VS Code adds wrong `type` import on save for function used at runtime

[petherl]

Acknowledgement

• I acknowledge that issues using this template may be closed without further explanation at the maintainer's discretion.

Comment

When I save a TypeScript file, VS Code automatically adds a type import for a function that is clearly being called in the code. This breaks the file with a TypeScript error.

This is not a type-only usage, so importing it using import type is incorrect.

Environment:

• OS: Windows 11 (10.0.26100)
• VS Code: 1.103.2 (user setup)
• Node.js: 22.17.0
• Electron: 37.2.3
• Extensions: All disabled

Problem Summary (in plain terms):

• I have a normal exported function in one file.
• In another file, I call that function.
• When I save, VS Code auto-imports it as a type, not a normal value.
• That makes the code break — it says the function “cannot be used as a value.”

Even though I have "typescript.preferences.preferTypeOnlyAutoImports": true, it should not blindly apply type import when the usage is clearly at runtime.

Real Example:

In my setup, this line gets automatically added by VS Code when I save:

import type { myFunction } from "./somewhere";

But in the same file, I’m literally calling it:

myFunction();

That’s not a type — that’s a function call. So the import should be:

import { myFunction } from "./somewhere";

Expected:

VS Code should detect whether the symbol is being used as a runtime value or a type, and apply the correct import form. If it’s being called like a function, it should not be imported using type.

Notes:

This happened with all extensions disabled. It seems like a bug in how the editor decides whether something should be a type-only import.

[RyanCavanaugh]

I can't repro this, even after setting preferTypeOnlyAutoImports. We'd likely need a repro to clone that includes sufficient VS Code workspace settings to narrow this down

[RyanCavanaugh]

I misread this - it's specific to import-on-save, not auto-import. Duplicate of #62319