Microsoft/TypeScript

Distributive conditional types can't distribute over `NoInfer` types wrapping a union

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#61,076 opened on Jan 29, 2025

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Domain: Conditional TypesHelp WantedPossible Improvement

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Description

🔎 Search Terms

noinfer union distributive conditional distribution

🕗 Version & Regression Information

  • This is the behavior in every version I tried

⏯ Playground Link

https://www.typescriptlang.org/play/?ts=5.8.0-dev.20250129&ssl=10&ssc=8&pln=1&pc=1#code/C4TwDgpgBAYg9nAogNwgO2FAvFA3lUSALigCIYB5C0qAXwG4AoQ6AIQEMAnFdTHfFiVKsAggCUaDRs3DQAkmjABXPrAQ8MUAD5QO3VBiYzIUMRADOSgDarEAD2Cd2AY2AAeBcuAAaNUgPAAHxMAPQhUBEAegD80iymFtbAAEzYUPaOLu4AcnAKAGYQnB6KKoG+8P68wYxhEVAxjEA

💻 Code

type FooEvent = { type: "FOO" };
type BarEvent = { type: "BAR" };

type Input = FooEvent | BarEvent;

type Result = Extract<Input, FooEvent>;
//   ^? type Result = { type: "FOO"; }

type Result2 = Extract<NoInfer<Input>, FooEvent>;
//   ^? type Result2 = never

🙁 Actual behavior

Result2 gets computed as never

🙂 Expected behavior

Result2 should get computed as { type: "FOO"; }

Additional information about the issue

This is repro for the core problem behind this incorrect behavior: TS playground

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate the TypeScript compiler's handling of distributive conditional types when the checked type is wrapped in NoInfer. Look at the type checker code in checker.ts, specifically the function that processes conditional types, and trace the logic that determines distributivity. Consider how NoInfer might be stripping the union type information, causing the distribution to fail.
Tech stack
typescript
Domain
backend
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.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
TypeScriptGit
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
35