Groovy Language Support

A VS Code extension that adds Groovy language support with syntax highlighting, code completion, and error checking.

Status: Early release - actively maintained and stable for everyday use.

Features

Core Language Support

• Syntax highlighting for all Groovy file types
• Code completion and IntelliSense with type information
• Real-time error detection and diagnostics
• Hover documentation with GroovyDoc/JavaDoc
• Go to Definition & Type Definition
• Find All References
• Rename Symbol (workspace-wide)
• Signature Help (parameter hints)
• Code Formatting (OpenRewrite-based)
• Document & Workspace Symbols
• Automatic language server management

Static Analysis

• CodeNarc integration with project-specific rulesets
• Auto-detection of project types (Jenkins, Gradle, Spock)
• Quick fixes for common issues
• TODO/FIXME comment scanning

Build Integration

• Gradle project support
• Automatic dependency resolution
• Multi-workspace support

Jenkins Pipeline

• Jenkinsfile syntax support
• Shared library configuration
• GDSL file support for DSL extensions
• Custom pipeline step completion

Supported Files

File Type	Extensions	What it's for
Groovy Scripts	.groovy, .gvy, .gy, .gsh	General Groovy code
Gradle Build	.gradle	Build scripts
Jenkins Pipeline	Jenkinsfile, Jenkinsfile.*	CI/CD pipelines

Setup

Requires Java 17+ to be installed on your system.

1. Install this extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Open any .groovy, .gradle, or Jenkinsfile - language support starts automatically

That's it! The extension will find Java automatically from your PATH or JAVA_HOME.

Configuration

Basic Settings

{
  // Java configuration for Language Server (requires Java 17+)
  "groovy.languageServer.javaHome": "/path/to/your/java17",

  // Java configuration for Project Build (Maven/Gradle)
  "groovy.project.javaHome": "/path/to/your/project/java",

  // DEPRECATED: Use groovy.languageServer.javaHome instead
  // "groovy.java.home": "/path/to/your/java17",

  // Enable/disable code formatting
  "groovy.format.enable": true,

  // Trace LSP communication (off, messages, verbose)
  "groovy.trace.server": "off"
}

Java Settings Explained

• groovy.languageServer.javaHome: Java installation for running the Groovy Language Server. Requires Java 17 or higher. If not set, the extension will auto-detect Java from your system.

• groovy.project.javaHome: Java installation for project build and test execution (Maven/Gradle). This can be different from the Language Server Java. If not set, uses your system's JAVA_HOME.

• groovy.java.home: DEPRECATED. This setting is replaced by groovy.languageServer.javaHome and will be removed in a future version. For backward compatibility, it still works but you should migrate to the new setting names.

CodeNarc Static Analysis

{
  // Enable CodeNarc linting
  "groovy.codenarc.enabled": true,

  // Path to custom CodeNarc config file
  "groovy.codenarc.propertiesFile": "/path/to/codenarc.properties",

  // Auto-detect project type and apply appropriate ruleset
  "groovy.codenarc.autoDetect": true
}

Jenkins Pipeline Support

For Jenkins shared libraries:

{
  // File patterns to recognize as Jenkinsfiles
  "groovy.jenkins.filePatterns": ["Jenkinsfile", "vars/*.groovy"],

  // Configure shared libraries
  "groovy.jenkins.sharedLibraries": [
    {
      "name": "my-pipeline-lib",
      "jar": "/path/to/my-pipeline-lib.jar",
      "sourcesJar": "/path/to/my-pipeline-lib-sources.jar"
    }
  ],

  // GDSL files for DSL enhancements
  "groovy.jenkins.gdslPaths": ["/path/to/jenkins.gdsl"],

  // Execute GDSL scripts (disabled by default for security)
  "groovy.jenkins.gdslExecution.enabled": true,

  // Optional: Jenkins plugin discovery overrides
  "groovy.jenkins.pluginsTxtPath": "/path/to/plugins.txt",
  "groovy.jenkins.plugins": [
    "workflow-basic-steps",
    "pipeline-model-definition"
  ],
  "groovy.jenkins.includeDefaultPlugins": true
}

Compilation Settings

{
  // Compilation mode: "workspace" (accurate) or "single-file" (fast)
  "groovy.compilation.mode": "workspace",

  // Files changed threshold for full recompilation
  "groovy.compilation.incrementalThreshold": 50,

  // Maximum files to compile in workspace mode
  "groovy.compilation.maxWorkspaceFiles": 500
}

REPL Settings

{
  "groovy.repl.enabled": true,
  "groovy.repl.maxSessions": 10,
  "groovy.repl.sessionTimeoutMinutes": 60
}

Semantic Token Customization

You can customize the colors of different code elements, including import statements:

{
  // Customize semantic token colors for Groovy
  "editor.semanticTokenColorCustomizations": {
    "[Default Dark+]": {
      "rules": {
        // Make import class names more visible (yellow-ish)
        "class.declaration:groovy": "#DCDCAA",

        // Or customize all classes
        "class:groovy": "#4EC9B0",

        // Customize other tokens
        "method:groovy": "#C586C0",
        "property:groovy": "#9CDCFE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Import class names use the class.declaration token type, which allows them to be styled distinctly from other class references. The extension provides multiple TextMate scope fallbacks to ensure good visibility across different themes.

Update Checking

The extension periodically checks for new Groovy Language Server releases.

{
  // Check for updates when extension starts
  "groovy.update.checkOnStartup": true,

  // Hours between automatic checks (minimum: 1)
  "groovy.update.checkIntervalHours": 24,

  // When to show notifications: "off", "onlyWhenOutdated", "always"
  "groovy.update.notifications": "onlyWhenOutdated"
}

Use Groovy: Check for Language Server Updates command to check manually.

Commands

• Groovy: Restart Language Server - Restart the language server if something goes wrong
• Groovy: Show Language Server Version - Display the current LSP server version
• Groovy: Check for Language Server Updates - Check for new LSP releases

Status Bar

The extension displays real-time language server status in the status bar:

Display	State	Meaning
✓ Groovy	Ready	All features available
⟳ Groovy: Deps	Resolving	Loading dependencies
⟳ Groovy: Indexing	Indexing	Analyzing source files
⚠ Groovy	Degraded	Limited functionality
■ Groovy	Stopped	Server not running

Tip: Hover over the status bar for details and quick actions (restart, check updates).

Why This Matters

When dependencies are loading, you may see import errors. The status bar shows "Groovy: Deps" to indicate this is temporary and will resolve once dependencies finish loading.

Development

Want to contribute? Check out the Contributing Guide.

git clone https://github.com/albertocavalcante/vscode-groovy.git
pnpm install
pnpm run compile

Copilot coding agent

See COPILOT.md for agent-specific setup and the copilot-setup-steps workflow.

Troubleshooting

Extension not working?

1. Check you have Java 17+ installed: java -version
2. Try restarting the language server: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Groovy: Restart Server"
3. Check the "Groovy Language Server" output panel for error messages

File not recognized? Make sure it has a supported extension or is named Jenkinsfile.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup and guidelines.

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Links: GitHub • Issues • Language Server