microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript

Inconsistent enum literal types

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Domain: enum Help Wanted Possible Improvement
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Description

### 🔎 Search Terms

return type inference enum union literal fresh regular

### 🕗 Version & Regression Information

- This is the behavior in every version I tried

### ⏯ Playground Link

https://www.typescriptlang.org/play/?ts=5.8.0-dev.20250216#code/KYOwrgtgBAolDeUCCAaKAhKBfAUDgLgJ4AOwGA9gB4A8AKgHxQC8COUUA5sPgFxQAUASmaNaAbjZQAztz78AbgEMANmGB9awpo3nkAlgBMJWCTgPAAxssUAnMgDMwIC-j3kQUAEZU69BSrUNQT50HwZTC3cpfC8QAEZmLyp+AAZBMSgAekyKGnAIT2AbehxIkGjYgCYQn3zC4sTvSlT0rJyAeQBrPDKKwoSWJv4YADokVuzc6hgS3pjC6qmZxuTR8YzJmBsbchs0JumxxhByGMUpKT0OEEVPZTJ8ciWSoA

### 💻 Code

```ts
enum E { A, B }

type Box = {
get: () => T;
set: (value: T) => void;
};

declare function box(value: T): Box;

const bn1 = box(0); // Box
const bn2: Box = box(0); // Ok

const be1 = box(E.A); // Box
const be2: Box = box(E.A); // Error, box not assignable to Box
```

### 🙁 Actual behavior

`be2` errors

### 🙂 Expected behavior

`be2` shouldn't error

### Additional information about the issue

This is an enum-based variant of https://github.com/microsoft/TypeScript/issues/48363 . As such it relates to the open https://github.com/microsoft/TypeScript/issues/59754 too

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the linked TypeScript Playground reproduction and compare the inferred types of bn1, bn2, be1, and be2. Read the related issues #48363 and #59754 for existing context; done means the enum-based be2 assignment no longer errors while preserving the expected inference behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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