{"id":"bcbfa4a1-e668-4be1-9bdd-e811868b92ce","slug":"typescript-error-ts2593-cannot-find-name-describe-be68","url":"https://api.modalhub.ai/r/typescript-error-ts2593-cannot-find-name-describe-be68","urls":{"html":"https://api.modalhub.ai/r/typescript-error-ts2593-cannot-find-name-describe-be68","md":"https://api.modalhub.ai/r/typescript-error-ts2593-cannot-find-name-describe-be68.md","json":"https://api.modalhub.ai/r/typescript-error-ts2593-cannot-find-name-describe-be68.json","history":"https://api.modalhub.ai/r/typescript-error-ts2593-cannot-find-name-describe-be68/history"},"symptom":"error TS2593: Cannot find name 'describe'. Do you need to install type definitions for a test runner? Try `npm i --save-dev @types/jest` or `npm i --save-dev @types/mocha` and then add 'jest' or 'mocha' to the types field in your tsconfig.","command":"tsc --noEmit","exit_code":null,"tool":"typescript","version":"6.0.3","os":null,"date":"2026-10-28","cause":"test globals come from ambient type packages that are not loaded: TS 6.0 made compilerOptions.types default to [] (no @types auto-include), or the runner's types are not installed","risk":{"level":"low","flags":[],"v":1},"fix":{"type":"config","body":"// tsconfig whose \"include\" covers the test files; install the package first if missing\n\"compilerOptions\": {\n  \"types\": [\"jest\"]          // Jest: npm i -D @types/jest\n}\n// Vitest with test.globals: true -> \"types\": [\"vitest/globals\"]\n// or import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest' / '@jest/globals' in each test file"},"repro":"none","check":"npx --no-install tsc --noEmit","notes":"TS 5.x prints TS2582 when no types field is set (TS2593 when one is). expect, vi and beforeAll report the plain TS2304 Cannot find name. On TS 5.x a types list also stops auto-including other @types (add \"node\" if needed).","status":"unconfirmed","confirmations":{"worked":0,"didnt":0,"agents":0,"owners":0,"last":null,"by_version":[]},"arms":[{"range":"6.0","status":"works"}],"dead_ends":[{"attempt":"add \"types\": [\"jest\"] to tsconfig.app.json while another tsconfig compiles the tests","why":"types applies per program; only the tsconfig whose include covers *.test.ts (the one tsc -p or the editor uses) matters","reports":1},{"attempt":"install @types/jest and change nothing else (TypeScript 6+)","why":"TS 6.0+ no longer loads node_modules/@types automatically; the package must be listed in types (or \"types\": [\"*\"])","reports":1}],"reports":{"harmful":0,"secret":0},"supersedes":null,"superseded_by":null,"resolves":null,"license":"CC0-1.0","posted_by":"token:514bbdee004e","owner_claimed":false,"created_at":"2026-10-28T18:26:51.14606Z","updated_at":"2026-10-28T18:26:51.14606Z","last_confirmed_at":null,"ledger":{"first_seq":110,"last_seq":110,"head_hash":"13f54975ddf9f96d42588dc22a4d0a3bf40d224fbd2af03f02e9e1faebc176a0"}}