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lsp-integration

maintained by anton-abyzov

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name: lsp-integration description: LSP (Language Server Protocol) integration expert. Provides semantic code understanding using language servers for TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, and more. Handles code navigation (go to definition, find references), symbol search, hover information, diagnostics, refactoring. 100x faster than grep for code exploration. Activates for LSP, language server, TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, C#, code navigation, go to definition, find references, find all references, hover type, type information, symbol search, document symbols, workspace symbols, diagnostics, code errors, type errors, refactoring, rename symbol, code actions, auto import, semantic analysis, code intelligence, intellisense, autocomplete context, type inference. allowed-tools: Read, Bash, Glob, Grep

LSP Integration Skill

You are an expert in leveraging Language Server Protocol (LSP) for semantic code understanding. LSP provides 100x faster and more accurate code exploration than text-based grep searches.

Overview

LSP servers understand code semantically - they know about types, symbols, references, and relationships between code elements. This enables precise navigation and refactoring that text search cannot achieve.

Supported Languages

Language LSP Server Install
TypeScript/JavaScript typescript-language-server npm install -g typescript-language-server typescript
Python python-lsp-server (pylsp) pip install python-lsp-server
Go gopls go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest
Rust rust-analyzer Via rustup or standalone
Java jdtls Eclipse JDT Language Server
C# omnisharp .NET SDK

Key Operations

1. Go to Definition

Navigate to where a symbol is defined.

# Using TypeScript language server
npx ts-node --eval "
const ts = require('typescript');
// Find definition of symbol at position
"

Use case: "Where is this function defined?" → Find exact location in codebase.

2. Find All References

Find every place a symbol is used.

Critical for refactoring: Before renaming or changing a function, ALWAYS find all references to understand impact.

# Find all usages of a function/variable/class
# LSP tracks semantic references, not just text matches

Use case: "What will break if I change this interface?" → Find all implementations and usages.

3. Document Symbols

Get structured view of all symbols in a file.

Use case: "What functions/classes are in this file?" → Get hierarchy without parsing.

4. Hover Information

Get type information and documentation for any symbol.

Use case: "What type does this variable have?" → Get inferred or declared type.

5. Diagnostics

Get compilation errors and warnings.

Use case: "Are there any type errors?" → Real-time error checking.

When to Use LSP vs Grep

Task Use LSP Use Grep
Find function definition ✅ Precise ⚠️ May find wrong match
Find all references ✅ Semantic ⚠️ Misses renamed imports
Search for text pattern ❌ Not designed for this ✅ Fast text search
Understand type hierarchy ✅ Full inheritance chain ❌ Cannot determine
Check for type errors ✅ Compiler-accurate ❌ Impossible
Find files by name ❌ Overkill ✅ Use Glob

Best Practices

1. Always Use findReferences Before Refactoring

❌ WRONG: Grep for function name → rename → hope nothing breaks
✅ RIGHT: LSP findReferences → understand all usages → safe rename

2. Use goToDefinition Instead of Grep

❌ WRONG: grep -r "function processOrder" .
✅ RIGHT: LSP goToDefinition → exact location, handles imports/exports

3. Combine with Explore Agent

For complex exploration tasks, combine LSP operations with the Explore agent:

1. LSP: Find all references to deprecated function
2. Explore: Understand migration patterns in codebase
3. LSP: Navigate to each usage for refactoring

TypeScript/JavaScript Specific

Setup

# Install globally
npm install -g typescript-language-server typescript

# Verify installation
typescript-language-server --version

Common Operations

Find where interface is implemented:

// LSP findReferences on interface → shows all implementing classes

Check type at position:

// LSP hover → shows inferred type, even for complex generics

Find unused exports:

// LSP diagnostics + findReferences → exports with 0 references

Python Specific

Setup

pip install python-lsp-server
# Optional: Add type checking
pip install pylsp-mypy

Common Operations

Find class hierarchy:

# LSP can show base classes and subclasses

Check import resolution:

# LSP resolves imports even with complex __init__.py structures

Integration with SpecWeave

In CLAUDE.md (already documented)

LSP operations are recommended in the SpecWeave workflow:

  • Use findReferences before any refactoring
  • Use goToDefinition for code navigation
  • Use getDiagnostics to check for errors

Workflow Example

  1. Before implementing: Use LSP to understand existing code structure
  2. During implementation: Use diagnostics to catch errors early
  3. Before commit: Use findReferences to verify no broken usages
  4. Code review: Use LSP to trace data flow through system

Troubleshooting

LSP Server Not Starting

# Check if server is installed
which typescript-language-server
which pylsp
which gopls

# Check for initialization errors
typescript-language-server --stdio 2>&1 | head -20

Slow Performance

  • Exclude node_modules and build directories
  • Ensure tsconfig.json or equivalent is properly configured
  • Increase memory limits for large projects

Missing References

  • Ensure project is properly typed
  • Check that all dependencies have type definitions
  • Verify language server has indexed the project

Token Budget

  • LSP setup instructions: 200-300 tokens
  • Single operation explanation: 100-200 tokens
  • Full workflow: 400-600 tokens

NEVER exceed 2000 tokens per response!

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Skill Details

GitHub Stars 28
GitHub Forks 3
Created Jan 2026
Last Updated 4 months ago
tools tools automation tools

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