The error is not refering to myfunction but to start.

async function start() {
   ....

   const result = await helper.myfunction('test', 'test');
}

// My function
const myfunction = async function(x, y) {
  return [
    x,
    y,
  ];
}

// Start function
const start = async function(a, b) {
  const result = await myfunction('test', 'test');
  
  console.log(result);
}

// Call start
start();

I use the opportunity of this question to advise you about an known anti pattern using await which is : return await.

WRONG

async function myfunction() {
  console.log('Inside of myfunction');
}

// Here we wait for the myfunction to finish
// and then returns a promise that'll be waited for aswell
// It's useless to wait the myfunction to finish before to return
// we can simply returns a promise that will be resolved later

// useless async here
async function start() {
  // useless await here
  return await myfunction();
}

// Call start
(async() => {
  console.log('before start');

  await start();
  
  console.log('after start');
})();

CORRECT

async function myfunction() {
  console.log('Inside of myfunction');
}

// Here we wait for the myfunction to finish
// and then returns a promise that'll be waited for aswell
// It's useless to wait the myfunction to finish before to return
// we can simply returns a promise that will be resolved later

// Also point that we don't use async keyword on the function because
// we can simply returns the promise returned by myfunction
function start() {
  return myfunction();
}

// Call start
(async() => {
  console.log('before start');

  await start();
  
  console.log('after start');
})();

Also, know that there is a special case where return await is correct and important : (using try/catch)

Are there performance concerns with `return await`?

To use await, its executing context needs to be async in nature

As it said, you need to define the nature of your executing context where you are willing to await a task before anything.

Just put async before the fn declaration in which your async task will execute.

var start = async function(a, b) { 
  // Your async task will execute with await
  await foo()
  console.log('I will execute after foo get either resolved/rejected')
}

Explanation:

In your question, you are importing a method which is asynchronous in nature and will execute in parallel. But where you are trying to execute that async method is inside a different execution context which you need to define async to use await.

 var helper = require('./helper.js');   
 var start = async function(a,b){
     ....
     const result = await helper.myfunction('test','test');
 }
 exports.start = start;

Wondering what's going under the hood

await consumes promise/future / task-returning methods/functions and async marks a method/function as capable of using await.

Also if you are familiar with promises, await is actually doing the same process of promise/resolve. Creating a chain of promise and executes your next task in resolve callback.

For more info you can refer to MDN DOCS.

When I got this error, it turned out I had a call to the map function inside my "async" function, so this error message was actually referring to the map function not being marked as "async". I got around this issue by taking the "await" call out of the map function and coming up with some other way of getting the expected behavior.

var myfunction = async function(x,y) {
    ....
    someArray.map(someVariable => { // <- This was the function giving the error
        return await someFunction(someVariable);
    });
}