Upload spinner never finishes due to missing @wordpress/vips module when Gutenberg plugin is active #76563
Description
Description
Environment:
WordPress: 6.9.4
Gutenberg plugin: 22.7.0
Server: Linux (nginx/Apache not relevant to issue)
Browser: Chrome (latest)
Other plugins: Autoptimize, WP Super Cache, Redis Object Cache, The Events Calendar, etc.
Description:
When using the block editor with the Gutenberg plugin enabled, uploading an image directly via:
“Add block → Image → Upload”
results in the file being successfully uploaded to the Media Library, but the editor UI shows an infinite loading spinner and the image is not inserted into the post.
Uploading the same image via:
Media Library → Add New
works correctly.
Console Error:
Upload cancelled: File could not be uploaded
Caused by: TypeError: Failed to resolve module specifier '@wordpress/vips/worker'
Observed Behavior:
The file is uploaded successfully to the server.
admin-ajax.php returns HTTP 200.
The editor remains stuck with a loading spinner.
The image is not inserted into the block.
Investigation:
The directory /wp-includes/js/dist/vips/ does not exist in WordPress 6.9.4.
The Gutenberg plugin (v22.7.0) attempts to import @wordpress/vips/worker.
This module is not present in the WordPress core version used.
Reinstalling WordPress core did not resolve the issue.
No server-side errors were found.
Workaround:
Disabling the Gutenberg plugin resolves the issue immediately:
The built-in WordPress block editor works correctly.
Image upload and insertion function normally.
Conclusion:
This appears to be a compatibility issue where the Gutenberg plugin version (22.7.0) depends on a module (@wordpress/vips) that is not included in the corresponding WordPress core version (6.9.4).
Expected Behavior:
Gutenberg plugin should not attempt to load modules that are not present in the current WordPress core.
Or it should fail gracefully without breaking the image upload UI.
Additional Notes:
This may affect production environments where Gutenberg plugin is installed alongside stable WordPress releases. The issue is not obvious because uploads technically succeed, but the editor fails silently.
Step-by-step reproduction instructions
Install WordPress 6.9.4
Install and activate Gutenberg plugin 22.7.0
Open block editor
Add Image block
Upload image directly
Result: infinite spinner + console error
Screenshots, screen recording, code snippet
No response
Environment info
No response
Please confirm that you have searched existing issues in the repo.
- Yes
Please confirm that you have tested with all plugins deactivated except Gutenberg.
- Yes
Please confirm which theme type you used for testing.
- Block
- Classic
- Hybrid (e.g. classic with theme.json)
- Not sure