TypeScript Strict Patterns

Project setup — read project-setup.md when bootstrapping a new project or changing tsconfig / ts-reset / type-fest. ESLint baseline — read eslint.config.mjs when adding or tweaking lint rules.

Discriminated Unions + Exhaustive Checking

Model variants as discriminated unions — never bags of optional properties:

// GOOD — each variant carries exactly its data
type Result =
  | { status: "ok"; data: string }
  | { status: "error"; message: string };

// Exhaustive check helper — will fail to compile if a variant is missed
function assertNever(x: never): never {
  throw new Error(`Unexpected: ${JSON.stringify(x)}`);
}

function handle(r: Result) {
  switch (r.status) {
    case "ok": return r.data;
    case "error": return r.message;
    default: assertNever(r); // compile error if a case is missing
  }
}

Use satisfies never or the assertNever helper at the default: branch. ESLint's switch-exhaustiveness-check enforces this at lint time.

Branded Types

Prevent accidental interchange of structurally identical types with a brand:

type Brand<T, B extends string> = T & { readonly __brand: B };

type UserId = Brand<string, "UserId">;
type OrderId = Brand<string, "OrderId">;

function getUser(id: UserId) { /* ... */ }

const uid = "abc" as UserId; // cast once at the boundary
getUser(uid);    // OK
getUser("abc");  // compile error — plain string is not UserId

Brand at system boundaries (API response parsing, DB reads). Internal code then carries the brand without further casts.

Template Literal Types

Enforce string formats at the type level:

type HexColor = `#${string}`;
type Route = `/${string}`;
type EventName = `on${Capitalize<string>}`;

function setColor(c: HexColor) { /* ... */ }
setColor("#ff0000"); // OK
setColor("red");     // compile error

Useful for config keys, route paths, and event names where runtime validation is overkill but typos are common.

No ! or as in Production Code

Non-null assertions (!) and type assertions (as) are banned in production code. They hide type errors. Allowed in test files where the tradeoff is acceptable (enforced by ESLint config).

Replacements:

• Destructuring with defaults instead of obj.prop!: const { name = '' } = config;
• .at() + nullish coalescing instead of arr[0]!: const first = arr.at(0) ?? fallback;
• Guard clause instead of value as Foo: narrow with a type guard, then the type flows naturally.

Const Arrays Over Enums

Never use enum (enforced by ESLint). Use as const arrays with derived types:

const STATUSES = ["pending", "active", "done"] as const;
type Status = (typeof STATUSES)[number];

At system boundaries where Zod already validates, prefer z.enum(STATUSES) — it gives you the union type and runtime validation in one step.

Zod Schemas at System Boundaries

Use Zod schemas as the single source of truth for data crossing system boundaries (disk I/O, env vars, API responses, config files). Derive types with z.infer<> — never duplicate a hand-written interface alongside a schema.

export const sessionMetaSchema = z.object({
  token: z.string(),
  status: z.enum(["running", "completed", "error"]),
});
export type SessionMeta = z.infer<typeof sessionMetaSchema>;

• Use safeParse() for data that may be corrupt (disk reads, JSONL) — skip gracefully
• Use parse() for startup validation (env vars) where failure is fatal
• Skip Zod for internal function arguments between trusted modules and for SDK-owned types

Safe Indexed Access

With noUncheckedIndexedAccess, bracket access returns T | undefined. Always narrow:

• Use .at(index) — clearer intent than bracket access
• Handle with if (item !== undefined) or ??
• Prefer .find(), .filter(), or destructuring over index access

Type Helpers (type-fest as Inspiration)

Use type-fest as a reference catalog when strict patterns make code verbose. Browse its source for solutions like SetRequired, Simplify, JsonValue. Copy the single type definition you need into src/types/ with attribution. Don't add the full package as a dependency — keep the dependency graph small.

Self-Improvement

If you encounter a pattern that doesn't work with newer TypeScript versions, a missing pattern, or incorrect guidance in this skill, don't just work around it — fix the skill:

1. Create a PR from a fresh worktree of https://github.com/eins78/skills on a new branch, fixing the issue directly
2. Or file an issue on https://github.com/eins78/skills with: what failed, the actual behavior, and the suggested fix

Never silently work around a skill gap. The fix benefits all future sessions.