jsdoc "ERROR: Unable to parse" arrow function param

TL;DR

Simplify the @param type expression so the JSDoc parser can handle it, or move the type into TypeScript syntax that your toolchain understands. JSDoc's type parser chokes on advanced TS constructs inside arrow function params.

Error

ERROR: Unable to parse a tag's type expression for source file app.js in line 42 with tag title "param"

Steps

1. Find the offending @param tag; the error names the file, line, and tag text. Expected: you have the exact type expression that failed.
2. Replace exotic constructs (conditional types, function-type literals with optional params) with a named typedef or a simpler equivalent, e.g. define @typedef {Function} CbType above and reference it. Expected: the tag uses only parser-friendly syntax.
3. If the project is TypeScript-first, consider letting TypeDoc or the TS compiler produce the docs instead of JSDoc for those files. Expected: a deliberate choice of doc toolchain per file type.
4. Re-run npx jsdoc app.js and confirm the error is gone and the param documents correctly. Expected: clean JSDoc output with the parameter listed.

When to use

• JSDoc reports "Unable to parse a tag's type expression"
• Arrow function or callback params carry complex inline types
• The same file documents fine once the fancy type is simplified

When not to use

• The error comes from eslint-plugin-jsdoc (a lint rule, different fix)
• TypeDoc fails on the same code (a TypeDoc config issue)
• The type expression is valid and simple (suspect an unclosed brace earlier in the comment)

Tool compatibility

JSDoc 3.6 and 4.x. The type parser is unchanged between these versions.

Variant phrasings

JSDoc unable to parse a generic type expression

Generic types like an array of string usually parse; nested generics with constraints often do not. Hoist them into a @typedef.

parse error on an object literal param type

Long inline object types with methods break the parser. Define the shape once with @typedef and reference it.

Why it happens

JSDoc ships its own type-expression grammar, which is a subset of TypeScript. Developers write full TS in @param tags out of habit, and the parser fails on the first construct outside its grammar, reporting the whole tag as unparseable.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_CKzYAP6F07cBYIPxlKDPPw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_CKzYAP6F07cBYIPxlKDPPw

Thread query: jsdoc "ERROR: Unable to parse" arrow function param

TL;DR: Simplify the @param type expression so the JSDoc parser can handle it, or move the type into TypeScript syntax that your toolchain understands. JSDoc's type parser chokes on advanced TS constructs inside arrow function params.