TS7016: Could not find a declaration file for module — how to fix

error TS7016: Could not find a declaration file for module 'lodash'. '/home/me/app/node_modules/lodash/index.js' implicitly has an 'any' type.
  Try `npm i --save-dev @types/lodash` if it exists or add a new declaration (.d.ts) file containing `declare module 'lodash';`

Quick fix: Install the community types: npm i -D @types/<package> (for scoped packages @scope/pkg use @types/scope__pkg). If none exist, create src/types/<package>.d.ts with declare module '<package>'; and make sure that folder is included by tsconfig.json.

What it means

TypeScript resolved the import to a real .js file in node_modules, but couldn't find any type information for it:

• the package has no types/typings field and no .d.ts files, and
• there is no matching @types/... package installed.

Because noImplicitAny is on (it is with "strict": true), TypeScript won't silently type the module as any, so it raises TS7016. This is different from TS2307, where the module itself can't be found.

Fix 1: install the @types package

Most popular JS-only libraries have community types in DefinitelyTyped:

npm i -D @types/lodash
npm i -D @types/express @types/node
yarn add -D @types/lodash
pnpm add -D @types/lodash

For scoped packages the name is flattened with a double underscore:

# @babel/core -> @types/babel__core
npm i -D @types/babel__core

Check whether types exist with npm view @types/<name> version. If it returns a 404, there are none.

Also check that the library hasn't started bundling its own types in a newer version — upgrading the package itself may fix it, and then you should remove the outdated @types package.

Fix 2: write a declaration

If no types exist, declare the module yourself. Create e.g. src/types/untyped-lib.d.ts:

// Shorthand: everything imported from it is `any`
declare module "untyped-lib";

Or describe the parts you use, which gives you real type checking:

declare module "untyped-lib" {
  export function slugify(input: string, sep?: string): string;
  const version: string;
  export default version;
}

The file must not contain a top-level import/export outside the declare module block — that turns it into a module and the declaration no longer applies globally. Put imports inside the declare module block if you need them.

Fix 3: make sure tsconfig includes the .d.ts file

If you added a declaration and still get TS7016, TypeScript probably isn't reading the file. Check tsconfig.json:

{
  "compilerOptions": { "strict": true },
  "include": ["src", "types"]
}

Files outside include are ignored. If you set typeRoots, remember it replaces the default node_modules/@types:

"typeRoots": ["./node_modules/@types", "./types"]

Restart the TypeScript server in your editor afterwards (VS Code: Command Palette → "TypeScript: Restart TS Server").

Fix 4: package has types, but exports hides them

With "moduleResolution": "node16", "nodenext" or "bundler", TypeScript follows the package's exports map. If the package lists types only under the legacy types field, or only for import and not require, you can get TS7016 even though .d.ts files exist. Options:

• upgrade the package (many fixed their exports "types" conditions),
• import the path that has types,
• or temporarily use "moduleResolution": "node" if that matches your toolchain.

npx @arethetypeswrong/cli <package> diagnoses these packaging problems.

Fix 5 (last resort): turn off the check

Setting "noImplicitAny": false makes TS7016 disappear for all modules but also weakens type checking across your whole codebase. A one-line declare module "x"; is a far smaller hole.

JavaScript files with checkJs

In a JS project using // @ts-check or "checkJs": true, the same error appears in the editor. The fixes are identical: install @types/... or add a .d.ts file to the project.

Last updated 2026-11-06.