Registry / serialization / acorn-typescript

acorn-typescript

library1.4.13jsnpmunverified

acorn-typescript is an experimental alternative plugin for Acorn, a small, fast JavaScript parser. It extends Acorn to parse TypeScript scripts into a TypeScript AST, aiming for faster performance compared to other TypeScript parsers. The current stable version is 1.4.13, and it exhibits an active release cadence, frequently addressing bug fixes related to various TypeScript syntax features like optional class properties, generic types, arrow functions, and decorators. Key differentiators include its integration as an Acorn plugin, allowing existing Acorn users to add TypeScript parsing capabilities, and its specific focus on optimizing parsing speed. It supports standard TypeScript syntax, decorators, and JSX/TSX. It requires `acorn` version `>=8.9.0` as a peer dependency.

serialization

npm install acorn-typescript

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ACORN-TYPESCRIPT

acorn-typescript

serializationjavascriptv1.4.13

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

acorn

✓ import * as acorn from 'acorn'

✗ const acorn = require('acorn')

Primarily used in ESM contexts. While Acorn itself supports CJS, this plugin's usage examples are ESM.

tsPlugin

✓ import tsPlugin from 'acorn-typescript'

✗ import { tsPlugin } from 'acorn-typescript'

This is a default export, not a named export.

Parser.extend

✓ acorn.Parser.extend(tsPlugin())

✗ acorn.extend(tsPlugin())

The `extend` method is a static method on the `Parser` class, not directly on the `acorn` module.

Demonstrates how to extend Acorn's parser with the `acorn-typescript` plugin to parse TypeScript code, including basic syntax and ambient contexts using the `dts` option, ensuring `locations: true` is set.

import * as acorn from 'acorn'; import tsPlugin from 'acorn-typescript'; // Example 1: Basic TypeScript parsing const code1 = ` const a: number = 1; type MyType = string; export { a, type MyType as RenamedType }; class MyClass { accessor b = 'hello'; } `; const ast1 = acorn.Parser.extend(tsPlugin()).parse(code1, { sourceType: 'module', ecmaVersion: 'latest', locations: true // Required for acorn-typescript }); console.log('Parsed AST 1 (basic):', JSON.stringify(ast1.body[0], null, 2)); // Example 2: Parsing within a TypeScript ambient context (.d.ts files) const code2 = ` declare module 'my-module' { interface MyInterface { name: string; id: number; } } `; const ast2 = acorn.Parser.extend(tsPlugin({ dts: true })).parse(code2, { sourceType: 'module', ecmaVersion: 'latest', locations: true // Still required }); console.log('Parsed AST 2 (dts context):', JSON.stringify(ast2.body[0], null, 2));

Debug

Known issues

gotchaThe `locations: true` option is mandatory when using `acorn-typescript`. Failing to enable it will result in parsing errors or unexpected AST structures.

fix

Always include `{ locations: true }` in the options object passed to `acorn.parse()` or `acorn.Parser.extend(...).parse()`.

affects: >=1.0.0

breakingStarting from `v1.3.7`, `acorn-typescript` added explicit validation for `locations` when using `static parse` or `static parseExpression`. While the requirement existed before, this version likely makes the omission an explicit error or warning during parsing.

fix

Ensure `locations: true` is always provided in the parser options. Refer to the `quickstart` example for correct usage.

affects: >=1.3.7

gotchaThis package is a plugin for Acorn. It requires `acorn` as a peer dependency, specifically `acorn@>=8.9.0`. Ensure a compatible version of `acorn` is installed in your project to avoid runtime errors.

fix

Install a compatible version of `acorn` alongside `acorn-typescript`: `npm install acorn@^8.9.0` or `yarn add acorn@^8.9.0`.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaWhen parsing TypeScript declaration files (`.d.ts`) or code within `declare module` blocks, you must enable the `dts: true` option in the plugin configuration to handle ambient context-specific syntax correctly.

fix

Pass `{ dts: true }` to the plugin function: `acorn.Parser.extend(tsPlugin({ dts: true }))`.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: The 'locations' option must be enabled for acorn-typescript.

`locations: true` was not included in the parser options.

fix

Add `{ locations: true }` to the options object passed to the `parse` method.

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'extend')

The `acorn` package might not be installed, or an incompatible version is present, preventing the `Parser.extend` method from being accessed correctly.

fix

Ensure `acorn@^8.9.0` is installed: `npm install acorn@^8.9.0`.

SyntaxError: Unexpected token (some_typescript_keyword)

Attempting to parse TypeScript specific syntax (e.g., `type`, `interface`, decorators) without correctly extending Acorn with `acorn-typescript` or with incorrect parser options.

fix

Verify that `acorn.Parser.extend(tsPlugin())` is correctly applied to your parser instance and that `ecmaVersion: 'latest'` and `sourceType: 'module'` are set if applicable.

TypeError: acorn_typescript__WEBPACK_IMPORTED_MODULE_1___default is not a function

Attempted to import the `acorn-typescript` plugin incorrectly, typically using `import { tsPlugin } from 'acorn-typescript'` instead of a default import.

fix

Use a default import: `import tsPlugin from 'acorn-typescript'`.

Upgrade

Version history

1.4.13latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

acornrequiredCore parser library that this package extends as a plugin.

Agent activity

51 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/TyrealHu/acorn-typescript ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/acorn-typescript ↗