with TeX in notebook, `:ssr` + `:package :directory` build throws error “document is not defined”

[formsandlines]

This is a follow-up issue from #759 (comment) and may be related to: #757 .

When I include TeX in a notebook and try an :ssr build with :package :directory, I get an error that says “document is not defined”. As in issue 757, it doesn’t happen with :package :single-file or without the ssr option.

clerk-ssr-test % clojure -X:clerk
👷🏼 Clerk is building 1 notebooks…
🧐 Parsing… Done in 18,129ms. ✅
🔬 Analyzing… Done in 34,085ms. ✅
🔨 Building "notebooks/foo.clj"… Done in 21,957ms. ✅
🧱 Server Side Rendering… Execution error (ExceptionInfo) at nextjournal.clerk.builder/ssr! (builder.clj:223).
Clerk ssr! failed
<div class="fixed w-full z-20 top-0 left-0 w-full"></div><div class="flex"><div class="fixed top-2 left-2 md:left-auto md:right-2 z-10"><div class="relative dark-mode-toggle"><button class="text-slate-400 hover:text-slate-600 dark:hover:text-white cursor-pointer"><svg class="w-5 h-5 md:w-4 md:h-4" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><circle cx="11.9998" cy="11.9998" r="5.75375" fill="currentColor"></circle><g><circle cx="3.08982" cy="6.85502" r="1.71143" transform="rotate(-60 3.08982 6.85502)" fill="currentColor"></circle><circle cx="3.0903" cy="17.1436" r="1.71143" transform="rotate(-120 3.0903 17.1436)" fill="currentColor"></circle><circle cx="12" cy="22.2881" r="1.71143" fill="currentColor"></circle><circle cx="20.9101" cy="17.1436" r="1.71143" transform="rotate(-60 20.9101 17.1436)" fill="currentColor"></circle><circle cx="20.9101" cy="6.8555" r="1.71143" transform="rotate(-120 20.9101 6.8555)" fill="currentColor"></circle><circle cx="12" cy="1.71143" r="1.71143" fill="currentColor"></circle></g></svg></button></div></div><div class="flex-auto w-screen scroll-container"><div class="flex flex-col items-center notebook-viewer flex-auto" style="margin-left:0px"><div class="viewer w-full max-w-prose px-8 not-prose mt-3"><div class="mb-8 text-xs sans-serif text-slate-400"><span>Generated with <a href="https://clerk.vision" class="font-medium border-b border-dotted border-slate-300 hover:text-indigo-500 hover:border-indigo-500 dark:border-slate-500 dark:hover:text-white dark:hover:border-white transition">Clerk</a> from <a class="font-medium border-b border-dotted border-slate-300 hover:text-indigo-500 hover:border-indigo-500 dark:border-slate-500 dark:hover:text-white dark:hover:border-white transition">notebooks/foo.clj</a></span></div></div><div data-block-id="user/anon-expr-5dsiYMRgYd5pbG5TCNNs11twNYBwsy-code" class="viewer code-viewer w-full max-w-wide"><div class="cm-editor"><cm-scroller><div class="cm-content whitespace-pre"><div style="padding:0;line-height:1.6;font-size:15px;font-family:&quot;Fira Mono&quot;, monospace" class="cm-line">(<span class="cmt-keyword">ns</span> <span class="cmt-variableName">foo</span></div><div style="padding:0;line-height:1.6;font-size:15px;font-family:&quot;Fira Mono&quot;, monospace" class="cm-line">  (<span class="cmt-atom">:require</span> [nextjournal.clerk <span class="cmt-atom">:as</span> clerk]))</div></div></cm-scroller></div></div><div data-block-id="foo/markdown-5dshM3hcEoFK4LJksZVmFuxPfzFoq7" class="viewer markdown-viewer w-full max-w-prose px-8"><h1 id="tex-test">TeX Test</h1><p>inline: <!-- -->Loading...</p><p>function call:</p></div><div data-block-id="foo/anon-expr-5dsJKaV9F7b2js1tEK1BiLiGGozqzo-code" class="viewer code-viewer w-full max-w-wide"><div class="cm-editor"><cm-scroller><div class="cm-content whitespace-pre"><div style="padding:0;line-height:1.6;font-size:15px;font-family:&quot;Fira Mono&quot;, monospace" class="cm-line">(<span class="cmt-keyword">clerk/tex</span> <span class="cmt-string">&quot;</span><span class="cmt-string">x^2</span><span class="cmt-string">&quot;</span>)</div></div></cm-scroller></div></div><div class="result-viewer viewer katex-viewer w-full max-w-prose px-8" data-block-id="foo/anon-expr-5dsJKaV9F7b2js1tEK1BiLiGGozqzo-result-1"><div class="relative"><div class="overflow-x-auto">Loading...</div></div></div></div></div></div>

file:///private/var/folders/7n/gm331n5d4sd5c8dh6lbq67w00000gn/T/7c2fb2d5-9283-4c12-a6f2-86c26dbed65d5891955662222770555.mjs:2306
(Db=Db.slice(2));Db=Oa.test(Db)?Db:`${Db}.js`;break a}Db=void 0}return`${bb}${ob}@${Fb}/${Db||"index.js"}`}}function x(bb){function cb(Fb){if(typeof Fb!=="string")return Fb;let Jb=ob.get(Fb);Jb||ob.set(Fb,Jb=new Promise((fc,Rb)=>{const J=document.createElement("script");J.onload=()=>{try{fc(V.pop()(sb(Fb)))}catch(F){Rb(new Aa("invalid module"))}J.remove()};J.onerror=()=>{Rb(new Aa("unable to load module"));J.remove()};J.async=!0;J.src=Fb;window.define=X;document.head.appendChild(J)}));return Jb}function sb(Fb){return Jb=>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ^

ReferenceError: document is not defined
    at file:///private/var/folders/7n/gm331n5d4sd5c8dh6lbq67w00000gn/T/7c2fb2d5-9283-4c12-a6f2-86c26dbed65d5891955662222770555.mjs:2306:239
    at new Promise (<anonymous>)
    at cb (file:///private/var/folders/7n/gm331n5d4sd5c8dh6lbq67w00000gn/T/7c2fb2d5-9283-4c12-a6f2-86c26dbed65d5891955662222770555.mjs:2306:209)
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)

Node.js v22.17.1
----- Native stack trace -----

 1: 0x104631008 node::errors::TriggerUncaughtException(v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value> const&) (.cold.1) [/usr/local/bin/node]
 2: 0x10286786c node::errors::Initialize(v8::Local<v8::Object>, v8::Local<v8::Value>, v8::Local<v8::Context>, void*) [/usr/local/bin/node]
 3: 0x10346af98 Builtins_CallApiCallbackGeneric [/usr/local/bin/node]
 4: 0x103468ef0 Builtins_InterpreterEntryTrampoline [/usr/local/bin/node]
 5: 0x1097539b0
 6: 0x1096f99ec
 7: 0x103466c0c Builtins_JSEntryTrampoline [/usr/local/bin/node]
 8: 0x1034668f4 Builtins_JSEntry [/usr/local/bin/node]
 9: 0x102ba2fbc v8::internal::(anonymous namespace)::Invoke(v8::internal::Isolate*, v8::internal::(anonymous namespace)::InvokeParams const&) [/usr/local/bin/node]
10: 0x102ba2918 v8::internal::Execution::Call(v8::internal::Isolate*, v8::internal::Handle<v8::internal::Object>, v8::internal::Handle<v8::internal::Object>, int, v8::internal::Handle<v8::internal::Object>*) [/usr/local/bin/node]
11: 0x102a51f04 v8::Function::Call(v8::Local<v8::Context>, v8::Local<v8::Value>, int, v8::Local<v8::Value>*) [/usr/local/bin/node]
12: 0x102765a80 node::InternalCallbackScope::Close() [/usr/local/bin/node]
13: 0x102765cc4 node::InternalMakeCallback(node::Environment*, v8::Local<v8::Object>, v8::Local<v8::Object>, v8::Local<v8::Function>, int, v8::Local<v8::Value>*, node::async_context, v8::Local<v8::Value>) [/usr/local/bin/node]
14: 0x10277ba7c node::AsyncWrap::MakeCallback(v8::Local<v8::Function>, int, v8::Local<v8::Value>*) [/usr/local/bin/node]
15: 0x10296d5f0 node::(anonymous namespace)::CompressionStream<node::(anonymous namespace)::BrotliDecoderContext>::AfterThreadPoolWork(int) [/usr/local/bin/node]
16: 0x102827e68 node::ThreadPoolWork::ScheduleWork()::'lambda'(uv_work_s*, int)::operator()(uv_work_s*, int) const [/usr/local/bin/node]
17: 0x102827d1c node::ThreadPoolWork::ScheduleWork()::'lambda'(uv_work_s*, int)::__invoke(uv_work_s*, int) [/usr/local/bin/node]
18: 0x103442c44 uv__work_done [/usr/local/bin/node]
19: 0x103446974 uv__async_io [/usr/local/bin/node]
20: 0x10345ad0c uv__io_poll [/usr/local/bin/node]
21: 0x103446edc uv_run [/usr/local/bin/node]
22: 0x1027664f4 node::SpinEventLoopInternal(node::Environment*) [/usr/local/bin/node]
23: 0x1028b0e74 node::NodeMainInstance::Run() [/usr/local/bin/node]
24: 0x102821008 node::Start(int, char**) [/usr/local/bin/node]
25: 0x19ba9eb4c start [/usr/lib/dyld]

----- JavaScript stack trace -----

1: throwUnhandledRejectionsMode (node:internal/process/promises:394:5)
2: processPromiseRejections (node:internal/process/promises:475:17)
3: processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:106:32)




Full report at:
/var/folders/7n/gm331n5d4sd5c8dh6lbq67w00000gn/T/clojure-15209822692431655876.edn

Test deps setup:

{:paths ["notebooks"]
 :deps {org.clojure/clojure {:mvn/version "1.12.1"} ; same with 1.11.1
        ;; SHA of latest commit
        io.github.nextjournal/clerk {:git/sha "b3cb7915d9a31f65087fb06fbf7e9cfc92cc4905"}}
 :aliases
 {:clerk
  {:exec-fn nextjournal.clerk/build!
   :exec-args {:paths ["notebooks/foo.clj"]
               :ssr true
               :package :directory
               :out-path "./out"}}}}

Test namespace:

(ns foo
  (:require [nextjournal.clerk :as clerk]))

;; # TeX Test

;; inline: $x^2$

;; function call:

(clerk/tex "x^2")

[borkdude]

Intermediate note: My suspicion is that this is related to d3-require not working in Node.js.

[borkdude]

I don't think this is related to :directory vs :single-file and also I think it didn't work in older version of clerk. Correct @formsandlines? We might be able to make this work however using some clever tricks: inlining katex in the ssr bundle when necessary, etc.

[formsandlines]

Yeah, it also doesn’t work in older Clerk versions. I am not sure why it works with :single-file though, but I also don’t get the 🧱 Server Side Rendering… message in :single-file with :ssr, so maybe it does something different.

[borkdude]

Do you have a repro notebook that works with single file? https://www.michielborkent.nl https://www.eetvoorjeleven.nu

…

On Wed, 23 Jul 2025 at 16:37, Peter Hofmann ***@***.***> wrote: *formsandlines* left a comment (nextjournal/clerk#761) <#761 (comment)> Yeah, it also doesn’t work in older Clerk versions. I am not sure why it works with :single-file though, but I also don’t get the 🧱 Server Side Rendering… message in :single-file with :ssr, so maybe it does something different. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#761 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AACFSBR2TSE3XE622TBJYJD3J6M4HAVCNFSM6AAAAACCFOK7OSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTCMBYHEZTKOJXHA> . You are receiving this because you were assigned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[formsandlines]

Here is a zip with a test notebook that works with :single-file and :ssr with the latest version of Clerk: clerk-ssr-test.zip

I included the output of clojure -X:clerk in the out directory, which shows the rendered TeX in my browser.

[borkdude]

@formsandlines if you want, you can test this with PR #765

[formsandlines]

I just tested the SHA b5ed318 from the latest commit in the PR. It works great, but I still found one weird edge case:

If katex just appears in comments (like $x^2$) in the source file, testing the build on a local server just displays “Loading...” where the rendered TeX is supposed to be. Everything else in the notebook works fine and there are no error messages in the browser console, in the server log or in the build log.

However, it DOES work if I add an explicit call to clerk/tex somewhere in the source file. Maybe the katex in comments is not being recognized by the builder?

[borkdude]

Thanks for discovering the edge case, I'll take a look soon