TS1484: 'X' is a type and must be imported using a type-only import when verbatimModuleSyntax is enabled

What causes this error

verbatimModuleSyntax makes TypeScript emit imports/exports exactly as written, with no implicit elision of type-only imports at compile time. Previously, TypeScript could silently detect that an imported name was only used as a type and drop the import from the compiled output. With this option on, that inference is gone — you have to be explicit, and a plain `import { SomeInterface }` for a type-only name is now an error rather than a silent optimization.

The Fix

// Wrong — SomeInterface is only ever used as a type, but imported as a value
import { SomeInterface } from './types'; // TS1484

function process(data: SomeInterface) { /* ... */ }

// Fix — mark it explicitly as a type-only import
import type { SomeInterface } from './types';

function process(data: SomeInterface) { /* ... */ }

// If a module has a mix of value and type exports, use inline type modifiers
import { runtimeFn, type SomeInterface } from './mixed-module';

Common causes / variations

• Importing an interface/type alongside runtime values from the same module without the `type` modifier
• Enabling `verbatimModuleSyntax` on an existing codebase that relied on TypeScript's automatic type-only import elision
• A barrel file re-exporting both types and values, requiring careful `export type` annotations to stay consistent

Related errors

See also: ERR_REQUIRE_ESM, Cannot find module (missing extension in ESM).