Confusing error message for labels used before definition

Description

function foo() {
    for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
        console.log(`${i}`);
        continue loopend;
    }

    loopend:
    console.log('end of loop');
}

Contributor guide

Tech stack

typescript

Domain

developer experiencetooling

Issue type

bug

DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.

3

Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.

under 1 hour

Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.

stale

ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.

clear

Prerequisites

understanding of JavaScript labelsfamiliarity with TypeScript error messages

Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.

60

Research direction

The issue reporter demonstrates that the error message 'Jump target cannot cross function boundary' is misleading when a label is defined after a `continue` statement but within the same function. The expected fix is to improve the error message to reflect the actual scoping rule (labels must be defined before use). Comments in the issue may discuss potential wording changes or the location in the TypeScript codebase where the error is emitted (likely in `src/compiler/checker.ts`). Investigate the checker's handling of labeled statements and the relevant error code TS1007 to propose a more descriptive message.