If you've ever used python on a project above a certain size (both lines of code and people who contribute to it), type annotations quickly become something you find useful.

I have, it didn't really help. It does help if you have no tests, but a large project needs tests.

I guess you don't use an IDE. Use VSCode or IntelliJ with auto completion and error highlighting as you type. Type hints are a blessing.

PyCharm does this without the hints

How would that work across files and libraries?