Internal types package should not require build step

[yamcodes]

Problem

The @repo/types internal package currently requires a build step (tsc) to generate .d.ts files in the dist/ directory, even though it's a types-only package with no runtime code.

This is necessary because:

• tsdown's dts.resolve configuration needs the package to have declaration files to bundle types correctly
• The package.json points to ./dist/index.d.ts for type resolution
• Without the build step, TypeScript can't resolve the types during the bundling process

Why This Is Not Ideal

1. Types-only packages shouldn't need builds - The original design was for a zero-build types package
2. Adds unnecessary complexity - Requires maintaining a build script and dist directory
3. Build order dependency - The internal types package must be built before packages that depend on it
4. Goes against the original proposal - The proposal stated "no build config needed"

Current Workaround

The package currently has:

• "build": "tsc" script to generate declaration files
• "types": "./dist/index.d.ts" pointing to built files
• Build step required before consuming packages can use the types

Potential Solutions

1. Investigate tsdown alternatives - Find a way to make dts.resolve work with source .ts files directly
2. Use a different bundling approach - Maybe inline the types directly in source files instead of using a separate package
3. Wait for tsdown improvements - See if future versions support resolving types from source files
4. Accept the build requirement - Document it as a necessary trade-off for type bundling

Related

• Created as part of: add-internal-types-package (archived)
• See: packages/internal/types/package.json
• See: packages/arkenv/tsdown.config.ts and packages/vite-plugin/tsdown.config.ts
• Internal types package #416 (closed by Internal types package #419)

Priority

Low - This is a technical debt item. The current solution works, but it's not ideal.

[yamcodes]

I'm closing this issue for now. It looks like what we have is truly the best solution, writing d.ts files by hand is a bad idea since TypeScript doesn't run fully there. We should keep the build step.