smol-toml — TOML Parser Reference

Small, zero-dependency, TOML v1.0.0 spec-compliant parser and serializer. Works in Bun, Node, Deno, and browsers (ESM only).

Install: bun add smol-toml

Import: import { parse, stringify, TomlError, TomlDate } from "smol-toml"

parse(toml: string): Record<string, TomlPrimitive>

Parses a TOML string into a JavaScript object.

import { parse } from "smol-toml"

const config = parse(`
[defaults]
also = ["claude-code"]
yes = false
scope = ""

[security]
scan = "static"
on_warn = "prompt"
threshold = 5

[[taps]]
name = "home"
url = "https://gitea.example.com/nathan/my-skills-tap"
`)

config.defaults.also       // ["claude-code"]
config.security.threshold  // 5
config.taps                // [{ name: "home", url: "https://..." }]

Type mapping (TOML → JavaScript)

TomlPrimitive type

type TomlPrimitive =
  | string
  | number
  | bigint
  | boolean
  | TomlDate
  | TomlPrimitive[]
  | { [key: string]: TomlPrimitive }

stringify(obj: Record<string, TomlPrimitive>): string

Serializes a JavaScript object to a TOML string.

import { stringify } from "smol-toml"

const toml = stringify({
  defaults: {
    also: ["claude-code", "cursor"],
    yes: false,
    scope: "",
  },
  security: {
    scan: "static",
    on_warn: "prompt",
    require_scan: false,
    agent: "",
    threshold: 5,
    max_size: 51200,
    ollama_model: "",
  },
  "agent-mode": {
    enabled: false,
    scope: "project",
  },
  taps: [],
})

What stringify handles

• Strings → properly escaped basic strings
• Numbers → integers or floats
• bigint → TOML integers
• Booleans → true/false
• Date objects → TOML date-time
• TomlDate → preserves original format (local vs offset)
• Arrays of primitives → TOML arrays [1, 2, 3]
• Arrays of objects → array of tables [[section]]
• Nested objects → TOML table sections [parent.child]

What stringify throws on

• undefined values
• null values
• Functions, symbols
• Mixed arrays (primitives + objects together)
• Circular references

TomlError

Custom error thrown on parse failure. Has line/column info for diagnostics.

import { parse, TomlError } from "smol-toml"

try {
  parse(raw)
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof TomlError) {
    console.error(`TOML error at line ${e.line}, col ${e.column}:`)
    console.error(e.codeblock)  // Visual pointer to error location
    // e.message — human-readable description
  }
}

Properties:

TomlDate

Represents TOML date/time values. Preserves which of the four TOML date types was used.

import { TomlDate } from "smol-toml"

const d = new TomlDate("1979-05-27T07:32:00Z")
d.isDateTime()       // true (Offset Date-Time)
d.isLocalDateTime()  // false
d.isLocalDate()      // false
d.isLocalTime()      // false
d.toDate()           // JavaScript Date object
d.toString()         // "1979-05-27T07:32:00Z"

// Local types preserve their format through stringify round-trips
const lt = new TomlDate("07:32:00")
lt.isLocalTime()     // true
lt.toString()        // "07:32:00"

Pattern: skilltap Config Read/Write

import { parse, stringify, TomlError } from "smol-toml"
import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises"
import { ConfigSchema } from "./schemas/config"
import type { Result } from "./types"

export async function loadConfig(path: string): Result<Config> {
  let raw: string
  try {
    raw = await readFile(path, "utf-8")
  } catch {
    // File doesn't exist — create default
    return { ok: true, value: ConfigSchema.parse({}) }
  }

  let parsed: Record<string, unknown>
  try {
    parsed = parse(raw)
  } catch (e) {
    if (e instanceof TomlError) {
      return {
        ok: false,
        error: new UserError(
          `Invalid config.toml at line ${e.line}: ${e.message}`
        ),
      }
    }
    throw e
  }

  const result = ConfigSchema.safeParse(parsed)
  if (!result.success) {
    return {
      ok: false,
      error: new UserError(`Config validation failed: ${result.error.message}`),
    }
  }
  return { ok: true, value: result.data }
}

export async function saveConfig(path: string, config: Config): Promise<void> {
  const toml = stringify(config)
  await writeFile(path, toml, "utf-8")
}

Limitations

• No comment preservation: Comments are lost during parse → stringify round-trips
• No format preservation: Original whitespace, key ordering, and inline-vs-standard table choices are not preserved
• No streaming: Entire document must be a string
• ESM only: No CommonJS export
• TOML v1.0.0 only: No TOML 1.1 draft features
• Inline tables: Must be single-line per TOML v1.0 spec (smol-toml enforces this)
• Duplicate keys: Throws TomlError (per spec)