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Achieving low resistance contacts is vital for the realization of nanoelectronic devices based on transition metal dichalcogenides. We find that intrinsic defects in MoS₂ dominate the metal/MoS₂ contact resistance and provide a low Schottky barrier independent of metal contact work function. Furthermore, we show that MoS₂ can exhibit both n-type and p-type conduction at different points on a same sample. We identify these regions independently by complementary characterization techniques and show how the Fermi level can shift by 1 eV over tens of nanometers in spatial resolution. We find that these variations in doping are defect-chemistry-related and are independent of contact metal. This raises questions on previous reports of metal-induced doping of MoS₂ since the same metal in contact with MoS₂ can exhibit both n- and p-type behavior. These results may provide a potential route for achieving low …