Expect loss of HMR state.

One missing diagnostic detail that changes the recommendation: Is the glob pattern used inside vite.config.ts for build/asset options, or is it used in application code via import.meta.glob / dynamic import expressions? Config-time globs require config reload; source-time globs are HMR-aware.