Devserver w/ vite takes 5+ seconds to reload

[Nick-Mazuk]

What version of Tailwind CSS are you using?

Version 4.1.8 (latest as of filing this bug)

What build tool (or framework if it abstracts the build tool) are you using?

Vite 6.3.5 (latest as of filing this bug)

What version of Node.js are you using?

Tested using:

• Node 24.1.0
• 1.2.14

What browser are you using?

Tested on:

• Arc, based on Chromium 137.0.7151.56
• Safari 17.5

What operating system are you using?

macOS 14.5, and macOS 15.15

Reproduction URL

https://github.com/Nick-Mazuk/sveltekit-tailwindcss-devserver-speed

Describe your issue

Expectation: with a vite devserver, loading the page initially and reloading on changes should be near instant.

Actual: initial vite devserver takes 10+ seconds to load the webpage. Reloading on any changes take 5+ seconds.

I've confirmed that if I remove tailwindcss, loading and reloading is near instant as expected.

In the following video, you can watch the terminal refresh immediately on save but see the site itself take ~5 more seconds before updating.

tailwindcss-slow-devserver.mov

[wongjn]

Could you run:

DEBUG=* npm run dev

And then load the page please?

You should get a tailwind-*.log file in your project. If you could then share that file please, it will let us see what could be causing the slow reload.