error TS2688: Cannot find type definition file for...random paths.

[atrauzzi]

Using https://github.com/atrauzzi/gerty on the branch hashi-gerty.

Basically anything that tries to do typescript gets a bunch of errors about not finding type definitions I never reference in any of my source files.

(For the simplest example, I do a yarn install and then ./node_modules/.bin/ts-node.)

PS C:\Users\atrauzzi\Development\atrauzzi\gerty> .\node_modules\.bin\ts-node
> console.log('hi');
error TS2688: Cannot find type definition file for '.github'.
error TS2688: Cannot find type definition file for 'build'.
error TS2688: Cannot find type definition file for 'examples'.
error TS2688: Cannot find type definition file for 'scripts'.
error TS2688: Cannot find type definition file for 'src'.
error TS2688: Cannot find type definition file for 'website'.

undefined
>

Apologies, I have searched for this, but wasn't able to find anything relevant or within the last few months.

What is happening and why am I getting these weird errors? Is there any way they can be improved if it is in fact something that I've done wrong?

[mattmccutchen]

These errors occur when you have subdirectories of a typeRoots directory (in this case node_modules/@types) that do not contain index.d.ts files. I agree the error message is mysterious and should be improved.

In your case, the errors occur because your package.json specifies a package named @types/, which is a silly thing to do.

[atrauzzi]

Aha! Doh!

My apologies, clearly that's a yarn add gone wrong. Yes, very silly indeed.

Feel free to use my blunder-ticket to track improving any feedback 😉

[mattmccutchen]

Proposed new errors:

• When types is not specified (this seems to be the case that mystifies the most users): Subdirectory '{0}' of 'typeRoots' directory '{1}' is not a valid types package. If the presence of this subdirectory is intentional, change the 'typeRoots' or 'types' option. See https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/tsconfig-json.html#types-typeroots-and-types .
• When types is specified: Could not find a types package named '{0}' (specified in the 'types' option) in any directory specified by the 'typeRoots' option. See https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/tsconfig-json.html#types-typeroots-and-types .

(Of course, the long link could be replaced with an aka.ms link.)

[atrauzzi]

In my situation, how was the directory @types being inferred? Does TS read package.json for hints?

[mattmccutchen]

TypeScript looks in node_modules/@types by default since this is where types packages from DefinitelyTyped containing global declarations (such as @types/node, to give one popular example) are normally installed. See the documentation.

[atrauzzi]

So how does that connect back to there being a bad @types/ entry in my package.json?

[mattmccutchen]

The entry "@types/": "reach/router" caused https://github.com/reach/router to be downloaded directly into the node_modules/@types folder, creating new files and subdirectories unrecognized by the TypeScript compiler alongside the existing valid subdirectories. I'm guessing you ran yarn add @types/@reach/router, trying to install the @types package for the scoped package @reach/router, but that command is actually parsed as installing a package named @types/ at version reach/router. You probably meant @types/reach__router: that's the naming convention for @types packages for scoped packages. Consider filing a bug against Yarn for letting you install a package with the invalid name @types/. (I notice that NPM correctly catches this.)

[atrauzzi]

Aha! Gotcha. After reading your error messages, I wasn't so sure they'd have helped me figure out what was going on either. So, I was trying to think if there's any way to highlight not necessarily the source of my error, but better information about the symptom.

[Finesse]

I got this problem too and my case is different. My project has the following file structure:

├ frontend
│  ├ node_modules/
│  ├ tsconfig.json
│  └ index.ts
└ backend

The frontend working directory is frontend, it has the node_modules directory inside and all the commands are run from this directory. I accidentally ran npm install something while being in the root directory so an excess node_modules directory appeared:

├ frontend
│  ├ node_modules/
│  ├ tsconfig.json
│  └ index.ts
├ node_modules/
└ backend

And then when I ran cd frontend && tsc --noEmit I got the TS2688 error.

I fixed the error by deleting the node_modules directory from the project root.

[jasperkuperus]

Exact same thing happened to me as @mattmccutchen describes. Also ran yarn add @types/@scoped/package, and suddenly you have @types/ as dependency and these weird errors. Would be nice if we get a more descriptive error.