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niminal

Editor and LSP

Language server (niminal lsp)

Section titled “Language server (niminal lsp)”

The CLI runs an LSP server on stdio. Any editor that can spawn a language server can use it for .nml files:

Terminal window
niminal lsp

The VS Code extension starts the same binary automatically (see settings below).

Works without a running daemon — editing support comes from the compiler in-process:

  • Diagnostics as you type (compiler messages and help)
  • Completion for names in the file, built-in opcodes, methods after ., named arguments (lpf( → cutoff:, res:), waveforms, unit suffixes
  • Hover with signatures and documentation
  • Go to definition and document outline
  • A // or /// comment directly above an instr or opcode is its documentation

Trigger character for completion: .

After installing a new niminal binary, run Restart Language Server in the command palette (VS Code) or restart your editor’s LSP client.

VS Code extension

Section titled “VS Code extension”

From the repo root:

Terminal window
cd editors/vscode && npm install && node install.js

Reload the window (--cursor for Cursor). Build or install the CLI first (cargo install --path crates/niminal-cli).

Start a daemon in a terminal, or use niminal: Start Daemon in a Terminal from the command palette:

Terminal window
niminal daemon

Open a .nml file. Live evaluation talks to the daemon over WebSocket; the language server is separate (stdio).

Shortcuts

Section titled “Shortcuts”
Key (mac / other) Action
Cmd+Enter / Ctrl+Enter Evaluate selection, or the block around the cursor (blank-line blocks, bracket-balanced)
Cmd+Shift+Enter / Ctrl+Shift+Enter Evaluate whole file
Cmd+. / Ctrl+. Hush
Cmd+1..9 Launch the Nth scene from the sidebar (while a .nml file has focus)

The niminal sidebar lists scenes and tracks (mute, solo, stop). Compile errors show as squiggles; the status bar shows bar, beat, tempo, voices, and pending quantize. niminal: Panic is in the command palette.

Settings

Section titled “Settings”
Setting Purpose
niminal.path Path to the niminal binary (daemon + LSP)
niminal.port Daemon WebSocket port (default 7400)
niminal.token Token if the daemon was started with --token
niminal.quantize Default land time for evaluation (e.g. next 4 bars)

Daemon vs LSP

Section titled “Daemon vs LSP”
LSP Daemon
Transport stdio WebSocket (default port 7400)
Audio No Yes
Live play / launch No Yes
Diagnostics / completion Yes Eval diagnostics via extension/REPL

For command-line workflow (REPL, send, render, replay), see Command line and Live coding. For WebSocket messages, subscriptions, and eval / control.set, see Daemon protocol.