Microsoft/TypeScript

`verbatimModuleSyntax` leaves empty curly brackets in the JS output

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#62239 opened on Aug 8, 2025

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Domain: ES ModulesHelp WantedPossible Improvement

Description

🔎 Search Terms

"verbatimModuleSyntax", "curly brackets", "empty brackets"

🕗 Version & Regression Information

  • This is the behavior in every 5.x version I tried, and I reviewed the FAQ for entries about verbatimModuleSyntax

⏯ Playground Link

https://www.typescriptlang.org/play/?jsx=4&verbatimModuleSyntax=true&ts=5.9.2#code/JYWwDg9gTgLgBASRAQwOYFMA0cDeMCeY6iKGAClBGAM4C+cAZpSHAEQB26AHjAPShp0AOgBW1VgG4AUFO6RYcACboGyAK4AbeAzXsAxjGAR2JQQHUoyMESgAKMJRoAuU+UfUAlLilxfcKOgwalAmADxIgrhC0Q5UdLwAfFK0UkA

💻 Code

import Image, {type ImageProps} from "next/image.js";

export default function ImageWrapper(props: ImageProps) {
    return <Image {...props}/>
}

🙁 Actual behavior

TS produces the following JS output when verbatimModuleSyntax is set to true:

import { jsx as _jsx } from "react/jsx-runtime";
import Image, {} from "next/image.js";
export default function ImageWrapper(props) {
    return _jsx(Image, Object.assign({}, props));
}

Notice the empty curly brackets in the import statement that were left off after removing type-only named imports.

🙂 Expected behavior

The empty curly brackets are unnecessary in this case. It is precisely the output TS produces when verbatimModuleSyntax is not enabled:

import { jsx as _jsx } from "react/jsx-runtime";
import Image from "next/image.js";
export default function ImageWrapper(props) {
    return _jsx(Image, Object.assign({}, props));
}

https://www.typescriptlang.org/play/?jsx=4&verbatimModuleSyntax=false&ts=5.9.2#code/JYWwDg9gTgLgBASRAQwOYFMA0cDeMCeY6iKGAClBGAM4C+cAZpSHAEQB26AHjAPShp0AOgBW1VgG4AUFO6RYcACboGyAK4AbeAzXsAxjGAR2JQQHUoyMESgAKMJRoAuU+UfUAlLilxfcKOgwalAmADxIgrhC0Q5UdLwAfFK0UkA

Additional information about the issue

No response

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescriptjavascript
Domain
tooling
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
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
TypeScript compiler internalsES module importsdebugging generated code
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
Examine the emitter module in src/compiler/emitter.ts where import statements are generated for ES modules when verbatimModuleSyntax is true. Look for the logic that handles type only named imports and why it leaves an empty import specifier. Review the test suite in tests/cases/compiler/ for verbatimModuleSyntax to ensure the fix aligns with expected output. Consider whether the solution should modify the import clause to omit empty braces or adjust the type stripping logic.