feat(event-client): strip the root EventClient export from production by default

.changeset/event-client-production-stripping.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+'@tanstack/devtools-event-client': minor
+---
+
+The root export of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` now resolves to a no-op
+outside development (`process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'development'`), so the real
+`EventClient` is tree-shaken out of production bundles by default.
+
+If you want devtools events to keep working in production, import the real
+client from the new `@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production` subpath, which
+always ships the real implementation. The public API is identical between the
+two imports.

docs/building-custom-plugins.md

@@ -209,3 +209,27 @@ For usage details, see the [Using devtools-utils](./devtools-utils) guide.
 Once your plugin is working, you can share it with the community by publishing it to npm and submitting it to the TanStack Devtools Marketplace. The marketplace is a registry of third-party plugins that users can discover and install directly from the devtools UI.
 
 For submission instructions and the registry format, see [Third-party Plugins](./third-party-plugins).
+
+## Production builds
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.

docs/framework/angular/guides/custom-plugins.md

@@ -215,3 +215,27 @@ Heres an example of both:
 
 [tanstack-devtools:custom-devtools-plugin] Registered event to bus custom-devtools:counter-state
 ```
+
+## Production builds
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.

docs/framework/preact/guides/custom-plugins.md

@@ -202,3 +202,27 @@ Heres an example of both:
 
 🌴 [tanstack-devtools:custom-devtools-plugin] Registered event to bus custom-devtools:counter-state
 ```
+
+## Production builds
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.

docs/framework/react/guides/custom-plugins.md

@@ -199,3 +199,27 @@ Heres an example of both:
 
 🌴 [tanstack-devtools:custom-devtools-plugin] Registered event to bus custom-devtools:counter-state
 ```
+
+## Production builds
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.

docs/framework/solid/guides/custom-plugins.md

@@ -195,3 +195,27 @@ Heres an example of both:
 
 [tanstack-devtools:custom-devtools-plugin] Registered event to bus custom-devtools:counter-state
 ```
+
+## Production builds
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.

docs/framework/vue/guides/custom-plugins.md

@@ -202,3 +202,27 @@ Heres an example of both:
 
 [tanstack-devtools:custom-devtools-plugin] Registered event to bus custom-devtools:counter-state
 ```
+
+## Production builds
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.

docs/production.md

@@ -57,6 +57,32 @@ function App() {
 }
 ```
 
+## Event client in production
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.
+
+This is independent of the Vite plugin's `removeDevtoolsOnBuild` option — the event client strips itself based on `NODE_ENV`, whether or not you use the Vite plugin.
+
 ## Where to install the Devtools
 
 If you are using the devtools in development only, you can install them as a development dependency and only import them in development builds. This is the default recommended way to use the devtools.

packages/event-bus-client/README.md

@@ -37,3 +37,29 @@ plugin.on('b', (e) => {
 The `EventClient` class is a base class for creating plugins that can subscribe to events in the TanStack Devtools event bus. It allows you to define a set of events and their corresponding data schemas using a standard-schema based schemas.
 
 It will work on both the client/server side and all you have to worry about is emitting/listening to events.
+
+## Production builds
+
+By default the **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` no-ops
+outside development. When your bundler sets `process.env.NODE_ENV` to anything
+other than `'development'`, the real client is replaced by a no-op and
+tree-shaken out of your production bundle:
+
+```ts
+// dev: real client — production: no-op (tree-shaken away)
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
+```
+
+If you are an open-source author who deliberately wants devtools events in
+production, import the real client from the `/production` subpath instead. It is
+never stripped:
+
+```ts
+// always the real client, in every environment
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
+```
+
+The public API is identical between the two imports — only the production
+runtime behavior differs.
+
+"Outside development" includes when `NODE_ENV` is unset — common in plain Node scripts, some SSR dev servers, and test runners — so the root import resolves to the no-op there too. Set `NODE_ENV=development`, or use the `/production` subpath, to get the real client in those contexts.

packages/event-bus-client/package.json

@@ -35,6 +35,16 @@
         "default": "./dist/cjs/index.cjs"
       }
     },
+    "./production": {
+      "import": {
+        "types": "./dist/esm/production.d.ts",
+        "default": "./dist/esm/production.js"
+      },
+      "require": {
+        "types": "./dist/cjs/production.d.cts",
+        "default": "./dist/cjs/production.cjs"
+      }
+    },
     "./package.json": "./package.json"
   },
   "bin": {

packages/event-bus-client/skills/devtools-event-client/SKILL.md

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Install the package:
 npm i @tanstack/devtools-event-client
 ```
 
-The package exports a single class:
+The package has two entry points — the root export (the real client in development, a no-op tree-shaken out of production), and the `/production` subpath (always the real client, for libraries that want devtools events in production):
 
 ```ts
 import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
@@ -257,30 +257,31 @@ storeInspector.emit('state-changed', {
 })
 ```
 
-### 7. Not stripping EventClient emit calls for production (HIGH)
+### 7. Forgetting the root export no-ops in production (HIGH)
 
-The Vite plugin strips adapter imports (e.g., `@tanstack/react-devtools`) from production builds, but it does NOT strip `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` imports or `emit()` calls. Library authors must guard emit calls themselves.
+The **root import** of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` resolves to a no-op
+when `process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'development'`, and the real client is
+tree-shaken out of production bundles. This is the default and what you want for
+most libraries — your `emit()` calls cost nothing in production.
 
-Options:
-
-**Option A:** Use the `enabled` constructor option:
+"Outside development" includes when `NODE_ENV` is unset — common in plain Node scripts, some SSR dev servers, and test runners — so the root import resolves to the no-op there too. Set `NODE_ENV=development`, or use the `/production` subpath, to get the real client in those contexts.
 
 ```ts
-super({
-  pluginId: 'store-inspector',
-  enabled: process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production',
-})
+// dev: real client — production: no-op, removed from the bundle
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client'
 ```
 
-**Option B:** Conditional guard at the call site:
+If you are publishing an open-source library and deliberately want devtools
+events to keep working in production, import from the `/production` subpath,
+which always ships the real client:
 
 ```ts
-if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
-  storeInspector.emit('state-changed', data)
-}
+import { EventClient } from '@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production'
 ```
 
-When `enabled` is `false`, `emit()` returns immediately (no event creation, no queuing, no connection attempt). This is the preferred approach.
+The `enabled` constructor option still works for fine-grained runtime control,
+but you no longer need to guard `emit()` calls manually for bundle size — the
+root export handles that for you.
 
 ## See Also
 

packages/event-bus-client/skills/devtools-instrumentation/SKILL.md

@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
 }
 ```
 
-**Important:** The Vite plugin strips `@tanstack/react-devtools` from production but does NOT strip `@tanstack/devtools-event-client`. You must guard yourself.
+**Important:** The Vite plugin strips `@tanstack/react-devtools` from production. The root import of `@tanstack/devtools-event-client` also no-ops and is tree-shaken out when `process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'development'`, so `emit()` calls cost nothing in production by default. Import from `@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production` if you deliberately want events in production. The `enabled` option remains available for runtime control.
 
 ### 6. Server/Client Transparent Bridging
 

packages/event-bus-client/src/index.ts

@@ -1 +1,19 @@
-export { EventClient } from './plugin'
+import { EventClient as EventClientImpl } from './plugin'
+import { EventClientNoOp } from './noop'
+
+/**
+ * The real `EventClient` in development; a no-op everywhere else.
+ *
+ * Production bundlers replace `process.env.NODE_ENV` with a literal, fold this
+ * ternary to `EventClientNoOp`, and tree-shake `./plugin` out of the bundle.
+ * To keep the real client in production, import it from
+ * `@tanstack/devtools-event-client/production` instead.
+ */
+const EventClient = (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'development'
+  ? EventClientNoOp
+  : EventClientImpl) as unknown as typeof EventClientImpl
+
+type EventClient<TEventMap extends Record<string, any>> =
+  EventClientImpl<TEventMap>
+
+export { EventClient }