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An error TS2339: Property 'user' does not exist on type 'Request...' #72786
Description
Hi,
I'm experiencing an issue in my typescript project when trying to extend the request type. While the squiggly lines are gone and hovering over req.user there is "(property) Express.Request.user?: string | undefined," (so no errors in the file and it seems req.user type is recognized), in the terminal I get "an error TS2339: Property 'user' does not exist on type 'Request<ParamsDictionary, any, any, ParsedQs, Record<string, any>>'.
export const verifyToken = (
req: Request,
res: Response,
next: NextFunction
): void | Promise<void> => {
[...]
jwt.verify(token, ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET, (err, decoded) => {
if (err || typeof decoded !== "object" || !("username" in decoded)) {
console.log("token not verified");
return res.sendStatus(403);
}
**req.user = decoded?.username;**
next();
}
}
The index.d.ts file is in the src/types folder, so in tsconfig.json file, I've specified:
"compilerOptions": {
"typeRoots": [
"./src/types",
"./node_modules/@types"
]
},
"include": ["src", "src/types"]
In the index.d.ts file I've declared:
import { Request } from "express";
declare global {
namespace Express {
interface Request {
user?: string;
}
}
}
Why is this happening, how can I fix this?
Activity
Aylos9er commentedon Dec 15, 2025
The user does exist…
mahmoodhamdi commentedon Mar 15, 2026
This is a TypeScript configuration issue rather than a bug in
@types/express.The problem is likely that your
index.d.tsfile contains a top-levelimportstatement, turning it into a module. Try removing the import and using the Express namespace directly:Or keep your current file but ensure it is properly included via
"include"in yourtsconfig.jsonrather than relying ontypeRoots.This is a usage question best suited for Stack Overflow or the TypeScript Community Discord.