Configuring LSP and Symbol Renaming in Neovim

Refactoring code across multiple files or large codebases can quickly become error-prone when done via manual find-and-replace. Modern Language Server Protocol (LSP) integrations solve this by providing AST-aware symbol renaming across your entire workspace.

In this post, I will walk through my newly updated nvim-lspconfig configuration using lazy.nvim, mason.nvim, and native LSP keymaps like <Leader>rn for symbol renaming.

You can view my complete, live Neovim configuration on GitHub:

👉 VincentTam/nvim-config: lua/plugins/lspconfig.lua

Core Plugin Architecture

My LSP stack uses a clean, lightweight combination of three plugins:

• neovim/nvim-lspconfig: Provides default configurations for official language servers.
• williamboman/mason.nvim: Manages external LSP servers, linters, and formatters directly within Neovim.
• williamboman/mason-lspconfig.nvim: Bridges mason.nvim and nvim-lspconfig to ensure smooth server installation and loading.

Configuring <Leader>rn for Symbol Renaming

Rather than globally setting LSP keybindings that apply even in buffers without an active language server, I map them dynamically inside an LspAttach autocommand. This ensures keymaps are bound only when an LSP client successfully attaches to the current buffer.

-- Keymaps to set when an LSP server attaches to a buffer
vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("LspAttach", {
  group = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup("UserLspConfig", {}),
  callback = function(ev)
    local opts = { buffer = ev.buf, desc = "LSP: Rename Symbol" }
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<Leader>rn", vim.lsp.buf.rename, opts)
  end,
})

How to Use It:

1. Place your cursor on any variable, function, parameter, or type name.
2. Press <Leader>rn.
3. Type the new symbol name in the prompt and press Enter.
4. The LSP will update all references across your project workspace automatically.

Active Language Servers

I keep my mason-lspconfig configuration explicitly defined with servers tailored to my frequent development stacks: