Testing Zed

Test Markdown-Oxide Extension in Zed

Overview

markdown-oxide is an LSP server for markdown/Obsidian vaults. The Zed extension source is at https://github.com/Feel-ix-343/markdown-oxide-zed. It first checks PATH for the markdown-oxide binary via worktree.which(), then falls back to downloading from GitHub releases.

Outcome

Verify that the markdown-oxide Zed extension works correctly by installing Zed, building the markdown-oxide binary, installing the extension, and testing LSP features (completions, go-to-definition, hover, tags) against the TestFiles/ directory. Testing is done in two recorded phases: first reproduce/demonstrate the current behavior, then validate the fix or expected behavior.

Procedure

1. Build the markdown-oxide binary

cd ~/repos/markdown-oxide && cargo build
sudo cp target/debug/markdown-oxide /usr/local/bin/markdown-oxide

Verify it's on PATH: which markdown-oxide

2. Install Zed

curl -fsSL https://zed.dev/install.sh | sh

3. Launch Zed with logging enabled

Launch the Zed editor binary directly so you can capture logs:

RUST_LOG=info /home/ubuntu/.local/zed.app/libexec/zed-editor ~/repos/markdown-oxide/TestFiles > /tmp/zed.log 2>&1 &

Wait a few seconds for Zed to start, then check the screenshot to confirm it opened.

4. Install the Markdown-Oxide extension

1. Open Extensions panel: Ctrl+Shift+X
2. Search for markdown-oxide
3. Click Install
4. Wait for the install to complete (button changes to "Uninstall")

5. Trust the worktree (CRITICAL)

Zed opens projects in Restricted Mode which blocks language servers from starting. You MUST trust the project:

1. Look for a "Restricted Mode" indicator near the top of the Zed window
2. Click on it
3. Click Trust and Continue

Without this, the LSP will NOT start. You can confirm the issue by checking /tmp/zed.log for:

Waiting for worktree "..." to be trusted, before starting language server markdown-oxide

After trusting, the log should show:

starting language server process. binary path: "/usr/local/bin/markdown-oxide"

Verify the LSP process is running: pgrep -a markdown-oxide

6. Test LSP features

Open TestFiles/Test.md. Testing is split into two recorded phases:

Phase 1: Reproduce current behavior

Start a screen recording (recording_start). Demonstrate the current state of each feature before any fix. This establishes a baseline and captures any issues:

• Annotate the recording: "Phase 1: Reproducing current behavior in Zed"
• Exercise each feature below and note what works and what doesn't
• Stop the recording (recording_stop) when done

Phase 2: Validate the fix

After applying the fix (rebuild markdown-oxide, copy to PATH, restart LSP in Zed via Ctrl+Shift+P then editor: restart language server):

• Start a new screen recording (recording_start)
• Annotate the recording: "Phase 2: Validating fix in Zed"
• Re-test each feature and confirm it works correctly
• Stop the recording (recording_stop) when done

Test each feature:

Wiki Link Completions

• Go to the end of the file, add a new line, and type [[
• A completion menu should appear showing files, headings, and blocks
• Type to fuzzy-filter (e.g., [[Reso should show "Resolved File")
• A preview panel should appear on the right with file content and backlinks
• Press Escape and undo changes when done

Go-to-Definition

• Place cursor inside [[This is another link]] (line 31)
• Press F12
• Should navigate to This is another link.md
• Go back with the back navigation button or Ctrl+-

Hover

• Hover the mouse over ![[This is another link#^9d273|test block link]] (line 24)
• Wait ~1-2 seconds for the hover popup
• Should show: Block Preview (content of the referenced block) and Backlinks (all files referencing this entity)

Tag Completions

• Add a new line and type #ta
• Should show hierarchical tag completions: tag, tag/subtag, tag/othersubtag, mapofcontent/tag, etc.
• Preview panel should show backlinks for the selected tag
• Press Escape and undo changes when done

References (optional)

• Place cursor on a heading like # Heading 1
• Press Shift+F12 to find all references/backlinks

7. Post recordings to PR

After both recording phases are complete, post the recordings as comments on the PR:

1. Use git_comment_on_pr to post the Phase 1 recording with a comment like:

   Phase 1: Reproducing current behavior in Zed

2. Use git_comment_on_pr to post the Phase 2 recording with a comment like:

   Phase 2: Validating fix in Zed

This provides reviewers with visual evidence of the issue and its resolution.

8. Clean up

Undo any test edits in the files. Report results to the user.

Available Test Files

• TestFiles/Test.md -- Main test file with headings, wiki links, block refs, tags
• TestFiles/Resolved File.md -- Has # Resolved Heading and heading links
• TestFiles/Another Test.md -- Has # This is a test heading and ## This is a nested test heading
• TestFiles/This is another link.md -- Target for wiki link navigation tests

Specifications

• All four core features (wiki link completions, go-to-definition, hover, tag completions) must work
• The LSP server process (markdown-oxide) must be running (verify with pgrep)
• Completions should include a preview panel showing content and backlinks
• Go-to-definition should navigate to the correct target file
• Two screen recordings must be produced: one showing current behavior (reproduce), one showing the fix (validate)
• Both recordings must be posted as comments on the PR

Advice

• The Zed GPU warning dialog is normal on headless/VM environments using software rendering (llvmpipe). Just dismiss it.
• If the LSP doesn't start, always check the worktree trust status first -- this is the #1 issue.
• The Zed extension source is at https://github.com/Feel-ix-343/markdown-oxide-zed. It first checks PATH for the markdown-oxide binary via worktree.which(), then falls back to downloading from GitHub releases.
• Use Ctrl+Shift+P then dev: open language server logs to inspect LSP communication inside Zed.
• Use Ctrl+Shift+P then editor: restart language server if you need to restart the LSP.
• Zed's CLI wrapper (zed) just signals the running editor process -- to capture logs, launch the binary directly at ~/.local/zed.app/libexec/zed-editor.
• After rebuilding the binary, restart the LSP via command palette rather than relaunching Zed.
• cargo build (debug) is much faster than cargo build --release -- use debug for testing iterations.

Forbidden Actions

• Do not modify the TestFiles content permanently (undo all test edits)
• Do not force push or modify the main branch