{"id":15252,"library":"typescript-tools","title":"TypeScript Tools CLI Server","description":"typescript-tools provides a command-line server, `tss`, which exposes an API to the TypeScript Language Services. Its primary purpose was to enable editor plugins (e.g., for Vim, Emacs, Sublime Text) to integrate early TypeScript features such as type information lookup, symbol definition navigation, and code completion. The package was designed for TypeScript Language Services v0.9, which is severely outdated as TypeScript is now in its 5.x major release series. Development of `typescript-tools` appears to have ceased around 2014-2015, making it an abandoned project. It is not compatible with modern TypeScript versions and lacks active maintenance or a defined release cadence.","status":"abandoned","version":"0.3.1","language":"javascript","source_language":"en","source_url":"git://github.com/clausreinke/typescript-tools","tags":["javascript","TypeScript"],"install":[{"cmd":"npm install typescript-tools","lang":"bash","label":"npm"},{"cmd":"yarn add typescript-tools","lang":"bash","label":"yarn"},{"cmd":"pnpm add typescript-tools","lang":"bash","label":"pnpm"}],"dependencies":[{"reason":"Runtime dependency for the Language Services. Specifically tied to TypeScript 0.9.","package":"typescript","optional":false}],"imports":[{"note":"This package is a command-line server (`tss`), not a library for direct import into JavaScript/TypeScript projects. Its functionality is accessed via inter-process communication (IPC).","wrong":"import { tss } from 'typescript-tools'","symbol":"tss (command-line)","correct":"n/a"}],"quickstart":{"code":"npm install -g typescript-tools\n\n# Example TypeScript file (e.g., tests/test.ts):\n# declare const x: { a: number; b: number; };\n# const y = x.a;\n\n# Start the server and query for type information via standard input\n# Note: Output and paths will vary significantly due to the package's age \n# and incompatibility with modern TypeScript. \n# This command block simulates input for the tss server.\n\n# The 'tss' executable might require its full path on some systems.\n# Example session (pipe commands to tss):\ntss tests/test.ts <<EOF\ntype 4 2 tests/test.ts\ndefinition 4 2 tests/test.ts\ncompletions true 4 4 tests/test.ts\nquit\nEOF","lang":"bash","description":"Demonstrates global installation and basic command-line interaction with the `tss` server to query TypeScript language services, reflecting its intended early-era usage."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Do not use this package for modern TypeScript development. Modern editors have built-in TypeScript language service integration or utilize actively maintained Language Server Protocol (LSP) servers.","message":"This package is explicitly built against TypeScript Language Services v0.9 and is fundamentally incompatible with modern TypeScript versions (1.0+). Attempting to use it with current projects will result in incorrect or non-functional behavior due to API changes.","severity":"breaking","affected_versions":">=1.0.0"},{"fix":"Migrate to modern editor integrations or Language Server Protocol (LSP) based tools for TypeScript support, which are actively developed and secure.","message":"The project is abandoned, with the last commits dating back to 2014-2015. There is no active maintenance, bug fixes, or security patches, making it unsuitable for use in any contemporary development or production environment.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"*"},{"fix":"Utilize editors with native LSP client support and the official TypeScript Language Server for robust and up-to-date TypeScript features.","message":"The command-line server approach for editor integration has largely been superseded by the Language Server Protocol (LSP), which provides a standardized and robust way for editors and IDEs to communicate with language-specific servers.","severity":"deprecated","affected_versions":"*"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z","problems":[{"fix":"This package cannot be easily made to work with modern TypeScript installations. The recommended fix is to use alternative, actively maintained tools or built-in editor support.","cause":"The `typescript-tools` package depends on a specific, and very old, internal structure and version of TypeScript (0.9). Modern npm installations or TypeScript versions will not satisfy these outdated requirements.","error":"Error: Cannot find module 'typescript' or 'tss.js' not found"},{"fix":"Ensure `npm install -g typescript-tools` completes successfully. Verify npm's global bin path is included in your system's PATH variable (e.g., `echo $PATH` on Linux/macOS or `Get-Command tss` in PowerShell to check if it's found).","cause":"The `tss` command was not installed globally or is not in your system's PATH. This can happen if `npm install -g` failed silently or if Node.js/npm's global binary directory isn't correctly configured in your environment.","error":"tss: command not found"}],"ecosystem":"npm"}