vite-plugin-tsc-watch

3.1.2 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript

Plugs tsc --watch into Vite dev server, enabling TypeScript type-checking during development without blocking the build pipeline. Current stable version is 3.1.2 (Feb 2025), with releases roughly every 6 months tracking Vite and TypeScript peer updates. Key differentiators: dev-only, low-noise (no overlay), uses Vite's dev server for logging, lightweight compared to alternatives like fork-ts-checker-webpack-plugin. Supports TS solution config and ESM-only since v3.

Common errors

error Error: The plugin 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch' requires a named export 'tscWatch' ↓

cause Using default import after v3.0.1 when plugin switched to ESM and named export.

fix

Replace import tscWatch from ... with import { tscWatch } from 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch'.

error TypeError: vitePluginTscWatch is not a function ↓

cause Using `const tscWatch = require('vite-plugin-tsc-watch')` in CJS context after v3.0.1 (ESM-only).

fix

Switch to ESM import or use dynamic import: const { tscWatch } = await import('vite-plugin-tsc-watch').

error Error: Cannot find module 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch' or its corresponding type declarations. ↓

cause Missing or incompatible peer dependencies (typescript or vite).

fix

Run npm install -D typescript vite to install peer dependencies.

Warnings

breaking Default export removed in v2.0.0, replaced with named export `tscPlugin`. In v3.0.1, renamed to `tscWatch`. ↓

fix Use `import { tscWatch } from 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch'` instead of default import.

breaking ESM-only since v3.0.1; CommonJS require() is deprecated but still works with a warning. ↓

fix Switch to ESM imports or migrate Vite to ESM (see Vite migration guide).

breaking Dropped support for Vite 2 & 3 and Node <18 in v3.0.1. ↓

fix Upgrade to Vite 4+ and Node 18+.

deprecated The named export `tscPlugin` (v2.0.0 to v3.0.0) is deprecated; use `tscWatch` instead. ↓

fix Rename `tscPlugin` to `tscWatch` in your imports.

gotcha The plugin does not emit compiled JS files; you must set `noEmit: true` in tsconfig to avoid file pollution. ↓

fix Add `"noEmit": true` to `compilerOptions` in your tsconfig.json.

Install

npm install vite-plugin-tsc-watch

yarn add vite-plugin-tsc-watch

pnpm add vite-plugin-tsc-watch

Imports

tscWatch
wrong
```
import tscWatch from 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch'
```
correct
```
import { tscWatch } from 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch'
```
Named export only since v3.0.0; default export was removed in v2.0.0, renamed in v3.0.1.
vite-plugin-tsc-watch
wrong
```
const { tscWatch } = require('vite-plugin-tsc-watch')
```
correct
```
import { tscWatch } from 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch'
```
Plugin is ESM-only since v3.0.1; require() triggers a warning. Use ESM import or migrate Vite to ESM.

Quickstart

Import the named export `tscWatch` and add it to the Vite plugins array.

import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import { tscWatch } from 'vite-plugin-tsc-watch';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [tscWatch()],
});