swiftlang/swift

Error says `@preconcurrency` only applies in inheritance clauses

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#88,338 opened on Apr 7, 2026

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@preconcurrencyTypeResolverattributescompilergood first issueswift 6.3type checker

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Description

Description

This is not true. The attribute can also be used on declarations such as types, functions, and imports.

Reproduction

let _: @preconcurrency @MainActor() -> Void = {}

error: '@preconcurrency' only applies in inheritance clauses
  83 | 
  84 | let _: @preconcurrency @MainActor() -> Void = {}
     |        `- error: '@preconcurrency' only applies in inheritance clauses
  85 |

Expected behavior

An accurate error message. It might be better to say that @preconcurrency cannot be used on a type attribute instead of enumerating all the valid positions.

Environment

Swift version 6.3-dev (fefcb257b5b5d32)

Additional information

No response

Contributor guide

Research direction
Locate the diagnostic message in the Swift compiler source code, specifically where `@preconcurrency` is validated, and update the error string to reflect that it cannot be used on type attributes.
Tech stack
swift
Domain
developer experience
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
Swift
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70