Semantic Tokens

Semantic tokens provide richer syntax highlighting by using information from language servers. Unlike tree-sitter highlighting, which is based purely on syntax, semantic tokens understand the meaning of your code—distinguishing between local variables and parameters, or between a class definition and a class reference.

Enabling Semantic Tokens

Semantic tokens are controlled by the semantic_tokens setting. By default, semantic tokens are disabled.

{
  "semantic_tokens": "combined"
}

This setting accepts three values:

You can configure this globally or per-language:

{
  "semantic_tokens": "off",
  "languages": {
    "Rust": {
      "semantic_tokens": "combined"
    },
    "TypeScript": {
      "semantic_tokens": "full"
    }
  }
}

Note: Changing the semantic_tokens mode may require a language server restart to take effect. Use the lsp: restart language servers command from the command palette if highlighting doesn't update immediately.

Customizing Token Colors

Semantic tokens are styled using rules that map LSP token types and modifiers to theme styles or custom colors. Zed provides sensible defaults, but you can customize these in your settings.json: add rules under global_lsp_settings.semantic_token_rules key.

Rules are matched in order, and the first matching rule wins. User-defined rules take precedence over defaults.

Rule Structure

Each rule can specify:

Example: Highlighting Unresolved References

To make unresolved references stand out:

{
  "global_lsp_settings": {
    "semantic_token_rules": [
      {
        "token_type": "unresolvedReference",
        "foreground_color": "#c93f3f",
        "font_weight": "bold"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Example: Highlighting Unsafe Code

To highlight unsafe operations in Rust:

{
  "global_lsp_settings": {
    "semantic_token_rules": [
      {
        "token_type": "punctuation",
        "token_modifiers": ["unsafe"],
        "foreground_color": "#AA1111",
        "font_weight": "bold"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Example: Using Theme Styles

Instead of hardcoding colors, reference styles from your theme:

{
  "global_lsp_settings": {
    "semantic_token_rules": [
      {
        "token_type": "variable",
        "token_modifiers": ["mutable"],
        "style": ["variable.mutable", "variable"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

The first style found in the current theme is used, providing fallback options.

Example: Disabling a Token Type

To disable highlighting for a specific token type, add an empty rule that matches it:

{
  "global_lsp_settings": {
    "semantic_token_rules": [
      {
        "token_type": "comment"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Since user rules are prepended to defaults and the first match wins, this empty rule prevents any styling from being applied to comment tokens.

Default Rules

Zed's default semantic token rules map standard LSP token types to common theme styles. For example:

• function → function style
• variable with constant modifier → constant style
• class → type.class, class, or type style (first found)
• comment with documentation modifier → comment.documentation or comment.doc style

The full default configuration can be shown in Zed with the zed: show default semantic token rules command.

Standard Token Types

Language servers report tokens using standardized types. Common types include:

Common modifiers include: declaration, definition, readonly, static, deprecated, async, documentation, defaultLibrary, and language-specific modifiers like unsafe (Rust) or abstract (TypeScript).

For the complete specification, see the LSP Semantic Tokens documentation.

Inspecting Semantic Tokens

To see semantic tokens applied to your code in real-time, use the dev: open highlights tree view command from the command palette. This opens a panel showing all highlights (including semantic tokens) for the current buffer, making it easier to understand which tokens are being applied and debug your custom rules.

Troubleshooting

Semantic highlighting not appearing

1. Ensure semantic_tokens is set to "combined" or "full" for the language
2. Verify the language server supports semantic tokens (not all do)
3. Try restarting the language server with lsp: restart language servers
4. Check the LSP logs (workspace: open lsp log) for errors

Colors not updating after changing settings

Changes to semantic_tokens mode may require a language server restart. Use lsp: restart language servers from the command palette.

Theme styles not being applied

Ensure the style names in your rules match styles defined in your theme. The style array provides fallback options—if the first style isn't found, Zed tries the next one.