diff --git a/.changeset/plenty-seahorses-laugh.md b/.changeset/plenty-seahorses-laugh.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5bbde66ae4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/plenty-seahorses-laugh.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@graphql-codegen/cli': patch
+---
+
+Surface error occurring during import of @parcel/watcher
diff --git a/packages/graphql-codegen-cli/src/utils/watcher.ts b/packages/graphql-codegen-cli/src/utils/watcher.ts
index bef6702414d..043e88d8dff 100644
--- a/packages/graphql-codegen-cli/src/utils/watcher.ts
+++ b/packages/graphql-codegen-cli/src/utils/watcher.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export const createWatcher = (
       parcelWatcher = await import('@parcel/watcher');
     } catch (err) {
       log(
-        `Parcel watcher not found. To use this feature, please make sure to provide @parcel/watcher as a peer dependency.`
+        `Failed to import @parcel/watcher due to the following error (to use watch mode, install https://www.npmjs.com/package/@parcel/watcher):\n${err}`
       );
       return;
     }
diff --git a/website/src/pages/docs/getting-started/development-workflow.mdx b/website/src/pages/docs/getting-started/development-workflow.mdx
index a0885609b02..54dd33ca3aa 100644
--- a/website/src/pages/docs/getting-started/development-workflow.mdx
+++ b/website/src/pages/docs/getting-started/development-workflow.mdx
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ It's also helpful to run the codegen during your continuous integration flow and
 <Callout type="info">
 Watch mode was made optional to reduce install size in CI and prevent build errors in certain environments.
 
-To use watch mode, make sure to provide `@parcel/watcher` as a peer dependency.
+To use watch mode, install [`@parcel/watcher`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@parcel/watcher).
 
 </Callout>