Biome Typescript

Biome TypeScript Linting Skill

Routing Guide

Version Discovery

Never trust cached knowledge of Biome versions. Query the npm registry:

npm view @biomejs/biome version

Or for all recent versions:

npm view @biomejs/biome versions --json | tail -20

Check release notes for breaking changes:

curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/biomejs/biome/releases/latest | jq -r '.tag_name, .html_url'

Quick Start

Install as dev dependency (always pin exact version):

npm install --save-dev --save-exact @biomejs/biome@latest
npx biome init

This creates biome.json. Immediately verify:

npx biome check .

Minimal biome.json

{
  "$schema": "https://biomejs.dev/schemas/1.9.4/schema.json",
  "vcs": {
    "enabled": true,
    "clientKind": "git",
    "useIgnoreFile": true
  },
  "organizeImports": {
    "enabled": true
  },
  "linter": {
    "enabled": true,
    "rules": {
      "recommended": true
    }
  },
  "formatter": {
    "enabled": true,
    "indentStyle": "space",
    "indentWidth": 2
  }
}

Critical: Update the $schema URL to match your installed version.

Configuration Patterns

Rule Severity Levels

{
  "linter": {
    "rules": {
      "recommended": true,
      "suspicious": {
        "noExplicitAny": "error",
        "noArrayIndexKey": "warn"
      },
      "style": {
        "noNonNullAssertion": "off"
      }
    }
  }
}

Levels: "error" | "warn" | "off"

Rules with Options

Some rules accept configuration objects:

{
  "linter": {
    "rules": {
      "style": {
        "useNamingConvention": {
          "level": "error",
          "options": {
            "strictCase": false,
            "conventions": [
              {
                "selector": { "kind": "variable" },
                "formats": ["camelCase", "CONSTANT_CASE"]
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      },
      "complexity": {
        "noExcessiveCognitiveComplexity": {
          "level": "error",
          "options": {
            "maxAllowedComplexity": 15
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Extending Configurations

{
  "extends": ["./biome.base.json"]
}

Arrays merge; later entries override earlier ones.

File Targeting (Rough Edges)

Global Include/Exclude

Top-level files applies to all tools (linter, formatter, organizeImports):

{
  "files": {
    "include": ["src/**", "tests/**"],
    "ignore": ["**/generated/**", "**/*.d.ts", "**/dist/**"]
  }
}

Gotcha: Patterns are relative to biome.json location. Use **/ prefix for recursive matching.

Tool-Specific Include/Exclude

Each tool can have its own file scope:

{
  "linter": {
    "include": ["src/**"],
    "ignore": ["src/generated/**"]
  },
  "formatter": {
    "include": ["src/**", "scripts/**"],
    "ignore": ["src/vendor/**"]
  }
}

Per-File Rule Overrides

Apply different rules to specific file patterns:

{
  "overrides": [
    {
      "include": ["**/*.test.ts", "**/*.spec.ts"],
      "linter": {
        "rules": {
          "suspicious": {
            "noExplicitAny": "off"
          }
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "include": ["scripts/**"],
      "linter": {
        "rules": {
          "suspicious": {
            "noConsoleLog": "off"
          }
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "include": ["**/*.config.ts", "**/*.config.js"],
      "linter": {
        "rules": {
          "style": {
            "noDefaultExport": "off"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Critical ordering: Overrides apply in array order. Later overrides win for the same file.

VCS Integration

Let Biome respect .gitignore:

{
  "vcs": {
    "enabled": true,
    "clientKind": "git",
    "useIgnoreFile": true,
    "defaultBranch": "main"
  }
}

With useIgnoreFile: true, anything in .gitignore is automatically excluded.

Command Reference

# Check without modifying (CI mode)
npx biome check .

# Fix all auto-fixable issues
npx biome check --write .

# Lint only (no formatting)
npx biome lint .

# Format only
npx biome format --write .

# Organize imports only
npx biome check --organize-imports-enabled=true --write .

# Check specific files
npx biome check src/index.ts src/utils/**/*.ts

# Output as JSON (for tooling)
npx biome check --reporter=json .

# Show which files would be processed
npx biome check --files-ignore-unknown=true --no-errors-on-unmatched .

Useful Flags

Suppression Comments

Suppress specific rules inline:

// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: external API requires any
const response: any = await legacyApi.fetch();

// biome-ignore lint/style/noNonNullAssertion: checked above
const element = document.getElementById("root")!;

Always include a reason after the colon. Biome enforces this—reasonless suppressions fail.

Avoid these lazy patterns:

// BAD: Will need revisiting
// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: TODO fix later
// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: too complex to type

// GOOD: Explains why suppression is necessary
// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: FFI boundary with untyped C library
// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: generic deserializer, caller provides type

Package.json Scripts

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "biome check .",
    "lint:fix": "biome check --write .",
    "format": "biome format --write .",
    "check": "biome check --write --unsafe ."
  }
}

TypeScript Integration

Biome does not use tsconfig.json for path resolution by default. For monorepos or path aliases:

{
  "javascript": {
    "jsxRuntime": "reactClassic",
    "globals": ["React"]
  }
}

For JSX:

{
  "javascript": {
    "jsxRuntime": "automatic"
  }
}

When to Consult Reference Files

• Struggling with a specific lint error? → references/lint-solutions.md
• Want stricter rules than "recommended"? → references/strict-rules.md
• Migrating from ESLint or Prettier? → references/migration.md
• Setting up CI or git hooks? → references/ci-hooks.md