TypeScript not finding definitions -

i have following file structure:

+ src |  test.ts |  z_module.d.ts tsconfig.json 

test.ts

// nothing? /// <reference path="./z_module.d.ts" /> // can't write: var a: zzrm.zzrmobject;  // have use:     import * zzrm 'zzrm'; var a: zzrm.zzrmobject; 

z_module.d.ts

declare module "zzrm" {   export interface zzrmobject {id: string} } 

i have tried reduce problem may have reduced incorrectly. problem came trying use sequelize-auto-ts. downloading repo, upgrading sequelize.d.ts , opening in visual studio code (version 0.10.6) highlights this line error "cannot find namespace 'sequelize'."

var sequelize:sequelize.sequelizestatic = require('sequelize');               ^^^^^^^^^ 

even though sequelize.d.ts reference @ top of file with: /// <reference path="../../typings/sequelize/sequelize.d.ts" />

the above "reduced" example works if zzrm module declared without quotation marks:

declare module zzrm {   export interface zzrmobject {id: string} } 

when updated sequelize.d.ts failed note module declaration had changed

declare module sequelize { ... } 

to

declare module "sequelize" { ... } 

this referred in typescript docs under "ambient external modules" haven't quite yet figured out how these parts fit , why require add import * zzrm 'z_module';