`references` are not inherited in `tsconfig.json`

TypeScript Version: 3.1.0-dev.20180914

Search Terms: tsconfig.json extends references inheritance

It seems that the references key is not inherited via the extends mechanism, which surprised me because the handbook doesn’t mention anything special about it.

Demo:

tsconfig.base.json:

{
  "references": [
    { "path": "./some/other/project" }
  ],
  "compilerOptions": {
    "declaration": true,
    "composite": true
  }
}

tsconfig.doesnt-work.json:

{
  "extends": "./tsconfig.base.json"
}

Building tsconfig.doesnt-work.json doesn’t build the reference:

$ tsc -b -f -d tsconfig.doesnt-work.json
[11:12:13] A non-dry build would build project 'C:/demo/tsconfig.doesnt-work.json'

tsconfig.works-but-duplicates-references.json:

{
  "extends": "./tsconfig.base.json",
  "references": [
    { "path": "./some/other/project" }
  ],
}

This is a correct build but I had to duplicate the references key:

$ tsc -b -f -d tsconfig.works-but-duplicates-references.json
[11:12:13] A non-dry build would build project 'C:/demo/tsconfig.works-but-duplicates-references.json'
[11:12:13] A non-dry build would build project 'C:/demo/some/other/project/tsconfig.json'

[RyanCavanaugh]

This is the intended behavior but we need to document it

[laszlopandy]

In the handbook it says:

files, include and exclude from the inheriting config file overwrite those from the base config file.

Following the principle of lease surprise, references should also inherit and overwrite those from the base config file.

Regarding what Ryan said:

An opaque library that doesn’t intend to expose its reliance on A to its consumer C and leaks no types from A … If references are inherited, then the first scenario is impossible to do.

Is it still impossible if we allow references to override even if it’s empty?

{
    "extends": "./tsconfig-other.json",
    "references": [],
}