useRef validation error when using current and referencing it against an input

The following code works fine but trying to address the error alert coming from Typescript.

It keeps warning me with following error for the usage of ref.currrent.value.

ERROR 1. TS18048: 'ref.current' is possibly 'undefined'.

Fair enough. So I add in a check as follows.

const result = ref.current && ref.current.value;

This now throws following error.

ERROR 2. TS2339: Property 'value' does not exist on type 'never'.

Error also shown when I use the useRef for an input as show in code below.

I have tried to force these types on the useRef<Type> but results in same error.

ERROR 3: TS2322: Type ‘MutableRefObject’ is not assignable to type
‘LegacyRef | undefined’.   Type
‘MutableRefObject’ is not assignable to type
‘RefObject’.     Types of property ‘current’ are
incompatible.       Type ‘undefined’ is not assignable to type
‘HTMLInputElement | null’.

How can I address these errors. No issues faced in the logic but the red squiggly lines defeats the purpose of using Typescript. Pls advice. Thanks.

P.S: This is a nextjs project if that matters.

State management in use here is Zustand but leaving that tag out cos believe it is irrelevant here.

Issue is with useRef hook validation I believe.

Code:

'use client';

import {useRef} from "react";
import useStore from "../utils/store";

const Input = () => {
  const addPerson = useStore((state) => state.addPerson);
  const ref = useRef();

  const add = () => {
    const result = ref.current && ref.current.value; // ERROR 2
    ref.current.value = ''; // ERROR 1
    addPerson({
      name: result,
      id: '2',
    });
  }

  return (
  <div>
    <input placeholder='write something' type='text' ref={ref} /> {/* ERROR 3*/} 
    <button onClick={add}>Add Person</button>
  </div>
 );
};

export default Input;

Image to show the red error lines:

>Solution :

This may work

'use client';

import {useRef} from "react";
import useStore from "../utils/store";

const Input = () => {

  const addPerson = useStore((state) => state.addPerson);
  const ref = React.useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);

  const add = () => {
    const result = ref.current && ref.current.value; // ERROR 2
    if (ref.current) {
      ref.current.value = ''; // ERROR 1
    }
    addPerson({
      name: result,
      id: '2',
    });
  }

  return (
  <div>
    <input placeholder='write something' type='text' ref={ref} /> {/* ERROR 3*/} 
    <button onClick={add}>Add Person</button>
  </div>
 );
};

export default Input;

Here is the original answer, I just put an extra falsy check

Hope it helps