denoland/deno · error · anyhow::Error

Cannot generate declarations for files with different compil

Error message

Cannot generate declarations for files with different compiler option scopes.
'{}' uses scope '{}' but '{}' uses scope '{}'.
Separate these files into different invocations.

What it means

With `--declaration`, TSC type-checks all root names in a single pass under one set of compiler options. Every file's compiler-options scope (derived from its nearest deno.json/tsconfig) must resolve to the same scope key; any mismatch aborts before checking starts because the results would be inconsistent.

Source

Thrown at cli/tools/transpile.rs:278

      specifiers,
      crate::graph_util::BuildGraphWithNpmOptions {
        is_dynamic: false,
        loader: None,
        npm_caching: cli_options.default_npm_caching_strategy(),
      },
    )
    .await?;

  // Validate that all files share the same compiler options scope, since
  // TSC type-checks all files in a single pass.
  let compiler_options_resolver = factory.compiler_options_resolver()?;
  let first_specifier = &root_names[0].0;
  let (first_key, _) =
    compiler_options_resolver.entry_for_specifier(first_specifier);
  for (specifier, _) in root_names.iter().skip(1) {
    let (key, _) = compiler_options_resolver.entry_for_specifier(specifier);
    if key != first_key {
      anyhow::bail!(
        "Cannot generate declarations for files with different compiler option scopes.\n\
         '{}' uses scope '{}' but '{}' uses scope '{}'.\n\
         Separate these files into different invocations.",
        first_specifier,
        first_key,
        specifier,
        key,
      );
    }
  }

  let type_checker = factory.type_checker().await?;
  let result = type_checker.emit_declarations(
    Arc::new(graph),
    root_names,
    cli_options.ts_type_lib_window(),
  )?;

View on GitHub (pinned to 89f33cbef2)

Solutions

1. Split into one invocation per scope: run transpile --declaration separately inside each workspace member
2. Invoke from a directory where all inputs resolve to a single config scope
3. Drop --declaration — plain transpilation does not require matching scopes

Example fix

# before (a.ts and b.ts in different workspace members)
deno transpile --declaration packages/one/a.ts packages/two/b.ts
# after
(cd packages/one && deno transpile --declaration a.ts --outdir dist)
(cd packages/two && deno transpile --declaration b.ts --outdir dist)

# bash: one invocation per workspace member
for member in packages/*/; do
  (cd "$member" && deno transpile --declaration src/*.ts --outdir dist) || exit 1
done

When it happens

Trigger: `deno transpile --declaration a.ts b.ts` where a.ts and b.ts resolve to different compiler-options scopes — e.g. they sit in different workspace members with per-package deno.json compilerOptions.

Common situations: Monorepos invoking one transpile command across package boundaries; mixing files inside and outside a workspace root that carries its own compilerOptions.

Related errors

• Cannot use --declaration without --output or --outdir. Decla
• Declaration file {} is not under the current directory
• Invalid declaration file path
• No input files specified
• Cannot use --output with multiple input files. Use --outdir

AI-assisted analysis of denoland/deno@89f33cbef2 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/642700600bb69858. Report an issue: GitHub.