Rovo LSP for VSCode

February 18, 2026 · View on GitHub

This guide covers using Rovo with Visual Studio Code.

Installation

Prerequisites

Rust toolchain (cargo) must be installed: https://rustup.rs/
VSCode version 1.95.0 or later

Installing the Extension

Option 1: From Marketplace (Recommended)

VS Code Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=arthurdw.rovo-lsp

Quick install in VS Code - press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on macOS) and run:

ext install arthurdw.rovo-lsp

Open VSX (for VSCodium/code-oss users): https://open-vsx.org/extension/arthurdw/rovo-lsp

Quick install in VSCodium - press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on macOS) and run:

ext install arthurdw.rovo-lsp

Cursor: The extension may not appear in Cursor's built-in extension search. To install, open this link in your browser:

cursor:extension/arthurdw.rovo-lsp

Or install via the Extensions panel:

Open your editor (VS Code, VSCodium, Cursor, or code-oss)
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "Rovo"
Click Install
Reload your editor if prompted

The extension will automatically install the rovo-lsp server on first use (requires Cargo).

Option 2: Manual LSP Installation

If you prefer to install the language server manually:

cargo install rovo-lsp

Then the extension will automatically detect it.

Features

The Rovo LSP extension provides intelligent support for Rovo framework annotations:

🎨 Syntax Highlighting

Custom syntax highlighting for Rovo documentation (context-aware, only near #[rovo] attributes):

Section headers (# Responses, # Examples, # Metadata) - highlighted as headings
Metadata annotations (@tag, @security, @id, @hidden) - highlighted as keywords
HTTP status codes (200, 404, 500, etc.) - highlighted as numbers
Security schemes (bearer, basic, apiKey, oauth2) - highlighted as strings
Tag values - highlighted distinctively

The highlighting is smart and only activates in doc comments above #[rovo] functions, ensuring no conflicts with rust-analyzer.

🎯 Smart Completions

Type /// # to get completions for section headers:

# Responses - HTTP response definitions section
# Examples - Response examples section
# Metadata - API metadata section

Within the # Metadata section, type @ for annotation completions:

@tag - Endpoint categorization
@security - Security requirements
@id - Custom operation IDs
@hidden - Hide from documentation
@rovo-ignore - Stop processing annotations

HTTP status codes and security schemes are also auto-completed with descriptions.

📖 Hover Documentation

Hover over section headers, annotations, status codes, or security schemes to see:

Section usage and format
Annotation usage and syntax
HTTP status code meanings
Security scheme explanations
Type definitions

⚡ Code Actions

Quick fixes to:

Add missing #[rovo] macro to functions
Add JsonSchema derive to response types
Insert common annotation patterns

Go to Definition: Navigate from types in responses to their definitions
Find References: Find all usages of specific tags
Rename: Rename tags and update all references (F2 or right-click → Rename Symbol)

✅ Real-time Diagnostics

Get instant feedback on:

Invalid HTTP status codes
Malformed response/example syntax
Invalid metadata annotations
Section format errors

Usage Example

use rovo::{rovo, Router, routing::get};
use rovo::{extract::State, response::Json};
use rovo::aide::axum::IntoApiResponse;

/// Get user by ID.
///
/// # Responses
///
/// 200: Json<User> - Successfully retrieved user
/// 404: Json<Error> - User not found
///
/// # Examples
///
/// 200: User { id: 1, name: "Alice".into() }
/// 404: Error { message: "User not found".into() }
///
/// # Metadata
///
/// @tag users
/// @security bearer
#[rovo]
async fn get_user(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
    Path(id): Path<i64>
) -> impl IntoApiResponse {
    // Implementation
}

Troubleshooting

Language Server Not Starting

Check the Output panel (View → Output → Rovo LSP) for error messages
Verify rovo-lsp is installed:
```
cargo install rovo-lsp
```
Check your rovo.serverPath setting
Try reloading VSCode: Developer: Reload Window (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)

Auto-Installation Failing

Ensure Cargo is installed:
```
cargo --version
```
Install manually:
```
cargo install rovo-lsp
```
Check the Output panel for detailed error messages
Verify you have internet connectivity

Features Not Working

Make sure:

You're in a Rust file (.rs extension)
There's a Cargo.toml in your project root
You're working within #[rovo] annotated functions
Documentation is in doc comments (///) above #[rovo]
Metadata annotations are within the # Metadata section

Syntax Highlighting Not Visible

If annotations aren't being highlighted:

Verify annotations are near #[rovo]: The extension only highlights doc comments that appear directly above #[rovo] attributes
Check the Output panel:
- Open Output panel (View → Output)
- Select "Rovo LSP" from the dropdown
- Look for diagnostic messages
Reload VSCode: Try Developer: Reload Window

Note: The extension uses text decorations that work seamlessly alongside rust-analyzer - no configuration needed!

This extension works seamlessly alongside rust-analyzer with zero configuration required. It uses text decorations for syntax highlighting, which overlay on top of rust-analyzer's highlighting without conflicts.

Both extensions can run simultaneously without any issues.

Performance

The Rovo LSP is lightweight and context-aware:

Only activates near #[rovo] attributes
Minimal memory footprint
Fast response times
No interference with other Rust tooling

Support

Issues: https://github.com/Arthurdw/rovo/issues
Documentation: https://github.com/Arthurdw/rovo
Extension Source: https://github.com/Arthurdw/rovo/tree/main/vscode-rovo

License

MIT