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How to Fix Code Editor Autocomplete Breaking for Less-Popular Languages — A Manual Setup + Language Server Override That Worked for Polyglot Devs

gordan

Modern code editors like Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and even strengthened IDEs like JetBrains’ offerings promise fast, intelligent autocomplete for writing code more efficiently. However, for polyglot developers working with lesser-known or emerging programming languages, that promise often falls short. Misconfigured tools, unclear support, or missing integration with Language Server Protocols (LSPs) can leave devs stranded, typing in the dark without autocomplete or documentation popovers.

TL;DR

Autocomplete can break in code editors for niche or lesser-known programming languages due to missing language server support, broken default configurations, or incomplete plugin setups. A manual override involving setting up custom LSP configurations and verifying correct file associations can restore this functionality. This article walks through a working method used by developers handling a range of less-popular languages. The good news: once set up, it can dramatically improve dev productivity.

Why Autocomplete Breaks — And When It Matters Most

Working with known languages like JavaScript, Python, or TypeScript rarely raises configuration issues, as these languages are well-integrated with their respective LSPs and benefit from community-backed extensions. But uncommon languages—such as Zig, Crystal, ReasonML, Nim, or Solidity—often suffer from one or more of the following problems:

As developers, losing autocomplete means longer dev cycles, missed documentation, and more room for syntactic errors. For teams working on multi-language projects or university researchers writing in obscure DSLs (domain-specific languages), it’s critical to restore this missing assistance effectively.

Step-by-Step: How to Manually Set Up a Language Server

This guide details the steps taken to restore autocomplete in VS Code and Sublime Text for three languages: Zig, ReasonML, and Vala. But the same principles can be applied to almost any language with a compatible language server.

1. Identify and Install the Correct LSP

First, locate the official (or best available) Language Server implementation for the target language. This may be hosted in a GitHub repo or listed in the language’s official site docs. For example:

Install the LSP globally using your system’s package manager or by compiling from source. Document the path to the executable; you’ll need that in the next step.

2. Install a Generic LSP Client in Your Editor

Your editor may not have native support for the chosen language, but you can still make it work by installing a generic LSP client plugin. Below are examples for popular editors:

Once installed, this gives you an interface to hook into arbitrary language servers.

3. Manually Configure the Language Server

Now that both the language server and LSP client are installed, it’s time to bind them together. In VS Code, this may involve configuring settings.json, while in Sublime Text, you’ll be editing LSP-*.sublime-settings.

Example for Zig using ZLS in Sublime Text:


{
  "clients": {
    "zig": {
      "command": ["zls"],
      "enabled": true,
      "languages": [
        {
          "languageId": "zig",
          "scopes": ["source.zig"],
          "syntaxes": ["Packages/Zig Language/Zig.sublime-syntax"]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

For VS Code, a similar configuration can go under your workspace’s .vscode/settings.json or global settings:


"zigLanguageServer.path": "/usr/local/bin/zls",
"zigLanguageServer.arguments": [],
"files.associations": {
  "*.zig": "zig"
}

4. Fix Language ID and File Detection

Autocomplete won’t work if the language server doesn’t recognize the file type. Confirm that your editor associates the correct file extension with the detected language ID.

For unsupported languages, VS Code may default to “plaintext.” Use Ctrl+K M to manually change the language for the current file—or create a manual association in settings:


"files.associations": {
  "*.re": "reason",
  "*.vala": "vala"
}

Also ensure that syntax packages or basic highlighting for the language are installed. Some LSP clients won’t activate unless a valid syntax definition exists.

Case Example: Fixing Broken ReasonML Autocomplete in VS Code

A ReasonML dev reported that autocomplete and go-to-definition features stopped working suddenly during a project. Upon inspection:

Here’s how it was corrected manually:

  1. Installed reason-language-server globally using npm
  2. In VS Code, created a custom `.vscode/settings.json` with executable path
  3. Created a workspace override for *.re files to be identified as reason
  4. Restarted the editor and verified LSP activation through the logs

After the fix, autocomplete, hover docs, error checking, and imports worked again.

Tips and Common Pitfalls

Here are a few gotchas and quick remedies:

Advanced: Language-Specific Overrides

Some developers managing dozens of languages across multiple projects opt for scripts or symlinked LSP folders managed by custom tooling—for example, a Bash script that detects a project’s language and spins up its corresponding LSP backend. Though beyond the scope of this intro, such systems can dramatically streamline multilingual development cycles.

Conclusion: Power to the Polyglots

Autocomplete and LSPs are no longer luxuries—they are essential to modern development workflows. Even if your code editor doesn’t support your language “out of the box,” the LSP ecosystem nearly always offers a path forward. Manual wiring may take 20–30 minutes per language, but the result is a robust, reproducible, and fast code editing experience that puts less strain on your brain and more productivity on your screen.

As a rule of thumb, if there’s a published LSP for your target language and your editor supports arbitrary language servers, autocomplete is fixable. Don’t settle for watching your productivity lag—arm your editor with the tools it needs.

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