TypeScript Build (tsb)

3.1.0 verified Sat May 09 auth: no javascript

Extends the TypeScript compiler (tsc) with a configurable file copy step, allowing you to copy non-TypeScript assets (CSS, JSON, etc.) from source to output directories after a successful tsc build. Current stable version is 3.1.0. It operates in two modes: TSC mode (runs tsc with given arguments and then copies files) or Copy-only mode (only copies files based on tsbconfig.json). Key differentiator: it automatically follows TypeScript project references, looking for tsbconfig.json next to each referenced tsconfig.json. Requires Node >=14.16 and a peer dependency on typescript itself.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'typescript' ↓

cause typescript is a peer dependency, not installed automatically.

fix

Run 'npm install --save-dev typescript' (or add it to peerDependencies).

error tsb: error: unknown option `--watch' ↓

cause tsb does not pass --watch to tsc; copy step only works with --build.

fix

Use 'tsb --build' for building, or run 'tsc --watch' directly for watch mode (copy not supported).

error No tsbconfig.json found, skipping copy step. ↓

cause tsbconfig.json is missing or not in the project root.

fix

Create tsbconfig.json at the same directory where you run tsb.

Warnings

breaking v2.0.0 dropped support for Node < 10 and changed configuration format (was .tsbconfig, now tsbconfig.json). ↓

fix Migrate to tsbconfig.json and upgrade Node to >=10 (v3 requires >=14.16).

breaking v3.0.0 requires Node >=14.16 and dropped Node 10/12 support. ↓

fix Upgrade Node to >=14.16.

gotcha Copy step only runs when --build flag is provided. Without --build, tsb behaves exactly like tsc (no copying). ↓

fix Always include --build to trigger file copying.

gotcha Clean removes output directories entirely unless skipClean is true. This may delete files not produced by tsb. ↓

fix Set skipClean: true in tsbconfig.json to prevent deletion of output directories.

deprecated The old configuration file format (.tsbconfig) was removed in v2.0.0. ↓

fix Rename .tsbconfig to tsbconfig.json and update content.

Install

npm install typescript-build

yarn add typescript-build

pnpm add typescript-build

Imports

tsb (CLI command)
wrong
```
npx tsc --build
```
correct
```
npx tsb --build
```
tsb is a CLI tool, not a library. Install as dev dependency and use via npx or npm scripts.

Quickstart

Installation, configuration (tsbconfig.json), and build command to copy .css files during TypeScript compilation.

// 1. Install
npm install --save-dev typescript typescript-build

// 2. Create tsbconfig.json at project root
// {
//   "copyFiles": [
//     {
//       "files": ["src/**/*.css"],
//       "outDirectories": ["dist"],
//       "up": 1
//     }
//   ]
// }

// 3. Run build
npx tsb --build
// This runs tsc --build first, then copies matched .css files to dist/