# Issue importing Sound.Tidal.Chords (hidden package error in Pulsar/Atom)

**URL:** <https://uzu.lurk.org/t/issue-importing-sound-tidal-chords-hidden-package-error-in-pulsar-atom/5993>\
**Category:** TidalCycles\
**Tags:** innards\
**Created:** [11 November 2025 17:57 UTC](https://uzu.lurk.org/t/issue-importing-sound-tidal-chords-hidden-package-error-in-pulsar-atom/5993 "2025-11-11T17:57:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![magnificaiterata](https://uzu.lurk.org/user_avatar/uzu.lurk.org/magnificaiterata/32/3057_2.png) [@magnificaiterata](https://uzu.lurk.org/u/magnificaiterata)\
**Post date:** [11 November 2025 17:57 UTC](https://uzu.lurk.org/t/issue-importing-sound-tidal-chords-hidden-package-error-in-pulsar-atom/5993/1 "2025-11-11T17:57:31Z")

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Hello everyone,

I hope this post finds you well.

I am trying to learn a bit more about the internal workings of Tidal Cycles and explore some of the advanced harmony features. Following the documentation reference for harmony and melody ( [Harmony & Melody | Tidal Cycles](https://tidalcycles.org/docs/reference/harmony_melody) ), I'm attempting to import the `Sound.Tidal.Chords` module to use functions like `chordTable` within my own definitions.

However, when I try to run `import Sound.Tidal.Chords` in my Atom/Pulsar editor environment (using the standard TidalCycles plugin setup), I receive the following GHC error:

```haskell
t> 
: error: [GHC-87110]
    Could not load module `Sound.Tidal.Chords'.
    It is a member of the hidden package `tidal-core-1.10.1'.
    You can run `:set -package tidal-core' to expose it.
    (Note: this unloads all the modules in the current scope.)

```

The error suggests running `:set -package tidal-core` in the console. When I do this, it successfully exposes the module and I can access `chordTable`. **But** , as the warning states, it unloads everything else in the scope, and I lose the standard Tidal functionality (e.g., `d1`, `s`, `sound` commands stop working).

My goal is simply to be able to import `Sound.Tidal.Chords` alongside the main Tidal environment so I can use its functions in custom patterns.

Is there a standard or recommended way to resolve this and have everything working together?

Thank you very much for your time and help.

Best regards,

Luis

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jwaldmann](https://uzu.lurk.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/977dab/32.png) [@jwaldmann](https://uzu.lurk.org/u/jwaldmann)\
**Post date:** [12 November 2025 00:18 UTC](https://uzu.lurk.org/t/issue-importing-sound-tidal-chords-hidden-package-error-in-pulsar-atom/5993/2 "2025-11-12T00:18:56Z")

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I've run into a similar problem with tidal's emacs mode before (when I want to `import Data.Map`, I need to `:set -package containers` and this kills the tidal session [(tidal emacs mode) how to import from hidden packages?](https://club.tidalcycles.org/t/tidal-emacs-mode-how-to-import-from-hidden-packages/4525) ) and I'd like to know how this should be dealt with properly.

I can think of these work-arounds:

- do `cabal install --lib tidal-core` (run from a console, once.) This will expose all modules from that package, so you can `import` them from `ghci`, without any `-package` declaration.

- add a line `:set -package tidal-core` to `BootTidal.hs`

both are quite heavy-handed, and would have to be repeated for any extra package that I might want to use.