Monorepo support: tsconfig resolution needs environment-based configuration

[shogochiai]

Monorepo support: tsconfig resolution needs environment-based configuration

Summary

scrypt-cli currently fails to compile contracts in monorepo environments due to hardcoded assumptions about project structure. The tool generates a default tsconfig-scryptTS.json with include: ["src/contracts/**/*.ts"], which doesn't work for monorepo layouts where contracts are distributed across multiple packages.

Current Behavior vs Expected Behavior

Current:

# In monorepo root with contracts at packages/*/src/contracts/
$ npx scrypt-cli compile
# Error: No inputs were found in config file
# (generates tsconfig looking for "./src/contracts/**/*.ts")

Expected:

# Should detect monorepo and use appropriate patterns
$ SCRYPT_CONTRACT_PATTERNS="packages/*/src/contracts/**/*.ts" npx scrypt-cli compile
# Success: compiles all contracts across packages

Minimal Reproduction

# 1. Create a monorepo
mkdir scrypt-mono && cd scrypt-mono
cat > package.json << EOF
{
  "name": "scrypt-mono",
  "workspaces": ["packages/*"]
}
EOF

# 2. Add a package with contract
mkdir -p packages/my-contracts/src/contracts
cat > packages/my-contracts/src/contracts/Test.ts << EOF
import { SmartContract, method, prop, assert } from 'scrypt-ts'

export class Test extends SmartContract {
    @prop() value: bigint
    
    constructor(value: bigint) {
        super(...arguments)
        this.value = value
    }
    
    @method()
    public unlock(x: bigint) {
        assert(this.value === x)
    }
}
EOF

# 3. Install dependencies
npm init -w packages/my-contracts -y
npm install
npm install -w packages/my-contracts scrypt-ts

# 4. Try to compile from root (fails)
npx scrypt-cli compile

# 5. Must cd to package directory (works)
cd packages/my-contracts
npx scrypt-cli compile

Root Cause

The issue occurs because:

1. scrypt-cli generates tsconfig relative to current working directory
2. The generated tsconfig always uses include: ["src/contracts/**/*.ts"]
3. No detection or configuration for monorepo structures

Proposed Solution

Phase 1: Environment Variable Support (Non-breaking)

Add support for SCRYPT_CONTRACT_PATTERNS environment variable:

// In tsconfig generation logic
function generateDefaultTsconfig(cwd) {
  // Detect if we're in a monorepo
  const pkg = require(path.join(cwd, 'package.json'));
  const isMonorepo = !!(pkg.workspaces || existsSync('lerna.json') || existsSync('pnpm-workspace.yaml'));
  
  if (isMonorepo) {
    const patterns = process.env.SCRYPT_CONTRACT_PATTERNS;
    if (!patterns) {
      throw new Error(
        'Monorepo detected. Please set SCRYPT_CONTRACT_PATTERNS environment variable.\n' +
        'Example: export SCRYPT_CONTRACT_PATTERNS="packages/*/src/contracts/**/*.ts"'
      );
    }
    return {
      ...defaultOptions,
      include: patterns.split(',')
    };
  }
  
  // Keep existing behavior for non-monorepo
  return {
    ...defaultOptions,
    include: ["src/contracts/**/*.ts"]
  };
}

Usage

# In .env or shell profile
export SCRYPT_CONTRACT_PATTERNS="packages/*/src/contracts/**/*.ts,apps/*/contracts/**/*.ts"

# Now works from monorepo root
npx scrypt-cli compile

Benefits

1. Zero breaking changes - Existing projects continue to work
2. Explicit configuration - Users control their contract locations
3. Clear error messages - Guides users when configuration is needed
4. Flexible - Supports any monorepo structure

Alternative Considered

Auto-detection of contract locations was considered but rejected because:

• Too many edge cases and conventions
• Performance impact of filesystem scanning
• Explicit configuration is clearer and more predictable

Next Steps

If this approach is acceptable, I can submit a PR with:

• Implementation of environment variable support
• Detection logic for common monorepo markers
• Documentation updates
• Tests for monorepo scenarios

Would you be open to this solution? Happy to discuss alternative approaches or implementation details.