title: Do Not Use Generic Argument with reactive() impact: MEDIUM impactDescription: The generic argument type differs from the actual return type due to ref unwrapping, causing type mismatches type: gotcha tags: [vue3, typescript, reactive, ref-unwrapping, composition-api]

Do Not Use Generic Argument with reactive()

Impact: MEDIUM - It is NOT recommended to use the generic argument of reactive() because the returned type, which handles nested ref unwrapping, is different from the generic argument type. Use interface annotation on the variable instead.

Task Checklist

• Use type annotation on the variable, not generic argument
• Understand that reactive() unwraps nested refs
• For generic composables, use shallowRef or explicit Ref<T> typing
• Prefer ref() for simple values to avoid these issues

The Problem

<script setup lang="ts">
import { reactive, ref } from 'vue'

interface Book {
  title: string
  year: number
  author: Ref<string>  // Nested ref
}

// WRONG: Generic argument doesn't account for ref unwrapping
const book = reactive<Book>({
  title: 'Vue 3 Guide',
  year: 2024,
  author: ref('John Doe')
})

// TypeScript thinks book.author is Ref<string>
// But at runtime, it's unwrapped to just string!
book.author.value  // TypeScript: OK, Runtime: ERROR (author is a string, not a ref)
</script>

The Solution: Interface Annotation

<script setup lang="ts">
import { reactive, ref } from 'vue'

interface Book {
  title: string
  year?: number
}

// CORRECT: Annotate the variable, not the generic
const book: Book = reactive({
  title: 'Vue 3 Guide'
})

book.title = 'New Title'  // TypeScript knows this is string
book.year = 2024         // TypeScript knows this is number | undefined
</script>

Why This Happens

When you use reactive(), Vue automatically unwraps any nested refs:

import { reactive, ref, Ref } from 'vue'

const name = ref('John')
const state = reactive({
  name: name  // This is a Ref<string>
})

// At runtime, state.name is 'John' (string), NOT a Ref
console.log(state.name)       // 'John' (not ref object)
console.log(state.name.value) // Runtime error: .value doesn't exist

// The ACTUAL return type is different from what you'd expect
// reactive<{ name: Ref<string> }>() does NOT return { name: Ref<string> }
// It returns { name: string } due to automatic unwrapping

Correct Patterns

Pattern 1: Simple Interface Annotation

<script setup lang="ts">
interface FormState {
  name: string
  email: string
  age: number
}

const form: FormState = reactive({
  name: '',
  email: '',
  age: 0
})
</script>

Pattern 2: Partial for Optional Fields

<script setup lang="ts">
interface User {
  id: string
  name: string
  email: string
}

// Start with partial data
const user: Partial<User> = reactive({})

// Fill in later
user.id = '123'
user.name = 'John'
</script>

Pattern 3: Use ref() Instead

For simpler cases, prefer ref() which has more predictable typing:

<script setup lang="ts">
interface User {
  id: string
  name: string
}

// ref() works well with generics
const user = ref<User>({
  id: '1',
  name: 'John'
})

// Access with .value - clear and predictable
user.value.name = 'Jane'
</script>

Generic Composables: Use Ref or shallowRef

When working with generic type parameters in composables:

// PROBLEM: Generic T with ref() causes UnwrapRef issues
function useBroken<T>(initial: T) {
  const state = ref(initial)  // Type becomes Ref<UnwrapRef<T>>
  state.value = initial       // Error: T is not assignable to UnwrapRef<T>
  return state
}

// SOLUTION 1: Use explicit Ref<T> type
function useFixed1<T>(initial: T) {
  const state: Ref<T> = ref(initial) as Ref<T>
  return state
}

// SOLUTION 2: Use shallowRef (no unwrapping)
function useFixed2<T>(initial: T) {
  const state = shallowRef(initial)  // Properly typed as ShallowRef<T>
  return state
}

When Generic Argument IS Safe

For simple non-ref values without nested reactivity, the generic is safe:

// Safe: no nested refs
const state = reactive<{ count: number; name: string }>({
  count: 0,
  name: ''
})

// Also safe: explicit simple types
const list = reactive<string[]>([])
const map = reactive<Map<string, number>>(new Map())

The issue only arises when:

1. You have nested Ref types in your interface
2. You're using generic type parameters that might contain refs

Reference

• Vue.js TypeScript with Composition API - Typing reactive()
• GitHub Issue: ref with generic type
• Vue TypeScript Caveats Gist