Kausthubh J Rao
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CUDA-LSP - High-Performance Language Server

2025

GoLSPLanguage Server ProtocolCUDACompilerIncremental Parsing
CUDA-LSP - High-Performance Language Server
A blazing-fast Language Server Protocol (LSP) implementation in Go for CUDA development, featuring incremental diffing, intelligent hover documentation, and context-aware autocompletion built from scratch.
Engineered a Language Server Protocol implementation from the ground up to provide features for CUDA programming. Built with performance as the core principle, the server implements efficient incremental document synchronization using diff-based text updates, eliminating the need for full document re-parsing on every change. The system features a custom lexer that tokenizes CUDA-specific constructs (threadIdx, blockIdx, blockDim, gridDim, __global__, __device__), intelligent hover information retrieval, and context-aware autocompletion. The architecture leverages Go's concurrency model and efficient string manipulation to achieve sub-millisecond response times for language features, making it significantly faster than traditional full-parse approaches.

Key Features

  • Incremental diffing algorithm for efficient document updates
  • Real-time hover documentation for CUDA tokens and keywords
  • Context-aware autocompletion with token-based suggestions
  • Custom CUDA lexer with support for GPU-specific constructs
  • Zero-overhead document state management
  • Full LSP protocol compliance with JSON-RPC 2.0
  • Efficient two-pointer token extraction algorithm
  • Optimized document synchronization without full re-parsing

Technology Stack

Backend

GoLanguage Server ProtocolJSON-RPC 2.0

Tools

GitMakeCustom LexerIncremental Parsing

Challenges

  • Implementing efficient incremental diffing without full document re-parsing
  • Designing a token extraction algorithm that handles edge cases (whitespace, special characters)
  • Building a robust document state management system that handles concurrent edits
  • Optimizing lexer performance for large CUDA codebases
  • Ensuring LSP protocol compliance with proper JSON-RPC message handling
  • Handling multi-line edits and complex text transformations

Key Learnings

  • Deep understanding of Language Server Protocol internals and JSON-RPC 2.0
  • Advanced text processing algorithms and incremental parsing techniques
  • Performance optimization in Go for language tooling
  • Compiler theory and lexer implementation from scratch
  • State management patterns for language servers
  • Efficient data structures for document synchronization
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