slang.nvim

Neovim plugin for the Slang shader language.

Features

• Fixed LSP support via slangd (code completion, diagnostics, hover)
• Core library navigation - Browse and search Slang's standard library (slang-synth:// URIs)
• Go to definition - Jump to definitions in your code and the Slang core library
• Find references - Search-based reference finding in synthetic buffers

Requirements

• Neovim ≥ 0.11
• slangd (from Vulkan SDK or Slang distribution)
• VULKAN_SDK environment variable set (or configure manually)
• Optional: blink.cmp for completion

Installation

lazy.nvim

{
  'pixelsandpointers/slang.nvim',
  dependencies = {
    'neovim/nvim-lspconfig',
    'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter',
  },
  opts = {
    -- slangd_path = '/path/to/vulkan-sdk/x86_64',
    auto_format = true,
    inlay_hints = true,
  },
}

Manual

require('slang').setup({
  -- slangd_path = '/path/to/vulkan-sdk/x86_64',
  auto_format = true,
  inlay_hints = true,
})

Usage

Keybindings (in synthetic buffers)

• gd - Go to definition (shows picker with definitions sorted first)
• gr - Find references (only works on identifiers, not keywords)

Jump to Core Library

When you use LSP "go to definition" on a Slang standard library function (like TraceRay), it will:

1. Open the core library source code in a read-only buffer
2. Jump to the definition
3. Allow you to navigate within the library using gd and gr

Configuration

require('slang').setup({
  -- Path to slangd or Vulkan SDK (searches for both in path) 
  -- slangd_path = '/path/to/vulkan-sdk/x86_64',

  -- Enable auto-formatting on save (requires conform.nvim)
  auto_format = true,

  -- Enable inlay hints for types and parameters
  inlay_hints = true,
})

Treesitter

The plugin automatically installs the Slang treesitter parser. If you want to configure it manually:

require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
  ensure_installed = { 'slang' },
})

How It Works

Synthetic Buffers

Slang's core library is distributed as precompiled code, but slangd provides a way to view the source via --print-builtin-module. This plugin:

1. Intercepts slang-synth:// URIs returned by slangd
2. Fetches the module source using slangd --print-builtin-module <name>
3. Creates a read-only buffer with the content
4. Provides search-based navigation since LSP features don't work in synthetic buffers

Search-Based Navigation

In synthetic buffers, the plugin implements smart search-based navigation:

• Recognizes common patterns (struct, class, function, typedef, etc.)
• Sorts results by type (definitions first, then references)
• Filters out keywords using Tree-sitter
• Shows results in a picker for easy selection

Troubleshooting

Semantic tokens errors

The plugin automatically disables semantic tokens for slangd due to known issues with synthetic buffers. You'll still have Tree-sitter syntax highlighting.

Credits

Developed for the Slang shader language community. Contributions welcome!

License

MIT