tsc-files-workspace

A tiny tool to run tsc on specific files without ignoring tsconfig.json, with workspace support.

Why tsc-files-workspace?

Born out of real-world frustrations with pre-commit hooks in monorepo environments:

1. nano-staged + eslint --fix: Too many conflicts when multiple files are being fixed simultaneously
2. pnpm run test: Way too slow for just a simple commit - nobody wants to wait minutes for basic validation
3. tsc --noEmit: Fast and reliable, but doesn't show which specific files have errors - debugging becomes a nightmare!
4. tsc-files-workspace: Perfect solution for showing filenames with errors, but doesn't work in workspace/monorepo setups

This enhanced version detects workspace configurations automatically and ensures each file gets checked with its correct tsconfig.json. Now you get fast type checking with clear error reporting and proper workspace support - perfect for pre-commit hooks!

Features

• ✅ Run TypeScript compiler on specific files
• ✅ Respect tsconfig.json configuration
• ✅ NEW: Automatic workspace detection
• ✅ NEW: Group files by their closest tsconfig.json
• ✅ NEW: Process each workspace package separately
• ✅ Support for monorepo projects
• ✅ Backward compatible with original tsc-files

Installation

npm install tsc-files-workspace
# or
pnpm add tsc-files-workspace
# or
yarn add tsc-files-workspace

Usage

Basic Usage (same as original tsc-files-workspace)

tsc-files-workspace src/file1.ts src/file2.ts

Workspace Support (NEW)

When used in a monorepo with workspaces, the tool automatically:

1. Detects if you're in a workspace (looks for package.json with workspaces field)
2. Groups files by their closest tsconfig.json
3. Runs TypeScript compiler separately for each group

# In a monorepo, this will automatically group files by workspace packages
tsc-files-workspace packages/server/src/app.ts packages/client/src/main.ts packages/shared/src/utils.ts

Manual Project Specification

You can still specify a specific tsconfig.json to disable workspace detection:

tsc-files-workspace --project packages/server/tsconfig.json src/file1.ts src/file2.ts

How It Works

Workspace Detection

1. Starts from current directory and walks up the directory tree
2. Looks for package.json files with a workspaces field
3. If found, enables workspace mode

File Grouping

For each TypeScript file:

1. Finds the closest tsconfig.json by walking up from the file's directory
2. Groups files that share the same tsconfig.json
3. Creates temporary config files for each group
4. Runs tsc separately for each group

Example Workspace Structure

my-monorepo/
├── package.json (with workspaces)
├── tsconfig.json
├── packages/
│   ├── server/
│   │   ├── tsconfig.json
│   │   └── src/
│   │       └── app.ts
│   ├── client/
│   │   ├── tsconfig.json
│   │   └── src/
│   │       └── main.ts
│   └── shared/
│       ├── tsconfig.json
│       └── src/
│           └── utils.ts

Running:

tsc-files-workspace packages/server/src/app.ts packages/client/src/main.ts packages/shared/src/utils.ts

Will:

1. Group packages/server/src/app.ts with packages/server/tsconfig.json
2. Group packages/client/src/main.ts with packages/client/tsconfig.json
3. Group packages/shared/src/utils.ts with packages/shared/tsconfig.json
4. Run TypeScript compiler 3 times, once for each group

Benefits

• Accurate type checking: Each file is checked with its appropriate tsconfig.json
• Faster CI/CD: Only check changed files while respecting workspace boundaries
• Better error reporting: Errors are reported in the context of the correct workspace package
• Monorepo friendly: Works seamlessly with Lerna, Rush, pnpm workspaces, npm workspaces, etc.

Husky Integration

This tool works great with Husky for pre-commit hooks. Here's how to set it up:

Installation with Husky

# Install husky and tsc-files-workspace
pnpm install --save-dev husky tsc-files-workspace

# Initialize husky
pnpx husky init

Pre-commit Hook Example

Create .husky/pre-commit:

#!/usr/bin/env sh
. "$(dirname -- "$0")/_/husky.sh"

# Get staged TypeScript files
STAGED_TS_FILES=$(git diff --cached --name-only --diff-filter=ACM | grep -E '\.(ts|tsx)$')

if [ -n "$STAGED_TS_FILES" ]; then
  echo "Type checking staged TypeScript files..."
  npx tsc-files-workspace $STAGED_TS_FILES --noEmit

  if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    echo "TypeScript type check failed. Please fix the errors before committing."
    exit 1
  fi
fi

Advanced Husky Setup with Lint-staged

For more advanced setups, combine with lint-staged:

npm install --save-dev lint-staged

Add to package.json:

{
  "lint-staged": {
    "*.{ts,tsx}": [
      "tsc-files-workspace --noEmit",
      "eslint --fix",
      "prettier --write"
    ]
  }
}

Update .husky/pre-commit:

pnpx lint-staged

Benefits of Using with Husky

• Fast type checking: Only checks changed files
• Workspace aware: Automatically uses correct tsconfig for each file
• Early error detection: Catches type errors before they reach CI/CD
• Consistent code quality: Ensures all commits pass type checking

Compatibility

• Fully backward compatible with original tsc-files-workspace
• Works with any TypeScript version >= 3.0
• Supports all tsc command line options
• Works with any workspace manager (pnpm, npm, yarn, lerna, etc.)
• Integrates seamlessly with Husky, lint-staged, and other Git hooks

License

MIT