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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/SemanticWebLanguageServer/swls-vscode/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

SWLS ships with a bundled WASM worker so the language server is available immediately after installing the extension — no extra setup required. Optionally, the extension can download a native swls binary compiled for your platform, which provides better performance. The update system handles downloading, versioning, and switching between the WASM fallback and the native binary transparently.

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How updates work

On each startup, when swls.checkUpdate is true (the default), the extension queries the GitHub Releases API for the SemanticWebLanguageServer/swls repository. The update flow works as follows:
  1. The extension runs the existing local binary with --version to read its current version tag.
  2. It compares that tag against the latest release on GitHub (the most recent tag prefixed with swls-).
  3. If the versions differ — or if no local binary exists yet — a notification appears:
    • First install: “swls language server is available. Install it now?” with an Install button.
    • Upgrade: “swls update available: <current> → <latest>” with an Update button.
  4. After accepting, the binary is downloaded to the extension directory and named swls on Linux/macOS or swls.exe on Windows.
  5. A Reload prompt appears; clicking it restarts the window so the new binary is used immediately.
If the download fails, a warning notification is shown and the extension continues running the previous binary (or the WASM worker).

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Automatic updates

Set swls.automaticUpdate to true to skip the confirmation prompt. The extension downloads and installs any available update silently in the background, then shows only the final Reload prompt. 
{
  "swls.automaticUpdate": true
}
Automatic updates still show the Reload prompt after a successful download — a window reload is required to switch to the new binary.

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Disabling update checks

Set swls.checkUpdate to false to opt out of update checks entirely. The extension will use whatever binary is already installed (or fall back to WASM) and will never contact the GitHub API on startup. 
{
  "swls.checkUpdate": false
}

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Using a custom binary

Set swls.command to the absolute path of a specific swls binary. When this setting is non-empty, the extension uses that binary directly instead of looking for a bundled binary in the extension directory. 
{
  "swls.command": "/usr/local/bin/swls"
}
This is useful for:
  • Pinning to a specific version — point to a binary you downloaded manually from the releases page.
  • Self-built binaries — point to a binary compiled from source.
  • System-wide installs — share a single binary across multiple VS Code workspaces.
When swls.command is set, the update check still runs on startup (if swls.checkUpdate is true). It reads the version of your custom binary and compares it to the latest GitHub release — but any downloaded update is installed to the extension directory, not to the path you specified. Make sure the path stays valid; if the binary is missing or fails to start, the extension falls back to the WASM worker.

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Supported platforms

The extension selects the correct artifact from the GitHub release based on your OS and CPU architecture:
PlatformArchitectureRelease artifact
Windowsx86_64swls-windows-x86_64.exe
Windowsarm64swls-windows-arm64.exe
Linuxx86_64swls-linux-x86_64
Linuxaarch64swls-linux-aarch64
macOSx86_64swls-macos-x86_64
macOSarm64swls-macos-arm64
If your platform does not match any of the entries above, the extension will not attempt a download and will fall back to the bundled WASM worker automatically. All features remain available; only raw performance may differ.

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