Neovim Setup

Overview

EmmyLua Analyzer integrates seamlessly with Neovim’s native LSP client, providing powerful Lua language support with minimal configuration. Enjoy intelligent completions, diagnostics, and navigation in your favorite terminal editor.

Prerequisites:

Neovim 0.8 or higher (0.9+ recommended)
EmmyLua Analyzer installed (cargo install emmylua_ls)
Optional: nvim-lspconfig plugin

Installation Methods

Method 1: Using nvim-lspconfig (Recommended)

Install nvim-lspconfig

Add nvim-lspconfig to your plugin manager:

{
  'neovim/nvim-lspconfig',
  config = function()
    -- Configuration will go here
  end
}

Configure EmmyLua LSP

Add to your init.lua:

init.lua

require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  cmd = { 'emmylua_ls' },
  filetypes = { 'lua' },
  root_dir = require('lspconfig.util').root_pattern(
    '.emmyrc.json',
    '.luarc.json',
    '.git'
  ),
  settings = {
    Lua = {
      runtime = {
        version = 'LuaLatest',
      },
      diagnostics = {
        enable = true,
        globals = { 'vim' },
      },
      completion = {
        enable = true,
        callSnippet = 'Replace',
      },
      hint = {
        enable = true,
        paramHint = true,
      },
    },
  },
})

Set Up Key Mappings

Add LSP keybindings:

init.lua

vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('LspAttach', {
  group = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup('UserLspConfig', {}),
  callback = function(ev)
    local opts = { buffer = ev.buf }
    vim.keymap.set('n', 'gD', vim.lsp.buf.declaration, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', 'gd', vim.lsp.buf.definition, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', 'K', vim.lsp.buf.hover, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', 'gi', vim.lsp.buf.implementation, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', '<C-k>', vim.lsp.buf.signature_help, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', '<space>rn', vim.lsp.buf.rename, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', '<space>ca', vim.lsp.buf.code_action, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', 'gr', vim.lsp.buf.references, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', '<space>f', function()
      vim.lsp.buf.format { async = true }
    end, opts)
  end,
})

Method 2: Native LSP (Neovim 0.10+)

Enable EmmyLua LSP

Neovim 0.10+ includes simplified LSP configuration:

init.lua

vim.lsp.enable('emmylua_ls')

Configure Settings (Optional)

Customize LSP behavior:

init.lua

vim.lsp.config.emmylua_ls = {
  cmd = { 'emmylua_ls' },
  filetypes = { 'lua' },
  root_markers = { '.emmyrc.json', '.git' },
  settings = {
    Lua = {
      runtime = { version = 'LuaLatest' },
      diagnostics = { globals = { 'vim' } },
    },
  },
}

Method 3: Manual LSP Setup

Configure LSP Manually

For full control without plugins:

init.lua

local lsp_cmd = { 'emmylua_ls' }

vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('FileType', {
  pattern = 'lua',
  callback = function()
    vim.lsp.start({
      name = 'emmylua_ls',
      cmd = lsp_cmd,
      root_dir = vim.fs.dirname(
        vim.fs.find({ '.emmyrc.json', '.git' }, { upward = true })[1]
      ),
      settings = {
        Lua = {
          runtime = { version = 'LuaLatest' },
          diagnostics = { enable = true },
        },
      },
    })
  end,
})

Configuration

Complete Configuration Example

Here’s a full configuration with all features enabled:

init.lua

require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  cmd = { 'emmylua_ls' },
  filetypes = { 'lua' },
  
  -- Auto-detect project root
  root_dir = require('lspconfig.util').root_pattern(
    '.emmyrc.json',
    '.luarc.json',
    '.git'
  ),
  
  -- Server settings
  settings = {
    Lua = {
      runtime = {
        version = 'LuaLatest',
        path = {
          '?.lua',
          '?/init.lua',
        },
      },
      
      diagnostics = {
        enable = true,
        globals = { 'vim', 'love', 'awesome' },
        disable = {},
      },
      
      completion = {
        enable = true,
        callSnippet = 'Replace',
        autoRequire = true,
      },
      
      hint = {
        enable = true,
        paramHint = true,
        localHint = true,
      },
      
      hover = {
        enable = true,
      },
      
      workspace = {
        library = {
          vim.env.VIMRUNTIME,
          '${3rd}/love2d/library',
        },
        ignoreDir = { 'build', 'dist' },
      },
      
      semanticTokens = {
        enable = true,
      },
    },
  },
  
  -- Capabilities for nvim-cmp integration
  capabilities = require('cmp_nvim_lsp').default_capabilities(),
})

Neovim-Specific Configuration

For Neovim Lua development, add this configuration:

init.lua

require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  settings = {
    Lua = {
      runtime = {
        version = 'LuaJIT', -- Neovim uses LuaJIT
      },
      diagnostics = {
        globals = {
          'vim',
          'describe',
          'it',
          'before_each',
          'after_each',
        },
      },
      workspace = {
        library = {
          vim.env.VIMRUNTIME,
          vim.fn.stdpath('config'),
          vim.fn.stdpath('data') .. '/lazy',
        },
        checkThirdParty = false,
      },
    },
  },
})

Project Configuration File

Create .emmyrc.json in your project root:

.emmyrc.json

{
  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/EmmyLuaLs/emmylua-analyzer-rust/refs/heads/main/crates/emmylua_code_analysis/resources/schema.json",
  "runtime": {
    "version": "Lua5.4"
  },
  "diagnostics": {
    "enable": true,
    "globals": ["myFramework"]
  },
  "workspace": {
    "library": ["./libs"],
    "ignoreDir": ["build", "test"]
  }
}

Key Mappings

Recommended Keybindings

init.lua

local function on_attach(client, bufnr)
  local opts = { buffer = bufnr, noremap = true, silent = true }
  
  -- Navigation
  vim.keymap.set('n', 'gd', vim.lsp.buf.definition, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', 'gD', vim.lsp.buf.declaration, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', 'gi', vim.lsp.buf.implementation, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', 'gr', vim.lsp.buf.references, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', 'gt', vim.lsp.buf.type_definition, opts)
  
  -- Information
  vim.keymap.set('n', 'K', vim.lsp.buf.hover, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<C-k>', vim.lsp.buf.signature_help, opts)
  
  -- Refactoring
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>rn', vim.lsp.buf.rename, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>ca', vim.lsp.buf.code_action, opts)
  
  -- Formatting
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>f', function()
    vim.lsp.buf.format({ async = true })
  end, opts)
  
  -- Diagnostics
  vim.keymap.set('n', '[d', vim.diagnostic.goto_prev, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', ']d', vim.diagnostic.goto_next, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>e', vim.diagnostic.open_float, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>q', vim.diagnostic.setloclist, opts)
  
  -- Workspace
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>wa', vim.lsp.buf.add_workspace_folder, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>wr', vim.lsp.buf.remove_workspace_folder, opts)
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>wl', function()
    print(vim.inspect(vim.lsp.buf.list_workspace_folders()))
  end, opts)
end

require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  on_attach = on_attach,
  -- other settings...
})

Integration with Completion Plugins

nvim-cmp

init.lua

local cmp = require('cmp')
local lspconfig = require('lspconfig')

cmp.setup({
  sources = {
    { name = 'nvim_lsp' },
    { name = 'buffer' },
    { name = 'path' },
  },
  snippet = {
    expand = function(args)
      require('luasnip').lsp_expand(args.body)
    end,
  },
})

local capabilities = require('cmp_nvim_lsp').default_capabilities()

lspconfig.emmylua_ls.setup({
  capabilities = capabilities,
  -- other settings...
})

coq.nvim

init.lua

local lspconfig = require('lspconfig')
local coq = require('coq')

lspconfig.emmylua_ls.setup(coq.lsp_ensure_capabilities({
  -- your settings...
}))

Advanced Configuration

Multiple Lua Versions per Project

Use different configurations based on file location:

init.lua

local function get_lua_version(fname)
  if fname:match('neovim') then
    return 'LuaJIT'
  elseif fname:match('love2d') then
    return 'LuaJIT'
  else
    return 'Lua5.4'
  end
end

require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  on_new_config = function(config, root_dir)
    config.settings.Lua.runtime.version = get_lua_version(root_dir)
  end,
})

Custom Commands

Add custom LSP commands:

init.lua

vim.api.nvim_create_user_command('LspRestart', function()
  vim.cmd('LspStop emmylua_ls')
  vim.cmd('LspStart emmylua_ls')
end, {})

vim.api.nvim_create_user_command('LspLog', function()
  vim.cmd('edit ' .. vim.lsp.get_log_path())
end, {})

Troubleshooting

LSP not starting

Solution:

Check if emmylua_ls is in PATH:
```
which emmylua_ls
```
Verify LSP is running:
```
:LspInfo
```

Check LSP logs:

:lua vim.cmd('edit ' .. vim.lsp.get_log_path())

Restart the LSP:
```
:LspRestart
```

Completions not appearing

Solution:

Verify LSP is attached:
```
:LspInfo
```

Check completion settings:

require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  settings = {
    Lua = {
      completion = { enable = true },
    },
  },
})

Ensure nvim-cmp is configured correctly
Trigger completion manually: Ctrl+X Ctrl+O (omni-completion)

Diagnostics not showing

Solution:

Enable diagnostics:

vim.diagnostic.config({
  virtual_text = true,
  signs = true,
  update_in_insert = false,
})

Check diagnostic settings:

require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  settings = {
    Lua = {
      diagnostics = { enable = true },
    },
  },
})

View all diagnostics:
```
:lua vim.diagnostic.setloclist()
```

Slow performance

Solution:

Ignore unnecessary directories:

settings = {
  Lua = {
    workspace = {
      ignoreDir = { 'node_modules', 'build', '.git' },
    },
  },
}

Reduce workspace library size

Disable features you don’t need:

settings = {
  Lua = {
    codeLens = { enable = false },
    semanticTokens = { enable = false },
  },
}

Increase timeout:
```
vim.lsp.set_log_level('warn')
```

False 'undefined global vim' warnings

Solution:Add ‘vim’ to diagnostics globals:

settings = {
  Lua = {
    diagnostics = {
      globals = { 'vim' },
    },
  },
}

Or add Neovim runtime to workspace library:

settings = {
  Lua = {
    workspace = {
      library = { vim.env.VIMRUNTIME },
    },
  },
}

Example init.vim Configuration

For Vimscript users:

init.vim

" Install nvim-lspconfig with your plugin manager

lua << EOF
require('lspconfig').emmylua_ls.setup({
  settings = {
    Lua = {
      runtime = { version = 'LuaLatest' },
      diagnostics = { globals = { 'vim' } },
    },
  },
})

-- Keybindings
vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('LspAttach', {
  callback = function(args)
    local opts = { buffer = args.buf }
    vim.keymap.set('n', 'gd', vim.lsp.buf.definition, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', 'K', vim.lsp.buf.hover, opts)
    vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>rn', vim.lsp.buf.rename, opts)
  end,
})
EOF

Next Steps

Configuration

Explore advanced configuration options

Annotations

Learn about type annotations

Features

Discover all LSP features

Performance

Optimize for large projects

Integration

Advanced Usage

Development

Overview

Installation Methods

Method 1: Using nvim-lspconfig (Recommended)

Method 2: Native LSP (Neovim 0.10+)

Method 3: Manual LSP Setup

Configuration

Complete Configuration Example

Neovim-Specific Configuration

Project Configuration File

Key Mappings

Recommended Keybindings

Integration with Completion Plugins

nvim-cmp

coq.nvim

Advanced Configuration

Multiple Lua Versions per Project

Custom Commands

Troubleshooting

Example init.vim Configuration

Next Steps

Configuration

Annotations

Features

Performance

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Integration

Advanced Usage

Development

​Overview

​Installation Methods

​Method 1: Using nvim-lspconfig (Recommended)

​Method 2: Native LSP (Neovim 0.10+)

​Method 3: Manual LSP Setup

​Configuration

​Complete Configuration Example

​Neovim-Specific Configuration

​Project Configuration File

​Key Mappings

​Recommended Keybindings

​Integration with Completion Plugins

​nvim-cmp

​coq.nvim

​Advanced Configuration

​Multiple Lua Versions per Project

​Custom Commands

​Troubleshooting

​Example init.vim Configuration

​Next Steps

Configuration

Annotations

Features

Performance

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Installation Methods

Method 1: Using nvim-lspconfig (Recommended)

Method 2: Native LSP (Neovim 0.10+)

Method 3: Manual LSP Setup

Configuration

Complete Configuration Example

Neovim-Specific Configuration

Project Configuration File

Key Mappings

Recommended Keybindings

Integration with Completion Plugins

nvim-cmp

coq.nvim

Advanced Configuration

Multiple Lua Versions per Project

Custom Commands

Troubleshooting

Example init.vim Configuration

Next Steps