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Tsdown

JetBrainsOfficialCreated by Anthony FuDistributed by JetBrains

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Software development
  • MIT
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From the author

Bundle TypeScript and JavaScript libraries with blazing-fast speed powered by Rolldown. Use when building libraries, generating type declarations, bundling for multiple formats, or migrating from tsup.
— the description by Anthony Fu

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

tsdown is a library bundler designed for TypeScript and JavaScript projects. It leverages Rolldown and Oxc to handle bundling tasks, including generating type declarations, supporting multiple output formats, and managing dependencies. It provides a configuration-driven approach to library development, supporting various frameworks and runtime environments, and includes a migration path for users moving from tsup.

What it does

  • Bundles TypeScript and JavaScript libraries into multiple formats like ESM, CJS, IIFE, and UMD.
  • Generates TypeScript declaration files (.d.ts) automatically.
  • Supports dependency management, including externalization and bundling options.
  • Provides hooks for custom build logic and supports plugins from the Rolldown and Rollup ecosystems.
  • Offers specialized configurations for component libraries using React, Vue, Solid, or Svelte.
  • Includes a migration tool to assist with transitioning from tsup.

When to use it

  • When building TypeScript or JavaScript libraries for distribution via npm.
  • When you need to generate type declarations alongside your bundled code.
  • When your project requires bundling for multiple module formats.
  • When migrating an existing library project from tsup.
  • When developing component libraries for frameworks like React, Vue, or Svelte.

Advantages

  • Simplifies the bundling process for library authors with a clear configuration API.
  • Provides built-in support for common library tasks like package exports and ESM/CJS shims.
  • Offers CI-aware configuration options to validate packages before publishing.
  • Supports advanced features like standalone executable bundling and CSS processing.
  • Allows for flexible build configurations including monorepo and workspace support.

Usage examples

“How do I bundle my TypeScript library for both ESM and CJS formats?”
You can use a tsdown.config.ts file with the format option set to ['esm', 'cjs'] and dts set to true to generate declarations.
“How can I migrate my existing tsup project to tsdown?”
You can run the npx tsdown-migrate command to assist with the transition.
“How do I configure tsdown to exclude React from my bundle?”
In your configuration file, use the deps.neverBundle option to specify ['react', 'react-dom'].
“How do I enable watch mode for development?”
Run the command npx tsdown --watch to enable watch mode for your build process.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/jetbrains/tsdown/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip tsdown.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Anthony Fu

tsdown - The Elegant Library Bundler

Blazing-fast bundler for TypeScript/JavaScript libraries powered by Rolldown and Oxc.

When to Use

  • Building TypeScript/JavaScript libraries for npm

  • Generating TypeScript declaration files (.d.ts)

  • Bundling for multiple formats (ESM, CJS, IIFE, UMD)

  • Optimizing bundles with tree shaking and minification

  • Migrating from tsup with minimal changes

  • Building React, Vue, Solid, or Svelte component libraries

Quick Start

# Install
pnpm add -D tsdown

# Basic usage
npx tsdown

# With config file
npx tsdown --config tsdown.config.ts

# Watch mode
npx tsdown --watch

# Migrate from tsup
npx tsdown-migrate

Basic Configuration

import { defineConfig } from 'tsdown'

export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['./src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
  clean: true,
})

Core References

TopicDescriptionReference
Getting StartedInstallation, first bundle, CLI basicsguide-getting-started
Configuration FileConfig file formats, multiple configs, workspaceoption-config-file
CLI ReferenceAll CLI commands and optionsreference-cli
Migrate from tsupMigration guide and compatibility notesguide-migrate-from-tsup
PluginsRolldown, Rollup, Unplugin supportadvanced-plugins
HooksLifecycle hooks for custom logicadvanced-hooks
Programmatic APIBuild from Node.js scriptsadvanced-programmatic
Rolldown OptionsPass options directly to Rolldownadvanced-rolldown-options
CI EnvironmentCI detection, 'ci-only' / 'local-only' valuesadvanced-ci

Build Options

OptionUsageReference
Entry pointsentry: ['src/*.ts', '!**/*.test.ts']option-entry
Output formatsformat: ['esm', 'cjs', 'iife', 'umd']option-output-format
Output directoryoutDir: 'dist', outExtensionsoption-output-directory
Type declarationsdts: true, dts: { sourcemap, compilerOptions, vue }option-dts
Target environmenttarget: 'es2020', target: 'esnext'option-target
Platformplatform: 'node', platform: 'browser'option-platform
Tree shakingtreeshake: true, custom optionsoption-tree-shaking
Minificationminify: true, minify: 'dce-only'option-minification
Source mapssourcemap: true, 'inline', 'hidden'option-sourcemap
Watch modewatch: true, watch optionsoption-watch-mode
Cleaningclean: true, clean patternsoption-cleaning
Log levellogLevel: 'silent', failOnWarn: falseoption-log-level

Dependency Handling

FeatureUsageReference
Never bundledeps: { neverBundle: ['react', /^@myorg\//] }option-dependencies
Always bundledeps: { alwaysBundle: ['dep-to-bundle'] }option-dependencies
Only bundledeps: { onlyBundle: ['cac', 'bumpp'] } - Whitelistoption-dependencies
Skip node_modulesdeps: { skipNodeModulesBundle: true }option-dependencies
Auto externalAutomatic peer/dependency externalizationoption-dependencies

Output Enhancement

FeatureUsageReference
Shimsshims: true - Add ESM/CJS compatibilityoption-shims
CJS defaultcjsDefault: true (default) / falseoption-cjs-default
Package exportsexports: true - Auto-generate exports fieldoption-package-exports
CSS handling[experimental] css: { ... } — full pipeline with preprocessors, Lightning CSS, PostCSS, code splitting; requires @tsdown/cssoption-css
CSS injectcss: { inject: true } — preserve CSS imports in JS outputoption-css
Unbundle modeunbundle: true - Preserve directory structureoption-unbundle
Root directoryroot: 'src' - Control output directory mappingoption-root
Executable[experimental] exe: true - Bundle as standalone executable, cross-platform via @tsdown/exeoption-exe
Package validationpublint: true, attw: true - Validate packageoption-lint

Framework & Runtime Support

FrameworkGuideReference
ReactJSX transform, React Compilerrecipe-react
VueSFC support, JSXrecipe-vue
SolidSolidJS JSX transformrecipe-solid
SvelteSvelte component libraries (source distribution recommended)recipe-svelte
WASMWebAssembly modules via rolldown-plugin-wasmrecipe-wasm

Common Patterns

Basic Library Bundle
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
  clean: true,
})
Multiple Entry Points
export default defineConfig({
  entry: {
    index: 'src/index.ts',
    utils: 'src/utils.ts',
    cli: 'src/cli.ts',
  },
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
})
Browser Library (IIFE/UMD)
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['iife'],
  globalName: 'MyLib',
  platform: 'browser',
  minify: true,
})
React Component Library
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.tsx'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
  deps: {
    neverBundle: ['react', 'react-dom'],
  },
  inputOptions: {
    jsx: { runtime: 'automatic' },
  },
})
Preserve Directory Structure
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/**/*.ts', '!**/*.test.ts'],
  unbundle: true, // Preserve file structure
  format: ['esm'],
  dts: true,
})
CI-Aware Configuration
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
  failOnWarn: 'ci-only',  // opt-in: fail on warnings in CI
  publint: 'ci-only',
  attw: 'ci-only',
})
WASM Support
import { wasm } from 'rolldown-plugin-wasm'
import { defineConfig } from 'tsdown'

export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  plugins: [wasm()],
})
Library with CSS and Sass
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
  target: 'chrome100',
  css: {
    preprocessorOptions: {
      scss: {
        additionalData: `@use "src/styles/variables" as *;`,
      },
    },
  },
})
Standalone Executable
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/cli.ts'],
  exe: true,
})
Cross-Platform Executable (requires @tsdown/exe)
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/cli.ts'],
  exe: {
    targets: [
      { platform: 'linux', arch: 'x64', nodeVersion: '25.7.0' },
      { platform: 'darwin', arch: 'arm64', nodeVersion: '25.7.0' },
      { platform: 'win', arch: 'x64', nodeVersion: '25.7.0' },
    ],
  },
})
Advanced with Hooks
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
  hooks: {
    'build:before': async (context) => {
      console.log('Building...')
    },
    'build:done': async (context) => {
      console.log('Build complete!')
    },
  },
})

Configuration Features

Multiple Configs

Export an array for multiple build configurations:

export default defineConfig([
  {
    entry: ['src/index.ts'],
    format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
    dts: true,
  },
  {
    entry: ['src/cli.ts'],
    format: ['esm'],
    platform: 'node',
  },
])
Conditional Config

Use functions for dynamic configuration:

export default defineConfig((options) => {
  const isDev = options.watch
  return {
    entry: ['src/index.ts'],
    format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
    minify: !isDev,
    sourcemap: isDev,
  }
})
Workspace/Monorepo

Use glob patterns to build multiple packages:

export default defineConfig({
  workspace: 'packages/*',
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  dts: true,
})

CLI Quick Reference

# Basic commands
tsdown                          # Build once
tsdown --watch                  # Watch mode
tsdown --config custom.ts       # Custom config
npx tsdown-migrate              # Migrate from tsup

# Output options
tsdown --format esm,cjs        # Multiple formats
tsdown -d lib                  # Custom output directory (--out-dir)
tsdown --minify                # Enable minification
tsdown --dts                   # Generate declarations
tsdown --exe                   # Bundle as standalone executable
tsdown --unbundle              # Bundleless mode

# Entry options
tsdown src/index.ts            # Single entry
tsdown src/*.ts                # Glob patterns
tsdown src/a.ts src/b.ts       # Multiple entries

# Workspace / Monorepo
tsdown -W                      # Enable workspace mode
tsdown -W -F my-package        # Filter specific package
tsdown --filter /^pkg-/        # Filter by regex

# Development
tsdown --watch                 # Watch mode
tsdown --sourcemap             # Generate source maps
tsdown --clean                 # Clean output directory
tsdown --from-vite             # Reuse Vite config
tsdown --tsconfig tsconfig.build.json  # Custom tsconfig

Best Practices

  1. Always generate type declarations for TypeScript libraries:

    { dts: true }
  2. Externalize dependencies to avoid bundling unnecessary code:

    { deps: { neverBundle: [/^react/, /^@myorg\//] } }
  3. Use tree shaking for optimal bundle size:

    { treeshake: true }
  4. Enable minification for production builds:

    { minify: true }
  5. Add shims for better ESM/CJS compatibility:

    { shims: true }  // Adds __dirname, __filename, etc.
  6. Auto-generate package.json exports:

    { exports: true }  // Creates proper exports field
  7. Use watch mode during development:

    tsdown --watch
  8. Preserve structure for utilities with many files:

    { unbundle: true }  // Keep directory structure
  9. Validate packages in CI before publishing:

    { publint: 'ci-only', attw: 'ci-only' }

Resources

Files

references/option-shims.md

Shims

Add compatibility between ESM and CommonJS module systems.

Overview

Shims provide small pieces of code that bridge the gap between CommonJS (CJS) and ECMAScript Modules (ESM), enabling cross-module-system compatibility.

What Shims Provide

ESM Output (when enabled)

With shims: true, adds CommonJS variables to ESM:

  • __dirname - Current directory path

  • __filename - Current file path

ESM Output (automatic)

Always added when using require in ESM on Node.js:

  • require function via createRequire(import.meta.url)

CJS Output (automatic)

Always added to CommonJS output:

  • import.meta.url

  • import.meta.dirname

  • import.meta.filename

Usage

CLI
tsdown --shims
Config File
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm'],
  shims: true,
})

Generated Code

ESM with Shims

Source:

console.log(__dirname)
console.log(__filename)

Output (shims: true):

import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
import { dirname } from 'node:path'

const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)
const __dirname = dirname(__filename)

console.log(__dirname)
console.log(__filename)
ESM with require

Source:

const mod = require('some-module')

Output (automatic on Node.js):

import { createRequire } from 'node:module'
const require = createRequire(import.meta.url)

const mod = require('some-module')
CJS with import.meta

Source:

console.log(import.meta.url)
console.log(import.meta.dirname)

Output (automatic):

const import_meta = {
  url: require('url').pathToFileURL(__filename).toString(),
  dirname: __dirname,
  filename: __filename
}

console.log(import_meta.url)
console.log(import_meta.dirname)

Common Patterns

Node.js CLI Tool
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/cli.ts'],
  format: ['esm'],
  platform: 'node',
  shims: true,  // Add __dirname, __filename
})
Dual Format Library
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm', 'cjs'],
  platform: 'node',
  shims: true,  // ESM gets __dirname/__filename
                // CJS gets import.meta.* (automatic)
})
Server-Side Code
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/server.ts'],
  format: ['esm'],
  platform: 'node',
  shims: true,
  deps: {
    neverBundle: [/.*/],  // External all deps
  },
})
File System Operations
// Source code
import { readFileSync } from 'fs'
import { join } from 'path'

// Read file relative to current module
const content = readFileSync(join(__dirname, 'data.json'), 'utf-8')
// tsdown config
export default defineConfig({
  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
  format: ['esm'],
  shims: true,  // Enables __dirname
})

When to Use Shims

Use shims: true when:
  • ✅ Building Node.js tools/CLIs

  • ✅ Code uses __dirname or __filename

  • ✅ Need file system operations relative to module

  • ✅ Migrating from CommonJS to ESM

  • ✅ Need cross-format compatibility

Don't need shims when:
  • ❌ Browser-only code

  • ❌ No file system operations

  • ❌ Using only import.meta.url

  • ❌ Pure ESM without CJS variables

Performance Impact

Runtime Overhead

Shims add minimal runtime overhead:

// Added to output when shims enabled
import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
import { dirname } from 'node:path'

const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)
const __dirname = dirname(__filename)
Tree Shaking

If __dirname or __filename are not used, they're automatically removed during bundling (no overhead).

Platform Considerations

Node.js Platform
export default defineConfig({
  platform: 'node',
  format: ['esm'],
  shims: true,  // Recommended for Node.js
})
  • require shim added automatically

  • __dirname and __filename available with shims: true

Browser Platform
export default defineConfig({
  platform: 'browser',
  format: ['esm'],
  shims: false,  // Not needed for browser
})
  • Shims not needed (no Node.js variables)

  • Will cause warnings if Node.js APIs used

Neutral Platform
export default defineConfig({
  platform: 'neutral',
  format: ['esm'],
  shims: false,  // Avoid platform-specific code
})
  • Avoid shims for maximum portability

CLI Examples

# Enable shims
tsdown --shims

# ESM with shims for Node.js
tsdown --format esm --platform node --shims

# Dual format with shims
tsdown --format esm --format cjs --shims

Troubleshooting

__dirname is not defined

Enable shims:

export default defineConfig({
  shims: true,
})
require is not defined in ESM

Automatic on Node.js platform. If not working:

export default defineConfig({
  platform: 'node',  // Ensure Node.js platform
})
Import.meta not working in CJS

Automatic - no configuration needed. If still failing, check output format:

export default defineConfig({
  format: ['cjs'],  // Shims added automatically
})

Tips

  1. Enable for Node.js tools - Use shims: true for CLIs and servers

  2. Skip for browsers - Not needed for browser code

  3. No overhead if unused - Automatically tree-shaken

  4. Automatic require shim - No config needed for require in ESM

  5. CJS shims automatic - import.meta.* always available in CJS

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Node.js

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
Anthony Fu
Publisher
JetBrains (Official)
Distributed by
JetBrains
Source
JetBrains/skills · tsdown · commit 3f53782
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthony Fu or JetBrains.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download tsdown.zip