Development Workflow Standards

Symbol-Based Editing

When working with LSP-supported languages (TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, C++, etc.), prefer symbol-based editing using built-in LSP tools for navigation and MCP tools for modification.

Built-in LSP Tools (Navigation)

Use the LSP tool for semantic code navigation. All operations require:

• filePath - Path to the file
• line - Line number (1-based, as shown in editors)
• character - Character offset (1-based, as shown in editors)

Available Operations:

Operation	Description
goToDefinition	Find where a symbol is defined
findReferences	Find all references to a symbol
hover	Get documentation and type information
documentSymbol	List all symbols in a file (functions, classes, variables)
workspaceSymbol	Search for symbols across the entire workspace
goToImplementation	Find implementations of an interface or abstract method
incomingCalls	Find all functions/methods that call the function at position
outgoingCalls	Find all functions/methods called by the function at position

Why Prefer LSP Over Grep/Glob:

• Semantic understanding - LSP understands code structure, not just text patterns
• Accurate references - Finds actual symbol references, not string matches
• Scope awareness - Distinguishes between local variables with the same name
• Import tracking - Understands module imports and re-exports
• Type hierarchy - Navigates inheritance and interface implementations

MCP Tools (Modification)

Use MCP tools for symbol-based code modification:

• insert_before_symbol - Insert code before a symbol definition
• insert_after_symbol - Insert code after a symbol definition
• replace_symbol_body - Replace entire symbol body
• rename_symbol - Rename symbol across codebase

Note: These are MCP tool calls - invoke them through your MCP client.

Example Workflow

When modifying a function in a file:

1. LSP documentSymbol     → See file structure (functions, classes, etc.)
2. LSP goToDefinition     → Navigate to the function you want to modify
3. LSP findReferences     → Understand all usages before changing
4. MCP replace_symbol_body → Update the function implementation
5. LSP findReferences     → Verify changes didn't break callers

When to use symbol-based editing:

• Adding new functions, classes, methods
• Modifying existing function bodies
• Refactoring with confidence about impact
• Want to preserve file organization

When to use Edit tool instead:

• Files without LSP support (JSON, markdown, config files)
• Complex multi-line string replacements
• Precise line-by-line edits needed

Quality Workflow

Before Making Changes

1. Read and understand existing code patterns
2. Use LSP documentSymbol to understand file structure
3. Use LSP findReferences to understand symbol usage
4. Run the project's lint commands to verify current state
5. If the project requires compilation (Go, Rust, C++, Java, etc.), run the build command

After Making Changes

1. Run appropriate linting tools for the language
2. Run the project's test suite
3. Verify no new errors introduced
4. Follow project's code style conventions

Research Tools

Use documentation tools to understand libraries:

• resolve-library-id - Find library documentation IDs
• query-docs - Get documentation for a library

Language-Specific Standards

This skill provides generic workflow patterns. For language-specific commands and conventions, load the appropriate language skill (e.g., bun-runtime for JavaScript/TypeScript).