Editor support

A range of editor integrations support Ferron configuration files (.conf / .ferron). These integrations cover syntax highlighting, formatting, completions, and diagnostics. They are useful for GitOps operators and anyone editing Ferron configuration by hand.

Feature overview⁠#

Syntax highlighting⁠#

Two independent grammars give syntax highlighting. Use the one compatible with your editor.

TextMate grammar⁠#

The ferronweb/ferronconf repository hosts the TextMate grammar and distributes it as ferron.tmLanguage.json.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ferronweb/ferronconf/refs/heads/main/ferron.tmLanguage.json

This grammar works with any editor that accepts TextMate grammars, including:

• Visual Studio Code and forks (via the VS Code extension below, or manual grammar installation)
• Sublime Text
• Atom
• BBEdit

tree-sitter grammar⁠#

The ferronweb/tree-sitter-ferron repository hosts the tree-sitter grammar and publishes it as tree-sitter-ferron on npm and crates.io.

This grammar works with editors that use tree-sitter, including:

• Neovim (via nvim-treesitter)
• Zed (via the Zed extension below, or manual grammar installation)
• Helix
• Emacs (via tree-sitter)

Language server (LSP)⁠#

The Ferron language server offers:

• Formatting: formats .conf files with the same rules as ferron-fmt
• Directive completions: suggests valid directives based on the loaded module set and current block context
• Diagnostics: reports parse errors, unknown directives, and invalid configurations, based on the same validation logic as ferron validate

Installation⁠#

npm and crates.io carry the ferron-language-server package.

npm install -g ferron-language-server

Prebuilt binaries are also available from GitHub releases and from dl.ferron.sh.

Configuration⁠#

The language server accepts the following options:

VS Code⁠#

Ferron.ferron publishes the official VS Code extension as Ferron:

• Visual Studio Marketplace
• Open VSX Registry

The extension bundles the TextMate grammar and the language server, so you do not need a separate installation.

Manual setup⁠#

If you prefer not to use the extension, you can install the TextMate grammar manually:

1. Download the grammar file:

   curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ferronweb/ferronconf/refs/heads/main/ferron.tmLanguage.json \
     -o ~/.vscode/extensions/ferron.tmLanguage.json

2. Install the language server separately (see Installation above) and configure it in the LSP settings of your editor.

Zed⁠#

The ferronweb/ferron-zed repository hosts the official Zed extension. The Zed extension registry does not yet carry it (the submission is under review), but you can install it manually:

1. Clone the extension:

   git clone https://github.com/ferronweb/ferron-zed.git
   cd ferron-zed

2. Install it as a development extension (“Install Dev Extension” button in Extensions)

3. Restart Zed.

The extension bundles the tree-sitter grammar and configures the language server automatically.

Other editors⁠#

Any editor that supports TextMate grammars or tree-sitter can use Ferron syntax highlighting. Editors that support the Language Server Protocol can use the Ferron language server for completions and diagnostics.

For editors without a dedicated extension, configure them to:

1. Associate .conf or .ferron files with the Ferron language
2. Install the TextMate or tree-sitter grammar
3. Point the LSP client to the ferron-language-server binary

See also⁠#

• Syntax and file structure
• Configuration formatting (ferron-fmt for formatting .conf files)
• Configuration validation
• Configuration doctor