language-server-protocol

Language Server Protocol

Implements Language Server Protocol (LSP) servers that provide IDE features: autocomplete, go-to-definition, hover documentation, refactoring, and more.

When to Use This Skill

• Building IDE support for programming languages
• Adding language features to editors (VS Code, Emacs, Vim)
• Implementing code navigation and refactoring
• Creating language-aware tools

What This Skill Does

1. LSP Server: Implements JSON-RPC based LSP protocol
2. Text Documents: Manages source files with sync
3. Code Intelligence: Provides hover, completion, definitions
4. Refactorings: Implements code actions and rename

Key Concepts

Tips

• Implement incremental sync for large files
• Use AST indexing for fast symbol lookup
• Cache expensive computations
• Handle concurrent document changes

Related Skills

• parser-generator - Parse source code
• type-inference-engine - Type information for hover
• abstract-interpretation-engine - Static analysis

Canonical References

Tradeoffs and Limitations

Assessment Criteria

Quality Indicators

✅ Good: Protocol compliant, responsive, complete ⚠️ Warning: Some features missing, slow ❌ Bad: Protocol errors, crashes

Research Tools & Artifacts

Real-world LSP implementations:

Key Servers

• rust-analyzer: Fast Rust IDE support
• clangd: C/C++ with clang

Research Frontiers

Current LSP research:

Hot Topics

1. Language server for new langs: Building LSP for new languages
2. WASM LSP: Running LSP in browser

Implementation Pitfalls

Common LSP bugs: