[castrog]

Summary

• Add a runtime-dependency-free @pandacss/dev/define entry point for configuration helpers.
• Preserve existing @pandacss/dev imports through root re-exports.
• Preserve flat and namespaced token APIs such as defineTokens.colors().
• Document how published libraries can bundle the entry point with tsup.

Why

I use Panda’s definition helpers in a published design-system package. When the library build externalizes @pandacss/dev, calls such as definePattern(...) remain in the emitted JavaScript. Production SSR then requires a package that was only installed for development and fails with ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND when it is absent.

Bundlers externalize modules rather than individual exports. The dedicated entry point allows a library to bundle these small helpers while continuing to externalize the rest of @pandacss/dev:

import { definePattern } from '@pandacss/dev/define'

import { defineConfig } from 'tsup'

export default defineConfig({
  noExternal: ['@pandacss/dev/define']
})

defineParts remains on the root entry point because it depends on PandaError. Including it would add an @pandacss/shared runtime dependency to the new entry point. Existing root imports and behavior remain unchanged.

If this API direction works for the project, I can follow with the equivalent v2 change so design systems can use the same import path while migrating.

Verification

• pnpm --filter @pandacss/dev... build-fast
• pnpm --filter @pandacss/dev build
• pnpm test packages/cli
• Prettier and git diff --check
• Built a tsup consumer with noExternal: ['@pandacss/dev/define']; the output contained only the imported helper, retained no Panda imports, and ran successfully.

Confidence Score: 4/5

The implementation appears safe to merge, with a non-blocking test coverage gap around the generated package entry point.

Findings

1.  Published Entry Remains Untested ▶

Fix with agent prompt

### Issue 1
packages/cli/__tests__/define.test.ts:1-2
These imports resolve through Vitest's source aliases, so this test does not exercise the new `dist/define.*` export targets used by published consumers. A build that omits or misconfigures those files could pass this test while `@pandacss/dev/define` fails after publication. Add a smoke test against the built or packed package to cover the new entry point's distribution contract.

Note: If this suggestion doesn't match your team's coding style, reply to this and let me know. I'll remember it for next time!

---

For each issue above, determine whether it is valid and should be fixed. If so, fix it directly.

Summary

• Adds package export targets and a minor changeset for the new entry point.
• Moves dependency-free helpers into src/define.ts, leaving defineParts on the root entry point.
• Documents bundling the subpath into published component libraries with tsup.
• Adds source-level API compatibility tests, but does not test the generated package artifacts.

Diagram

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
flowchart LR
  Library[Published design-system source] -->|imports helpers| Define["@pandacss/dev/define"]
  Define --> Helpers["Dependency-free define helpers"]
  Library -->|tsup noExternal| Bundle[Bundled library output]
  Helpers --> Bundle
  Root["@pandacss/dev root entry"] -->|re-exports| Helpers
  Root --> Parts["defineParts and PandaError dependency"]

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_{Reviews (1) · Last reviewed commit: "feat(dev): add a bundleable define entry..."}

[changeset-bot]

🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: 72f15ca

The changes in this PR will be included in the next version bump.

This PR includes changesets to release 24 packages

Name	Type
@pandacss/dev	Minor
@pandacss/astro-plugin-studio	Minor
@pandacss/config	Minor
@pandacss/core	Minor
@pandacss/extractor	Minor
@pandacss/generator	Minor
@pandacss/is-valid-prop	Minor
@pandacss/logger	Minor
@pandacss/mcp	Minor
@pandacss/node	Minor
@pandacss/parser	Minor
@pandacss/plugin-lightningcss	Minor
@pandacss/plugin-svelte	Minor
@pandacss/plugin-vue	Minor
@pandacss/postcss	Minor
@pandacss/preset-atlaskit	Minor
@pandacss/preset-base	Minor
@pandacss/preset-open-props	Minor
@pandacss/preset-panda	Minor
@pandacss/reporter	Minor
@pandacss/shared	Minor
@pandacss/studio	Minor
@pandacss/token-dictionary	Minor
@pandacss/types	Minor

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[segunadebayo]

Thanks for this, and for doing the v2 version in #3811. That's where we'd like this to live. v1 is mostly getting fixes at this point, and this one has a workaround there: import the types only and use satisfies, so nothing from @pandacss/dev ends up in your build output.

import type { PatternConfig } from '@pandacss/dev'

export const stack = { ... } satisfies PatternConfig

When you move to v2, @pandacss/dev/define will be there. Closing this one, but I appreciate the careful write-up.