diff --git a/src/components/FlatmapVuer.vue b/src/components/FlatmapVuer.vue
index 0d9c4fcb..49c23a67 100644
--- a/src/components/FlatmapVuer.vue
+++ b/src/components/FlatmapVuer.vue
@@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ import {
 import { capitalise } from './utilities.js'
 import yellowstar from '../icons/yellowstar'
 import ResizeSensor from 'css-element-queries/src/ResizeSensor'
-import * as flatmap from 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@abi-software/flatmap-viewer@4.3.5/+esm'
+import flatmap from '../services/flatmapLoader.js'
 import { AnnotationService } from '@abi-software/sparc-annotation'
 import { mapState } from 'pinia'
 import { useMainStore } from '@/store/index'
diff --git a/src/components/MultiFlatmapVuer.vue b/src/components/MultiFlatmapVuer.vue
index 0e8a1f4a..6e2c6539 100644
--- a/src/components/MultiFlatmapVuer.vue
+++ b/src/components/MultiFlatmapVuer.vue
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@
 import { markRaw } from 'vue'
 import EventBus from './EventBus'
 import FlatmapVuer from './FlatmapVuer.vue'
-import * as flatmap from 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@abi-software/flatmap-viewer@4.3.5/+esm'
+import flatmap from '../services/flatmapLoader.js'
 import {
   ElCol as Col,
   ElOption as Option,
diff --git a/src/services/flatmapLoader.js b/src/services/flatmapLoader.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6eab7611
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/flatmapLoader.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+/**
+ * a single source for the flatmap-viewer library import
+ */
+import * as flatmap from 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@abi-software/flatmap-viewer@4.3.5/+esm';
+
+export default flatmap;