The TypeScript layer (@skmtc/lang-typescript)
Read skmtc-generator first; you will normally have copied the
skmtc-model skeleton (model generators — load that skill) or
cloned @skmtc/gen-tanstack-query-fetch-zod (operation) — those are
the worked examples. This skill carries the rules that aren't visible
from imitation alone.
1. Declaring the language
The declaration is the import graph — no lang config field exists.
src/base.ts imports a factory; the returned class extends TsSnippet,
which carries the static lang Drivers read pre-construction.
import { toTsModelProjectionBase } from '@skmtc/lang-typescript'
export const MyBase = toTsModelProjectionBase<EnrichmentSchema>({
id: denoJson.name,
toIdentifierName({ refName }) { return decapitalize(camelCase(refName)) },
toIdentifierType: () => ({ type: 'variable' }),
toExportPath({ refName, enrichments, variant }) {
const name = this.toIdentifierName({ refName, enrichments, variant })
return join('@', 'types', `${name}.generated.ts`) // '@/' root marker
},
toEnrichmentSchema
})
Factories: toTsModelProjectionBase, toTsOasOperationProjectionBase
(+ webhook/GQL variants). Snippets extend TsSnippet directly. Casing
helpers (camelCase, capitalize, decapitalize) and toEndpointName
come from @skmtc/core; join from @std/path.
A projection consumable by peers via insertNormalizedModel also needs
two statics: schemaToValueFn (your router) and createIdentifier.
2. The three register shapes
| Caller | Call | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Projection | this.register(args) |
its own export file |
| Projection | this.registerInto(path, args) |
explicit file |
| Snippet | this.register({ ...args, destinationPath }) |
required — snippets own no file |
Free functions for transform-level code: register(context, args);
defineAndRegister(context, { identifier, value, destinationPath }) —
no cache check (pair with context.findDefinition for the accumulator
get-or-create idiom). Args:
{ imports?: Record<module, ImportNameArg[]>, reExports?, definitions?, custom? }. register creates the file on first write and drops
self-imports, so register imports unconditionally — per-leaf
registration (every snippet needing z registers { zod: ['z'] }) is
the correct pattern, and merging is idempotent.
3. Identifier kinds
TypeScript output has five entity kinds — TsEntityType = 'variable' | 'type' | 'class' | 'interface' | 'namespace' — factories
createVariable(name, { typeName? }), createType, createClass,
createInterface, createNamespace. No 'function' kind: a generated
function is a variable whose value renders as an arrow function. The
engine's identifier type is an opaque string; isTsEntityType narrows
it to the five above.
toIdentifierType is one lever with three effects: declaration keyword;
block form (class/interface/namespace take no = value;); and whether
consumers import it type-only (type and interface do — this is
what keeps consumers compiling under verbatimModuleSyntax/TS1484, and
you get it by choosing the kind, never by writing import syntax).
File dedup keys on keyword+name, so class Foo + namespace Foo
coexist (declaration merging); first write wins per slot.
4. Emitted-import rules
Concise forms per module: ['z'] (named), [{ default: 'invariant' }]
(aliased/default), [{ name: 'User', type: 'type' }] (type-only).
Sharp edge: only type: 'type' triggers type-only in the concise form —
type: 'interface' does NOT; tag interfaces type: 'type'. Register
against @/… export paths; module names are re-keyed at render via the
project's package settings.
5. Composition helpers
All Stringable, all deferring joins to render — use them instead of
array.join whenever items are snippets (joining pre-renders and orphans
provenance):
List—List.toObject/toArray/toParams/toLines/toKeyValue,List.fromKeys(record).toObject(fn),new List(values, { separator, bookends, skipEmpty }).FunctionParameter({ typeDefinition, destructure, required, skipEmpty })— one object, four readings:toString()(declaration),toInbound()(call site),toPropertyList(),hasProperty(name).toPathTemplate('/users/{id}')→/users/${id};toPathParams→/users/:id;PathParamsbundles type + parameter + template.keyValues,withDescription,handleKey,handlePropertyName;TsClass/TsHeritagefor class syntax (TsHeritageregisters its own heritage imports).
6. Sanitizing emitted names
Two different questions: sanitizeIdentifier(name) for binding
names (export const <name>; repairs '2fa' → '_2fa', reserved →
suffixed) vs sanitizePropertyName(name) for property keys /
destructuring (returns a rename pair when repair is needed). Never
hand-roll keyword lists.
7. Files
Render order: custom banner → re-exports → imports → definitions;
first-wins per definition slot makes output order-independent. You
almost never construct TsFile/TsImport/TsDefinition yourself —
register and the Drivers do.
8. The contrast that matters
// WRONG: stored rendered text — z import never registers, refs duplicate
this.properties[key] = `z.string().optional()`
// RIGHT: stored snippet — imports settle, cache sees it, provenance holds
this.properties[key] = toMyValue({ schema: propSchema, required, destinationPath, context })
A cached peer name is a legitimate string — minding the two insert
return shapes: this.responseName = definition.identifier.name from
insertNormalizedModel, or .toName() off insertModel's Inserted
handle. Modifier pipelines (applyModifiers-style) run inside
toString(), never to build stored fields.
9. TypeScript pitfalls
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| TS1484 in consumers | Identifier kind type/interface; concise imports need type: 'type' |
| Interface import emitted as value | Tag it type: 'type' (known concise-form gap) |
| TS7022/7024 on recursive schemas | Set settings.identifier.typeName (e.g. z.ZodType<X>) post-construction; the name stays stable |
| Provenance holes under some nodes | toString must be a prototype method, never an arrow field |
Doubled ?/modifiers |
One owner: apply modifiers once, at the leaf's render |