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Improvements & Feature Roadmap

This document outlines potential improvements, new features, and enhancement ideas for the claude-code-zed integration. Contributions welcome!

Priority Legend

  • P0 - Critical / High Impact
  • P1 - Important / Medium Impact
  • P2 - Nice to Have / Low Impact
  • Effort: S (small, <1 day), M (medium, 1-3 days), L (large, 1+ week)

1. Bidirectional Communication (Claude → Zed)

Currently the integration is primarily one-way (Zed → Claude). Enabling Claude to send commands back to Zed would unlock powerful features.

1.1 Open File in Zed [P0, Effort: M]

What: When Claude references a file, clicking it opens in Zed at the correct line.

Implementation:

  • Implement openFile tool handler in mcp.rs (currently stubbed)
  • Use Zed's LSP workspace/applyEdit or custom command
  • Pass file path, line number, and optional selection range

Files to modify:

  • claude-code-server/src/mcp.rs - Implement actual file opening
  • claude-code-extension/src/lib.rs - Handle incoming commands

1.2 Apply Diffs in Zed [P0, Effort: L]

What: When Claude suggests code changes, apply them directly in Zed with a diff view.

Implementation:

  • Implement openDiff tool handler properly
  • Create temporary file with new content
  • Trigger Zed's diff view between original and modified
  • Handle accept/reject callbacks

Protocol reference: See openDiff in claudecode.nvim PROTOCOL.md

1.3 Insert Text at Cursor [P1, Effort: M]

What: Claude can insert code snippets at the current cursor position.

Implementation:

  • Track cursor position (not just selection)
  • Implement insertText command
  • Use LSP workspace/applyEdit with insert operation

2. LSP Diagnostics Integration

2.1 Send Diagnostics to Claude [P0, Effort: L]

What: Share TypeScript errors, ESLint warnings, etc. with Claude for context-aware debugging.

Current state: LSP client in extension doesn't expose diagnostics.

Implementation options:

Option A: Zed Extension API (if available)

  • Check if Zed's extension API exposes textDocument/publishDiagnostics
  • Subscribe to diagnostic events in lib.rs
  • Forward to server via custom LSP notification

Option B: External LSP Client

  • Run a separate LSP client for the target language
  • Parse diagnostics and merge with selection context
  • More complex but doesn't depend on Zed API

Files to modify:

  • claude-code-extension/src/lib.rs - Diagnostic subscription
  • claude-code-server/src/lsp.rs - New notification type
  • claude-code-server/src/mcp.rs - getDiagnostics tool

2.2 Diagnostic Filtering [P2, Effort: S]

What: Filter diagnostics by severity (errors only, warnings, hints).

Implementation:

  • Add configuration option
  • Filter in server before sending to Claude

3. Multi-File Context

3.1 Open Editors List [P1, Effort: M]

What: Send list of all open files in Zed to Claude for broader context.

Implementation:

  • Implement getOpenEditors tool (currently returns empty)
  • Track document open/close events in LSP server
  • Maintain in-memory list of open documents

3.2 Workspace Symbol Search [P1, Effort: M]

What: Allow Claude to search for symbols across the workspace.

Implementation:

  • Forward workspace/symbol requests to Zed's built-in LSP
  • Parse and return results to Claude
  • Enable "find all usages of X" type queries

3.3 Project Structure Context [P2, Effort: S]

What: Send project file tree to Claude for navigation context.

Implementation:

  • Walk directory tree (respecting .gitignore)
  • Send as context with selection
  • Cache and invalidate on file system changes

4. Enhanced Selection Tracking

4.1 Multiple Selections [P1, Effort: M]

What: Support Zed's multiple cursor selections.

Current state: Only tracks single selection.

Implementation:

  • Modify SelectionChangedNotification to include array of selections
  • Update Claude context to show all selected regions

4.2 Selection History [P2, Effort: S]

What: Remember recent selections for "what did I select before?" queries.

Implementation:

  • Ring buffer of last N selections (configurable)
  • Timestamp each selection
  • Expose via getSelectionHistory tool

4.3 Smart Selection Expansion [P2, Effort: M]

What: Automatically expand selection to semantic boundaries (function, class, block).

Implementation:

  • Use LSP textDocument/selectionRange capability
  • Offer "expand to function" style commands
  • Requires language-aware parsing

5. Performance & Reliability

5.1 Connection Resilience [P0, Effort: M]

What: Auto-reconnect when connection drops, don't require /ide again.

Implementation:

  • Implement heartbeat/ping in WebSocket
  • Auto-reconnect with exponential backoff
  • Persist auth token for session

5.2 Lazy Loading [P1, Effort: S]

What: Don't read entire file on every selection, use ranges.

Current state: read_text_from_range reads full file each time.

Implementation:

  • Cache file contents with modification timestamp
  • Invalidate on didChange events
  • Only read changed portions

5.3 Debounced Selection Events [P1, Effort: S]

What: Don't spam selection events on rapid cursor movement.

Implementation:

  • Add configurable debounce (default 100ms)
  • Only send after selection stabilizes
  • Reduces WebSocket traffic significantly

6. Developer Experience

6.1 Status Bar Integration [P1, Effort: M]

What: Show connection status in Zed's status bar.

Implementation:

  • Use Zed's status bar API (if available)
  • Show: Connected/Disconnected, last selection sent
  • Click to reconnect or show logs

6.2 Command Palette Actions [P1, Effort: M]

What: Add Zed commands like "Send selection to Claude", "Connect to Claude".

Implementation:

  • Define commands in extension manifest
  • Implement command handlers
  • Keyboard shortcuts (configurable)

6.3 Configuration UI [P2, Effort: M]

What: Settings panel for port, auto-connect, debug logging, etc.

Implementation:

  • Use Zed's settings API
  • Persist in ~/.config/zed/settings.json
  • Live reload on config change

7. Language-Specific Enhancements

7.1 TypeScript/JavaScript [P1, Effort: M]

  • Send import statements with selection
  • Include type definitions for selected symbols
  • Forward TSServer quick fixes to Claude

7.2 Rust [P2, Effort: M]

  • Include trait implementations
  • Send cargo check output
  • Macro expansion context

7.3 Python [P2, Effort: M]

  • Virtual environment detection
  • Type stub information
  • Docstring context

8. Security & Privacy

8.1 Selection Filtering [P1, Effort: S]

What: Don't send sensitive content (env files, secrets).

Implementation:

  • Configurable file/pattern blacklist
  • Warn when sending from sensitive files
  • Option to require confirmation

8.2 Token Rotation [P2, Effort: S]

What: Rotate auth token periodically.

Implementation:

  • Generate new token on schedule
  • Update lock file atomically
  • Handle reconnection with new token

9. Testing & Quality

9.1 Integration Tests [P1, Effort: M]

What: Automated tests for the full flow.

Implementation:

  • Mock Zed extension environment
  • Test WebSocket protocol
  • CI pipeline with GitHub Actions

9.2 Protocol Conformance Tests [P1, Effort: S]

What: Ensure MCP implementation matches spec.

Implementation:

  • Test each tool against expected behavior
  • Validate JSON-RPC responses
  • Compare with reference implementations

10. Distribution & Installation

10.1 Zed Extension Marketplace [P0, Effort: M]

What: Publish to official Zed extensions.

Requirements:

  • Clean up extension metadata
  • Binary hosting (GitHub releases works)
  • Documentation in extension format

10.2 Homebrew Formula [P2, Effort: S]

What: brew install claude-code-zed

Implementation:

  • Create formula for server binary
  • Auto-install extension or provide instructions

10.3 One-Line Install Script [P1, Effort: S]

What: curl ... | sh style installer.

Implementation:

  • Detect platform
  • Download binary
  • Install extension
  • Configure automatically

Implementation Priority Matrix

Feature Impact Effort Priority
Apply Diffs in Zed High Large P0
Open File in Zed High Medium P0
LSP Diagnostics High Large P0
Connection Resilience High Medium P0
Zed Extension Marketplace High Medium P0
Open Editors List Medium Medium P1
Debounced Selection Medium Small P1
Status Bar Integration Medium Medium P1
One-Line Installer Medium Small P1
Multiple Selections Medium Medium P1
Selection History Low Small P2
Configuration UI Low Medium P2

Contributing

  1. Pick an item from this list
  2. Open an issue to discuss approach
  3. Fork, implement, test
  4. Submit PR with before/after demo

For large features (Effort: L), consider opening a discussion first to align on design.

Research Needed

These items need more investigation before implementation:

  • Zed Extension API capabilities - What's exposed for diagnostics, status bar, commands?
  • Zed's LSP client behavior - Can we intercept or extend it?
  • MCP protocol evolution - Are there new capabilities we should support?
  • ACP vs native comparison - Detailed feature matrix to ensure we cover all use cases

Ideas from the Community

Have an idea not listed here? Open an issue with:

  • Use case description
  • Expected behavior
  • Any technical considerations

We'll add promising ideas to this roadmap!