Editor Setup

MetaScript has first-class editor support for Neovim, VS Code, and Zed. All three plugins share the same Tree-sitter grammar and LSP server, so you get a consistent experience everywhere.

What You Get

All plugins provide:

Syntax highlighting -- Tree-sitter powered, including JSX, match expressions, macros, and lifecycle hooks
LSP integration -- Completion, hover, go-to-definition, references, rename, diagnostics, inlay hints, semantic tokens
Smart indentation -- Auto-indent for blocks, functions, classes, match arms

VS Code

Install from Marketplace

Open Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for "MetaScript"
Click Install

Install from VSIX

Build and install locally:

cd tools/editor-plugin/vscode
npm install
npm run package
code --install-extension metascript-0.2.0.vsix

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
`metascript.serverPath`	`""`	Path to `msc`. Leave empty to auto-detect.
`metascript.trace.server`	`"off"`	LSP trace level: `off`, `messages`, `verbose`
`metascript.diagnostics.enable`	`true`	Enable inline diagnostics
`metascript.inlayHints.enable`	`true`	Enable inlay hints
`metascript.semanticHighlighting.enable`	`true`	Enable semantic tokens
`metascript.completion.snippets`	`true`	Enable snippet completions

Server Discovery

The extension searches for msc in order:

metascript.serverPath setting (supports ~ expansion)
Workspace: ./zig-out/bin/msc, ./bin/msc, ./node_modules/.bin/msc
Extension directory: ./bin/msc
System PATH

Commands

Command	Description
`MetaScript: Restart Language Server`	Stop and restart the LSP server
`MetaScript: Expand Macro at Cursor`	Show expanded form of a macro
`MetaScript: Show Output Channel`	Open the MetaScript output panel

Status Bar

The status bar shows the language server state. Click it to restart:

Spinning icon -- server is starting
Check mark -- server is ready
Error icon -- server has stopped or crashed

Neovim

Install with lazy.nvim (recommended)

{
  "metascriptlang/metascript.nvim",
  ft = { "metascript" },
  dependencies = {
    "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter",
  },
  opts = {
    server_path = "msc",
    lsp = true,
    treesitter = true,
  },
}

Install with packer.nvim

use {
  "metascriptlang/metascript.nvim",
  requires = { "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter" },
  ft = { "metascript" },
  config = function()
    require("metascript").setup({
      server_path = "msc",
    })
  end,
}

Install with vim-plug

Plug 'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter'
Plug 'metascriptlang/metascript.nvim'

" In your init.lua:
lua require('metascript').setup()

Compile the Tree-sitter Parser

After installing, compile the parser:

:TSInstall metascript

Verify

Run :checkhealth metascript to verify your setup. You should see green checks for the parser, LSP, and bundled queries.

Textobjects (optional)

Add nvim-treesitter-textobjects for motions like vaf (select around function), vif (select inner function), vac (around class), via (inner argument):

dependencies = {
  "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter",
  "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter-textobjects",
},

Commands

Command	Description
`:MetascriptInfo`	Show plugin info and diagnostic status
`:MetascriptRestartServer`	Restart the language server
`:checkhealth metascript`	Run health checks

Zed

Install as Dev Extension

Clone or locate the tools/editor-plugin/zed directory
In Zed, open the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P)
Run zed: install dev extension
Select the zed/ directory

From Zed Extensions (when published)

Open Zed, go to Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X), search for "MetaScript", and click Install.

Features

The Zed extension provides:

Tree-sitter syntax highlighting (same grammar as Neovim)
LSP integration via msc lsp (auto-detected from PATH)
Smart indentation
Code outline (functions, classes, interfaces, enums, tests)
Bracket matching
Language injection for @emit strings (highlights embedded C)

Requirements

The msc binary must be on your system PATH. The extension will show an error if it cannot find it.

LSP Server

All three editors use the same language server: msc lsp. It communicates over stdio and provides:

Feature	Description
Completion	Context-aware suggestions with type info
Hover	Type signatures and documentation
Go to Definition	Jump to symbol definitions
Find References	All usages across files
Rename	Project-wide symbol rename
Diagnostics	Inline errors and warnings
Inlay Hints	Inline type annotations
Semantic Tokens	Enhanced highlighting
Signature Help	Function parameter hints

Verify the Server

# Check that msc is available
msc --version

# Test the LSP directly
echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"capabilities":{}}}' | msc lsp

Troubleshooting

"msc not found" / "server not found"

Ensure msc is on your PATH:

export PATH="$HOME/.metascript/bin:$PATH"

Or set the path explicitly in your editor settings.

LSP not starting

Verify msc lsp runs without errors in a terminal
Check the editor's output/log panel for error details
Try restarting the language server via the editor command

No syntax highlighting

Neovim: Run :TSInstall metascript to compile the parser, then :checkhealth metascript
VS Code: The TextMate grammar loads automatically. For semantic highlighting, ensure the server is running.
Zed: The grammar compiles automatically on first load. Restart Zed if highlighting doesn't appear.

Next Steps

Quick Start -- Write your first MetaScript program
Language Reference -- Full syntax reference
Compile Targets -- C, JavaScript, and Erlang backends