Next Up: LSP Support & IDE Plugin Implementation

Status: In Development Queue Issue: #52 Priority: High

Overview

We're excited to announce that LSP (Language Server Protocol) support and IDE plugin implementation is up next in Nanocoder's development roadmap. This feature represents a significant leap forward in bringing deep code intelligence capabilities to our AI coding assistant.

What's Coming?

The upcoming implementation will add comprehensive LSP support to Nanocoder, enabling it to leverage the same powerful code intelligence tools that modern IDEs use. This means the AI will have access to:

Real-time diagnostics - Syntax errors, type checking, and linting issues
Code navigation - Jump to definitions, find references, and symbol lookups
Type information - Hover details and signature help
Intelligent refactoring - Code actions, renaming, and completions
Workspace awareness - Full understanding of project structure and dependencies

Two-Part Approach

Part 1: LSP Client in Nanocoder

The core enhancement will embed an LSP client directly into Nanocoder, automatically discovering and connecting to language servers in your development environment. This zero-configuration approach means:

Auto-detection of installed language servers
Support for multiple simultaneous connections (TypeScript, Python, Rust, etc.)
10 new AI tools powered by LSP data
Graceful fallbacks when LSP isn't available

Part 2: VS Code Extension

A dedicated VS Code extension will provide seamless IDE integration with:

Chat panel sidebar - Interact with Nanocoder without leaving your editor
Editor integration - Right-click context menus for quick AI assistance
File watching - Bidirectional synchronization between VS Code and Nanocoder
Workspace awareness - Full context of your project structure

Design Philosophy

True to Nanocoder's ethos, LSP support will follow a zero-configuration philosophy. It should "just work" out of the box, with:

Automatic detection of language servers
No required configuration files or setup steps
Intelligent fallbacks when LSP data isn't available
Optional advanced configuration for power users

Implementation Timeline

The development will follow a six-phase approach:

LSP Foundation - Core client implementation and auto-discovery
Tools Integration - New LSP-powered AI tools
Context Enhancement - Intelligent context building with LSP data
Extension Server - Communication bridge for IDE integration
VS Code Extension - Full-featured IDE plugin
Testing & Polish - Comprehensive testing and refinements

Why This Matters

LSP support will fundamentally transform Nanocoder's capabilities. Instead of relying solely on file reading and text analysis, the AI will have access to the same rich semantic understanding that language servers provide to your IDE. This means:

More accurate suggestions based on actual type information
Fewer errors by leveraging real-time diagnostics
Better refactoring with awareness of all symbol references
Faster development with IDE-integrated workflows

Get Involved

This is an ambitious feature that will take Nanocoder to the next level. We're starting development soon and would love community input:

Share your thoughts on the GitHub issue
Suggest additional LSP capabilities you'd like to see
Help us prioritize which language servers to support first

Stay tuned for updates as we begin implementation!

Nanocoder is a local-first AI coding assistant built with React and Ink.js, supporting multiple LLM providers including Ollama, OpenRouter, and OpenAI-compatible APIs.