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Is Using Lsp Tools free to use?

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Who published Using Lsp Tools?

majiayu000 (@majiayu000) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Using Lsp Tools by majiayu000 — Agent Skill

Name: Using Lsp Tools
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: majiayu000

Using Lsp Tools

Use when mcp-language-server tools are available and you need semantic code intelligence. Triggers: 'find definition', 'find references', 'who calls this', 'rename symbol', 'type hierarchy', 'go to definition', 'where is this used', 'where is this defined', 'what type is this'. Provides navigation, refactoring, and type analysis via LSP.

majiayu000 Updated Sep 22, 2026 567 repo stars

File contents

Using LSP Tools

Invariant Principles

Semantic > Lexical: LSP understands scope, types, inheritance. Grep sees text.
LSP for Symbols, Grep for Strings: Symbols = definitions, references, types. Strings = TODOs, comments, literals.
Verify Before Fallback: Empty LSP result? Check file saved. Then try text-based.
Atomic Operations Preferred: rename_symbol handles all files. Manual Edit misses references.

Reasoning Schema

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
`filePath`	Yes	Absolute path to file being analyzed
`line`	Context	1-indexed line number for position-based queries
`column`	Context	1-indexed column for position-based queries
`symbolName`	Context	Fully-qualified name for definition/references
`language`	No	Language identifier if ambiguous

Outputs

Output	Type	Description
Symbol locations	Inline	File paths and positions from navigation queries
Type information	Inline	Hover/signature data for understanding
Refactoring edits	Applied	Direct code modifications from rename/actions
Diagnostics	Inline	Errors and warnings for debugging

Tool Priority Matrix

Task	LSP Tool	Fallback
Find definition	`definition`	Grep `func X\|class X\|def X`
Find usages	`references`	Grep symbol name
Understand symbol	`hover`	Read + infer
Rename	`rename_symbol`	Multi-file Edit (risky)
File outline	`document_symbols`	Grep definitions
Callers	`call_hierarchy` incoming	Grep + analyze
Callees	`call_hierarchy` outgoing	Read function
Type hierarchy	`type_hierarchy`	Grep extends/implements
Workspace search	`workspace_symbol_resolve`	Glob + Grep
Refactorings	`code_actions`	Manual
Signature	`signature_help`	Hover or read
Diagnostics	`diagnostics`	Build command
Format	`format_document`	Formatter CLI
Edit by line	`edit_file`	Built-in Edit

Parameters

Required: filePath (absolute), line/column (1-indexed), symbolName (fully-qualified for definition/references).

Decision Rules

Use LSP when:

Finding true definition (not text match)
Refactoring (rename, extract, inline)
Understanding type relationships
Finding semantic usages
Cross-file navigation via imports

Use Grep/Glob when:

Literal strings, comments, non-code text
Regex patterns
LSP returns empty but code exists
Unsupported languages
Non-symbols (TODOs, URLs, magic strings)

Workflows

Exploration: document_symbols (structure) -> hover (types) -> definition (jump) -> references (usage)

Refactoring: code_actions (discover) -> rename_symbol (execute) OR references (assess impact) -> manual

Type debugging: hover (inferred) -> type_hierarchy (inheritance) -> diagnostics (errors)

Call analysis: call_hierarchy incoming = "who calls?" | outgoing = "what calls?"

Anti-Patterns

Fallback Protocol

LSP error/empty -> Check file saved (LSP reads disk)
Try table fallback
Persistent failure -> Feature unsupported by server

Self-Check

Before completing:

Used semantic LSP tool for symbol-based queries (not text search)
Verified file saved if LSP returned empty/unexpected results
Applied atomic refactoring operations where available
Documented fallback rationale if LSP bypassed

If ANY unchecked: STOP and reconsider approach.

---name: using-lsp-tools-2description: Use when mcp-language-server tools are available and you need semantic code intelligence. Triggers: 'find definition', 'find references', 'who calls this', 'rename symbol', 'type hierarchy', 'go to definition', 'where is this used', 'where is this defined', 'what type is this'. Provides navigation, refactoring, and type analysis via LSP.---# Using LSP Tools<ROLE>Language Tooling Expert. Reputation depends on leveraging semantic analysis over text matching for accurate, complete code navigation and refactoring.</ROLE>## Invariant Principles1. **Semantic > Lexical**: LSP understands scope, types, inheritance. Grep sees text.2. **LSP for Symbols, Grep for Strings**: Symbols = definitions, references, types. Strings = TODOs, comments, literals.3. **Verify Before Fallback**: Empty LSP result? Check file saved. Then try text-based.4. **Atomic Operations Preferred**: `rename_symbol` handles all files. Manual Edit misses references.## Reasoning Schema<analysis>- Is target a symbol (function, class, variable) or literal text?- Is LSP server active for this language?- Does task need semantic understanding (types, scope, inheritance)?</analysis><reflection>- Did LSP return expected results? If empty: file saved? Feature supported?- Did fallback find matches LSP missed? Indicates LSP limitation vs. saved state.</reflection>## Inputs| Input | Required | Description ||-------|----------|-------------|| `filePath` | Yes | Absolute path to file being analyzed || `line` | Context | 1-indexed line number for position-based queries || `column` | Context | 1-indexed column for position-based queries || `symbolName` | Context | Fully-qualified name for definition/references || `language` | No | Language identifier if ambiguous |## Outputs| Output | Type | Description ||--------|------|-------------|| Symbol locations | Inline | File paths and positions from navigation queries || Type information | Inline | Hover/signature data for understanding || Refactoring edits | Applied | Direct code modifications from rename/actions || Diagnostics | Inline | Errors and warnings for debugging |## Tool Priority Matrix| Task | LSP Tool | Fallback ||------|----------|----------|| Find definition | `definition` | Grep `func X\|class X\|def X` || Find usages | `references` | Grep symbol name || Understand symbol | `hover` | Read + infer || Rename | `rename_symbol` | Multi-file Edit (risky) || File outline | `document_symbols` | Grep definitions || Callers | `call_hierarchy` incoming | Grep + analyze || Callees | `call_hierarchy` outgoing | Read function || Type hierarchy | `type_hierarchy` | Grep extends/implements || Workspace search | `workspace_symbol_resolve` | Glob + Grep || Refactorings | `code_actions` | Manual || Signature | `signature_help` | Hover or read || Diagnostics | `diagnostics` | Build command || Format | `format_document` | Formatter CLI || Edit by line | `edit_file` | Built-in Edit |## ParametersRequired: `filePath` (absolute), `line`/`column` (1-indexed), `symbolName` (fully-qualified for definition/references).## Decision Rules**Use LSP when:**- Finding true definition (not text match)- Refactoring (rename, extract, inline)- Understanding type relationships- Finding semantic usages- Cross-file navigation via imports**Use Grep/Glob when:**- Literal strings, comments, non-code text- Regex patterns- LSP returns empty but code exists- Unsupported languages- Non-symbols (TODOs, URLs, magic strings)## Workflows**Exploration:** `document_symbols` (structure) -> `hover` (types) -> `definition` (jump) -> `references` (usage)**Refactoring:** `code_actions` (discover) -> `rename_symbol` (execute) OR `references` (assess impact) -> manual**Type debugging:** `hover` (inferred) -> `type_hierarchy` (inheritance) -> `diagnostics` (errors)**Call analysis:** `call_hierarchy` incoming = "who calls?" | outgoing = "what calls?"## Anti-Patterns<FORBIDDEN>- Using Grep for symbol rename (misses scoped references, hits false positives)- Skipping LSP for "simple" refactors (simple becomes complex with inheritance)- Trusting empty LSP results without checking file saved state- Manual multi-file edits when `rename_symbol` available- Ignoring `diagnostics` output when debugging type errors</FORBIDDEN>## Fallback Protocol1. LSP error/empty -> Check file saved (LSP reads disk)2. Try table fallback3. Persistent failure -> Feature unsupported by server## Self-CheckBefore completing:- [ ] Used semantic LSP tool for symbol-based queries (not text search)- [ ] Verified file saved if LSP returned empty/unexpected results- [ ] Applied atomic refactoring operations where available- [ ] Documented fallback rationale if LSP bypassedIf ANY unchecked: STOP and reconsider approach.

Frequently asked questions