zenith-language

VS Code language package for Zenith.

Overview

zenith-language provides the VS Code extension package for Zenith .zen files. It owns the language id, TextMate grammar, snippets, VS Code settings, and VS Code language-client integration with @zenithbuild/language-server.

For Neovim and other plain LSP clients, install and configure the standalone language server package instead:

npm i -g @zenithbuild/language-server
zenith-language-server

For Neovim syntax/filetype support, install this repository as a runtime plugin or add the installed package directory to runtimepath before opening .zen files, then source plugin/zenith.lua if your plugin manager does not source it automatically. See manual Neovim verification for attach/diagnostic checks, and manual Neovim completion for wiring an insert-mode completion source (built-in LSP completion, nvim-cmp, or blink.cmp). Remove older local ftdetect rules that force .zen files to html or zen; the Zenith LSP config attaches to filetype=zenith.

Cursor/VS Code support requires installing the actual extension (Marketplace, Open VSX, or a local .vsix). Running npm i -g @zenithbuild/language only ships the Neovim runtime files; it does not register the VS Code extension.

Features

• Syntax Highlighting: Expertly crafted TextMate grammar for .zen files, including embedded JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS.
• Snippets: Canonical Zenith snippets that use on:* event syntax and current DOM primitives.
• Emmet Support: Accelerated HTML development inside .zen templates.
• LSP Integration: Bundles the Zenith language server for compiler-backed diagnostics, limited doc-backed hover/completion, and supported quick fixes in VS Code.
• Workspace Commands:
  • Zenith: Run Contract Pack
  • Zenith: Run Legacy Tests
  • Zenith: Build
  • Zenith: Restart Server

Settings

• zenith.languageServer.path: optional absolute or workspace-relative path override for the language server entry file.

The extension supports multi-root workspaces. Command execution prompts for the target workspace folder when multiple folders are open.

Supported Extensions

• .zen
• .zen.html
• .zenx

Recommended Settings

The extension automatically configures your editor for the best experience. For more details on customization, see the VS Code settings for Zenith.

Editor Scope

This package is the VS Code extension. It does not provide a public zenith-language-server command for Neovim or other editors. It does provide a Neovim filetype/syntax fallback when this repository or package is on runtimepath. Use @zenithbuild/language-server for the standalone LSP server.

Current language-server limitations still apply in VS Code:

• no full TypeScript semantic completion or typechecking
• no project-wide symbol index
• no semantic tokens yet; Neovim highlighting is a syntax fallback

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zenithbuild/zenith-language.git

# Navigate to language package
cd zenith-language

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Build the server and compile the extension
bun run build:all

Troubleshooting

Compiler diagnostics are unavailable

The extension bundles the Zenith language server and the @zenithbuild/compiler package metadata used to resolve compiler-backed diagnostics. Some editor runtimes may not have a matching native compiler package available. In that case, the server reports one controlled warning with code ZENITH-COMPILER-UNAVAILABLE; completion and hover remain available.

Cursor / VS Code shows plain or HTML highlighting on .zen files

1. Open Command Palette → Change Language Mode and confirm Zenith is listed. If only Plain Text is shown, the extension is not installed in this editor profile. Install the Marketplace/Open VSX listing or a .vsix produced by bun run build:all.
2. Check user settings.json for a stale files.associations entry such as:

   "files.associations": { "*.zen": "zen" }
   

   Either remove the entry (the extension already binds .zen to language id zenith) or change it to "*.zen": "zenith". The extension also accepts the legacy id zen as an alias, so either value will activate the grammar.
3. Disable older zenithbuild.zenith-language-* extensions (for example 0.2.x / 0.3.x). Multiple installed versions cause language-id and grammar-scope races.
4. Use Developer: Inspect Editor Tokens and Scopes on a tag, attribute, event binding (on:click), expression ({expr}), and <script lang="ts"> to confirm entity.name.tag.zenith, source.ts, etc. show up.

Neovim shows no highlighting on .zen files

1. Verify :set filetype? reports zenith (not empty, not html).
2. Verify :echo globpath(&runtimepath,'syntax/zenith.vim') returns a path inside this package. If empty, the package directory is not on runtimepath. Add it via your plugin manager or:

   local root = vim.fn.systemlist('npm root -g')[1]
   vim.opt.runtimepath:prepend(root .. '/@zenithbuild/language')
   vim.cmd('runtime plugin/zenith.lua')
   

3. Remove older local ftdetect/zen.vim rules that force .zen to html.

Completions suggest count.value or other framework-foreign syntax

That is a stale snippet / completion bug. The current canonical Zenith API is:

const count = signal(0);
count.set(count.get() + 1);

<script lang="ts">
  state count = 0;
  function increment() { count += 1; }
</script>
<button on:click={increment}>{count}</button>

If a completion is suggesting count.value or useState/createSignal/ Vue/Svelte primitives, file an issue with the extension version (Extensions: About Extension in VS Code/Cursor) and a screenshot.

License

MIT

Support Zenith

If this project is useful to you, consider sponsoring Zenith on GitHub: Sponsor Zenith. Sponsorship helps fund ongoing work across the compiler, runtime, tooling, documentation, and long-term maintenance.