VSCode Tailwind IntelliSense Fails in Vue+Vite Project with Tailwind CSS v4

The error indicates that Tailwind CSS IntelliSense is looking for a TypeScript config file (tailwind.config.ts) even though version 4 of Tailwind CSS doesn’t require (or provide) that file by default. You have a couple of options to resolve this:

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Option 1: Create a Minimal Config File

Even if you don’t strictly need a config file for Tailwind CSS v4, you can create one so the extension finds it. For example, create a file named tailwind.config.ts (or tailwind.config.js) at your project root:

TSCopied
// tailwind.config.ts
import type { Config } from 'tailwindcss'

const config: Config = {
  content: [
    "./index.html",
    "./src/**/*.{vue,js,ts,jsx,tsx}",
  ],
  theme: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
}

export default config

If you prefer JavaScript, the equivalent would be:

JSCopied
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  content: [
    "./index.html",
    "./src/**/*.{vue,js,ts,jsx,tsx}",
  ],
  theme: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
}

Note: In either case, even a minimal configuration file will allow IntelliSense to properly load your Tailwind CSS settings.

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Option 2: Configure the Extension to Use Your Existing Config

If you already have a tailwind.config.js (or another config file) and don’t want to add a new file, you can tell the Tailwind CSS IntelliSense extension to use that file. Open your VSCode settings.json (or your workspace settings) and add the custom config path:

JSONCopied
{
  "tailwindCSS.config": "./tailwind.config.js"
}

This setting directs the extension to look for your configuration in the specified file instead of defaulting to tailwind.config.ts.

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Summary

Choose one of the following:

1. Create a config file: Even if Tailwind’s defaults are sufficient, adding a minimal tailwind.config.ts (or .js) file at your project root will stop the error from occurring.
2. Configure IntelliSense: Update your VSCode settings to explicitly point to your existing config file with the tailwindCSS.config setting.

Either solution will let the Tailwind CSS IntelliSense extension work properly with your Tailwind CSS v4 project.