NomicFoundation · schaable · Apr 27, 2026 · Apr 24, 2026 · Apr 24, 2026 · Apr 24, 2026
diff --git a/.changeset/full-otters-say.md b/.changeset/full-otters-say.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-ethers-chai-matchers": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-network-helpers": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-typechain": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-ignition": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-keystore": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-vendored": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-ethers": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-ledger": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-verify": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-mocha": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils": patch
+"@nomicfoundation/ignition-core": patch
+"hardhat": patch
+---
+
+Improved performance by replacing the debug logging library with a lightweight in-tree implementation.
diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ethers-chai-matchers/package.json b/packages/hardhat-ethers-chai-matchers/package.json
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
     "@types/chai": "^5.2.3",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/deep-eql": "^4.0.2",
     "@types/mocha": ">=10.0.10",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ethers/package.json b/packages/hardhat-ethers/package.json
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
     "eslint": "9.25.1",
@@ -59,7 +58,6 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors": "workspace:^3.0.11",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils": "workspace:^4.0.4",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "ethereum-cryptography": "^2.2.1",
     "ethers": "^6.14.0"
   },

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ethers/src/internal/hardhat-ethers-provider/hardhat-ethers-provider.ts b/packages/hardhat-ethers/src/internal/hardhat-ethers-provider/hardhat-ethers-provider.ts
@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@ import {
   assertHardhatInvariant,
   HardhatError,
 } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { ensureError } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/error";
 import { numberToHexString } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/hex";
 import { deepEqual } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/lang";
-import debug from "debug";
 import {
   Block,
   FeeData,
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ import {
 } from "../ethers-utils/ethers-utils.js";
 import { HardhatEthersSigner } from "../signers/signers.js";
 
-const log = debug("hardhat:hardhat-ethers:provider");
+const log = createDebug("hardhat:hardhat-ethers:provider");
 
 // The default number of confirmations when waiting for a transaction
 const DEFAULT_TRANSACTION_CONFIRMS = 1;

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ignition/package.json b/packages/hardhat-ignition/package.json
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
     "@types/chai": "^5.2.3",
     "@types/chai-as-promised": "^8.0.1",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/mocha": ">=10.0.10",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "@types/prompts": "^2.4.2",
@@ -89,7 +88,6 @@
     "@nomicfoundation/ignition-ui": "workspace:^3.1.2",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils": "workspace:^4.0.4",
     "chalk": "^5.3.0",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "prompts": "^2.4.2",
     "json5": "^2.2.3"
   },

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ignition/src/internal/utils/load-module.ts b/packages/hardhat-ignition/src/internal/utils/load-module.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ import path from "node:path";
 import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
 
 import { HardhatError } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { exists } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/fs";
-import setupDebug from "debug";
 
-const debug = setupDebug("hardhat-ignition:modules");
+const debug = createDebug("hardhat-ignition:modules");
 
 const MODULES_FOLDER = "modules";
 

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-keystore/package.json b/packages/hardhat-keystore/package.json
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
     "eslint": "9.25.1",
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@
     "@noble/ciphers": "1.2.1",
     "@noble/hashes": "1.7.1",
     "chalk": "^5.3.0",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "zod": "^3.23.8"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-keystore/src/internal/hook-handlers/config.ts b/packages/hardhat-keystore/src/internal/hook-handlers/config.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 import type { ConfigHooks } from "hardhat/types/hooks";
 
-import debug from "debug";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 
 import {
   getDevKeystoreFilePath,
   getDevKeystorePasswordFilePath,
   getKeystoreFilePath,
 } from "../utils/get-keystore-file-path.js";
 
-const log = debug("hardhat:keystore:hooks:config");
+const log = createDebug("hardhat:keystore:hooks:config");
 
 export default async (): Promise<Partial<ConfigHooks>> => {
   const handlers: Partial<ConfigHooks> = {

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ledger/package.json b/packages/hardhat-ledger/package.json
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
     "eslint": "9.25.1",
@@ -68,7 +67,6 @@
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors": "workspace:^3.0.11",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils": "workspace:^4.0.4",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-zod-utils": "workspace:^3.0.4",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "micro-eth-signer": "^0.14.0",
     "zod": "^3.23.8"
   },

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ledger/src/internal/handler.ts b/packages/hardhat-ledger/src/internal/handler.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   HardhatError,
 } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors";
 import { toBigInt } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/bigint";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { ensureError } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/error";
 import { isAddress } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/eth";
 import {
@@ -30,7 +31,6 @@ import {
   rpcTransactionRequest,
   validateParams,
 } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-zod-utils/rpc";
-import debug from "debug";
 
 import * as cache from "./cache.js";
 import {
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ import { getRequestParams } from "./rpc-helpers.js";
 // This is not a standard ISO 7816-4 code, but a Ledger-specific error meaning "no app context".
 const APP_NOT_OPEN_STATUS_CODE = 0x6511;
 
-const log = debug("hardhat:hardhat-ledger:handler");
+const log = createDebug("hardhat:hardhat-ledger:handler");
 
 // micro-eth-signer is known to be slow to load, so we lazy load it
 let microEthSigner: typeof MicroEthSignerT | undefined;

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-mocha/package.json b/packages/hardhat-mocha/package.json
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/mocha": ">=10.0.10",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils": "workspace:^4.0.4",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-zod-utils": "workspace:^3.0.4",
     "chalk": "^5.3.0",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "tsx": "^4.19.3",
     "zod": "^3.23.8"
   },

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-mocha/src/task-action.ts b/packages/hardhat-mocha/src/task-action.ts
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ import type { MochaOptions } from "mocha";
 import { resolve as pathResolve } from "node:path";
 
 import { HardhatError } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { setGlobalOptionsAsEnvVariables } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/env";
 import { getAllFilesMatching } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/fs";
-import debug from "debug";
 import { errorResult, successfulResult } from "hardhat/utils/result";
 import Mocha from "mocha";
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type PerformancePhase =
   | "Reporting";
 
 const performanceScope = "hardhat:mocha:performance";
-const performanceLog = debug(performanceScope);
+const performanceLog = createDebug(performanceScope);
 const perf = createPerformanceTracker<PerformancePhase>(
   performanceScope,
   "Mocha test task",

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-network-helpers/package.json b/packages/hardhat-network-helpers/package.json
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
     "eslint": "9.25.1",

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-solx/package.json b/packages/hardhat-solx/package.json
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
     "eslint": "9.25.1",
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors": "workspace:^3.0.11",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils": "workspace:^4.0.4",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-zod-utils": "workspace:^3.0.4",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "zod": "^3.23.8"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-solx/src/internal/downloader.ts b/packages/hardhat-solx/src/internal/downloader.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import path from "node:path";
 
 import { HardhatError } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { ensureError } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/error";
 import {
   chmod,
@@ -11,12 +12,11 @@ import {
 import { getCacheDir } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/global-dir";
 import { download, getRequest } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/request";
 import { MultiProcessMutex } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/synchronization";
-import debug from "debug";
 
 import { SOLX_RELEASES_BASE_URL } from "./constants.js";
 import { getSolxAssetName } from "./platform.js";
 
-const log = debug("hardhat:solx:downloader");
+const log = createDebug("hardhat:solx:downloader");
 
 const DOWNLOAD_RETRY_COUNT = 3;
 const DOWNLOAD_RETRY_DELAY_MS = 2000;

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-solx/src/internal/hook-handlers/config.ts b/packages/hardhat-solx/src/internal/hook-handlers/config.ts
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ import type {
   HardhatUserConfigValidationError,
 } from "hardhat/types/hooks";
 
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { isObject } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/lang";
 import {
   conditionalUnionType,
   validateUserConfigZodType,
 } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-zod-utils";
-import debug from "debug";
 import { z } from "zod";
 
 import {
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import {
   SUPPORTED_SOLX_EVM_VERSIONS,
 } from "../constants.js";
 
-const log = debug("hardhat:solx:hook-handlers:config");
+const log = createDebug("hardhat:solx:hook-handlers:config");
 
 // These zod types need to be aligned in shape with the ones of the solidity
 // builtin plugin, but don't need to revalidate everything.

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-solx/src/internal/hook-handlers/solidity.ts b/packages/hardhat-solx/src/internal/hook-handlers/solidity.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ import {
   HardhatError,
   assertHardhatInvariant,
 } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { exists } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/fs";
-import debug from "debug";
 
 import {
   DEFAULT_SOLX_SETTINGS,
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import {
 import { downloadSolx, getSolxBinaryPath } from "../downloader.js";
 import { SolxCompiler } from "../solx-compiler.js";
 
-const log = debug("hardhat:solx:hook-handlers:solidity");
+const log = createDebug("hardhat:solx:hook-handlers:solidity");
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-typechain/package.json b/packages/hardhat-typechain/package.json
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-test-utils": "workspace:^",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
     "eslint": "9.25.1",
@@ -65,7 +64,6 @@
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils": "workspace:^4.0.4",
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-zod-utils": "workspace:^3.0.4",
     "@typechain/ethers-v6": "^0.5.0",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "typechain": "^8.3.1",
     "zod": "^3.23.8"
   },

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-typechain/src/internal/generate-types.ts b/packages/hardhat-typechain/src/internal/generate-types.ts
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@ import type { OutputTransformer } from "typechain/dist/codegen/outputTransformer
 import path from "node:path";
 
 import { assertHardhatInvariant } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-errors";
-import debug from "debug";
+import { createDebug } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/debug";
 import { runTypeChain } from "typechain";
 import { outputTransformers as typechainOutputTransformers } from "typechain/dist/codegen/outputTransformers/index.js";
 
-const log = debug("hardhat:typechain:generate-types");
+const log = createDebug("hardhat:typechain:generate-types");
 
 const PRETTIER_TRANSFORMER_NAME = "prettierOutputTransformer";
 

diff --git a/packages/hardhat-utils/package.json b/packages/hardhat-utils/package.json
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-node-test-reporter": "workspace:^3.0.5",
     "@types/bn.js": "^5.1.5",
-    "@types/debug": "^4.1.7",
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "c8": "^9.1.0",
     "eslint": "9.25.1",
@@ -80,7 +79,6 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@streamparser/json-node": "^0.0.22",
-    "debug": "^4.3.2",
     "env-paths": "^2.2.0",
     "ethereum-cryptography": "^2.2.1",
     "fast-equals": "^5.4.0",