Troubleshooting Zed Picks Up Go Workspaces In Non-Workspace Root Folders

Jul 24, 2025 by ADMIN 73 views

Zed Picks Up Go Workspaces in Non-Workspace Root Folders Troubleshooting Guide

Hey guys, let's dive into a common issue some of you might be facing with Zed and Go workspaces. It's a bit of a tricky one, but don't worry, we'll get through it together! We're going to break down the problem, show you how to reproduce it, talk about what should be happening, and then look at what's actually happening. So, buckle up, and let's get started!

Understanding the Issue: Go Workspaces and Zed

When you're working on Go projects, especially larger ones, you often use go workspaces to manage multiple modules. A go.work file essentially tells Go, "Hey, these are the modules I'm working on together." Now, Zed, being the awesome editor it is, tries to be smart about this and integrate well with Go's tooling. But sometimes, things don't quite go as planned.

The core issue we're tackling today is that Zed might be picking up go.work files in unexpected places, causing some confusion and those annoying LSP (Language Server Protocol) warnings. LSP warnings are like those little hints and errors your editor throws at you to help you write better code. But when they're wrong, they're just… well, annoying!

So, in a nutshell, the problem is this: a go.work file in one part of your project might be affecting other, unrelated parts, leading to incorrect warnings and potentially messing with your development workflow. Let's dig deeper and see how this happens.

The Problem Unveiled: Zed's Go Workspace Glitch

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty of this Zed and Go workspace issue. Imagine you've got a project with a structure that looks something like this:

/project-root
  /folder-1
    /folder-1-1
      go.mod
    /folder-1-2
      go.mod
    go.work
  /folder-2
    /folder-2-1
      go.mod

Think of it as a house with different rooms (folder-1, folder-2), and each room might have its own smaller spaces (folder-1-1, folder-1-2, folder-2-1). The go.mod files are like the blueprints for each of these smaller spaces, defining what they need to work. The go.work file, in this analogy, is like a master plan for one part of the house (folder-1), saying, "Hey, these rooms (folder-1-1, folder-1-2) belong together."

Now, here's where the problem pops up. You've got a go.work file sitting inside folder-1. Ideally, this go.work file should only affect things within folder-1 and its subfolders. But, what's happening is that Zed is picking up this go.work file and letting it influence folder-2 as well. It's like the master plan for one part of the house is suddenly dictating what's happening in another, completely separate part!

This leads to some funky LSP warnings. Specifically, you might see something like this on Go files within folder-2-1:

This file is within module "../folder-2/folder-2-1", which is not included in your workspace

Zed is essentially saying, "Hey, this file belongs to a module that's not in the workspace defined by the go.work file I found." But that's not right! folder-2 should be its own independent entity, not tied to the go.work file in folder-1.

To really nail this down, let's walk through the steps to reproduce this issue.

Reproducing the Issue: Step-by-Step Guide

Okay, let's get our hands dirty and reproduce this issue ourselves. This way, you can see exactly what's going on and confirm if you're experiencing the same problem. Follow these steps, and you'll be able to recreate the scenario:

Set up the file tree: First things first, you need to create the file structure we talked about earlier. Go ahead and create a directory (let's call it project-root), and inside it, create folder-1 and folder-2. Inside folder-1, create folder-1-1 and folder-1-2. And finally, inside folder-2, create folder-2-1. Your file tree should now look like this:
```
/project-root
  /folder-1
    /folder-1-1
    /folder-1-2
  /folder-2
    /folder-2-1
```
Initialize Go modules: Now, we need to turn these folders into Go modules. Open your terminal and navigate into each of the folder-1-1, folder-1-2, and folder-2-1 directories. In each of these directories, run the command go mod init <module-name>. You can use any module name you like, but something descriptive like example.com/folder-1/folder-1-1 would be a good choice. This will create a go.mod file in each of these directories.
Create the go.work file: Next, navigate into folder-1 and create a go.work file. Inside this file, you'll need to tell Go which modules belong to this workspace. Your go.work file should look something like this:
```
go 1.21

use (
	./folder-1-1
	./folder-1-2
)
```
This tells Go that the workspace includes the modules in folder-1-1 and folder-1-2.
Create Go files: To trigger the LSP warnings, we need some Go files. Create a simple Go file (e.g., main.go) in each of the folder-1-1, folder-1-2, and folder-2-1 directories. Just a basic package declaration and an empty main function will do:
```
package main

func main() {

}
```
Open the project in Zed: Now, open the project-root directory in Zed.
Observe the errors: Finally, open the main.go file in folder-2-1. You should see the LSP warning we talked about earlier: This file is within module "../folder-2/folder-2-1", which is not included in your workspace. This confirms that Zed is incorrectly applying the go.work file from folder-1 to folder-2.

If you've followed these steps, you should now be seeing the issue firsthand. This is a crucial step in troubleshooting because it ensures we're all on the same page and dealing with the same problem. Now that we can reproduce the issue, let's talk about what the expected behavior should be.

Expected Behavior: Workspace Boundaries

So, what should be happening here? What's the ideal scenario when it comes to Go workspaces and Zed? Let's break it down.

The key concept here is workspace boundaries. A go.work file is meant to define a workspace, which is a collection of Go modules that are being developed together. Think of it as a logical grouping of code. The expectation is that the effects of a go.work file should be contained within its workspace. It shouldn't spill over and affect other parts of your project that are not explicitly included in the workspace.

In our example, the go.work file is located in folder-1. It specifies that folder-1-1 and folder-1-2 are part of the workspace. Therefore, Zed (and Go's tooling in general) should only apply the workspace settings to these two directories. folder-2, and especially folder-2-1, should be treated as completely separate entities.

This means that when you open a Go file in folder-2-1, Zed should recognize it as belonging to its own module (defined by the go.mod file in folder-2-1) and not try to shoehorn it into the workspace defined in folder-1. The LSP should be happy, and you shouldn't see any misleading warnings.

To put it simply, the expected behavior is that the go.work file and its effects should only be applied to its children—the modules that are explicitly included in the workspace. It should not be contagious and affect LSP behavior in unrelated parts of the project.

Now that we're clear on what should be happening, let's contrast that with the actual behavior we're observing.

Actual Behavior: The Contagious Workspace

Alright, so we know what should be happening – the go.work file should stay within its boundaries, minding its own business. But, as we've seen, that's not quite what's going on. Let's talk about the actual behavior we're observing and why it's causing headaches.

The core issue is that the go.work file in /folder-1 is acting like it's contagious. Instead of staying confined to /folder-1 and its subdirectories, it's reaching out and affecting LSP behavior in /folder-2. It's like a virus spreading through your project, causing confusion and those pesky LSP warnings.

Specifically, when you open a Go file in /folder-2/folder-2-1, Zed incorrectly interprets it as not being part of any workspace. This is because Zed is picking up the go.work file from /folder-1 and using it as the sole definition of the workspace. Since /folder-2/folder-2-1 is not included in that go.work file, Zed throws the warning: This file is within module "../folder-2/folder-2-1", which is not included in your workspace.

This is a problem because /folder-2/folder-2-1 is part of a module – the one defined by its own go.mod file. It just shouldn't be considered part of the workspace defined in /folder-1. This incorrect behavior can lead to several issues:

Misleading warnings: The most immediate issue is the LSP warnings themselves. They're distracting and can make it harder to spot real problems in your code.
Incorrect code analysis: Zed's code analysis might be affected, leading to incorrect suggestions or refactoring behavior.
Build issues: In some cases, this incorrect workspace interpretation could even lead to build problems, although this is less likely.

In essence, the actual behavior is that Zed is not respecting workspace boundaries. It's treating the go.work file as a global setting that applies to the entire project, rather than a local setting that applies only to its intended scope. This is a deviation from the expected behavior and can significantly impact the development experience.

Now that we've clearly identified the problem and how it manifests, let's take a quick look at the environment in which this issue was observed.

Zed Version and System Specs

To give you the full picture, it's important to know the specific environment in which this issue was observed. This information can be helpful for developers at Zed to understand the context and potentially reproduce the issue on their end.

The issue was reported on the following setup:

Zed Version: v0.196.5 (Zed)
Operating System: macOS 15.5.0
Memory: 48 GiB
Architecture: aarch64

This tells us that the user was running a relatively recent version of Zed on a macOS system with plenty of memory. The architecture being aarch64 indicates that it's likely an Apple Silicon Mac. This information can be valuable because certain issues might be specific to certain operating systems or architectures.

By providing this information, we're giving the Zed team a clearer picture of the environment in which the issue is occurring, which can aid in the debugging and resolution process.

Troubleshooting and Potential Solutions

Okay, guys, we've dissected the problem, reproduced it, and understood the expected and actual behaviors. Now, let's put on our troubleshooting hats and explore some potential solutions or workarounds for this Zed and Go workspace issue.

1. Check Your `go.work` File:

The first thing to do is to double-check your go.work file. Make sure that it only includes the modules that should be part of the workspace. Accidental entries or typos can sometimes cause unexpected behavior. Verify that the use directives in your go.work file accurately reflect the intended scope of the workspace.

2. Restart Zed or LSP:

Sometimes, a simple restart can do the trick. Try restarting Zed or the Go language server (LSP) within Zed. This can help clear any cached information and force Zed to re-evaluate the workspace configuration. You can usually restart the LSP by using a command in Zed's command palette (e.g., "Restart Language Server").

3. Review Zed's Workspace Settings:

Zed might have its own workspace settings that could be influencing the behavior. Check Zed's settings (you can usually find them in the preferences or settings menu) and look for anything related to Go workspaces or LSP. There might be an option to explicitly specify the workspace root or to control how Zed discovers workspaces.

4. Consider Project Structure:

If the issue persists, you might want to re-evaluate your project structure. While it shouldn't be necessary, sometimes restructuring your project to avoid nested workspaces or overlapping module definitions can help. This might involve moving the go.work file to a higher level in the directory structure or separating unrelated modules into different projects.

5. Report the Issue (You're Already Doing Great!):

Since this seems to be a bug in Zed's handling of Go workspaces, reporting the issue (which you've effectively done by describing it in detail) is crucial. The Zed team can then investigate the problem and implement a proper fix. Make sure to include all the details you've gathered, including the reproduction steps, expected behavior, actual behavior, and your system specs.

6. Temporary Workaround (If Necessary):

If you need a temporary workaround to avoid the LSP warnings, you could try temporarily removing or renaming the go.work file in /folder-1. This will prevent Zed from picking it up and should resolve the warnings in /folder-2. However, this is not a long-term solution, as it disables the workspace functionality for /folder-1.

Remember, guys, troubleshooting is often a process of elimination. Try these steps one by one, and hopefully, you'll find a solution that works for you. And, of course, keep an eye out for updates from the Zed team, as they're likely working on a fix for this issue.

Conclusion: Working Towards a Solution

Alright, we've reached the end of our troubleshooting journey for this Zed and Go workspace issue. We've covered a lot of ground, from understanding the problem to exploring potential solutions.

To recap, we identified an issue where Zed incorrectly picks up go.work files in non-workspace root folders, leading to misleading LSP warnings. We walked through the steps to reproduce the issue, clarified the expected behavior (workspace boundaries should be respected), and described the actual behavior (the go.work file is acting contagiously).

We also explored several troubleshooting steps, including checking the go.work file, restarting Zed or the LSP, reviewing Zed's workspace settings, considering project structure, and, of course, reporting the issue (which you've done!).

The good news is that by understanding the problem and reporting it with sufficient detail, we're contributing to making Zed an even better editor for Go development. The Zed team is incredibly responsive and dedicated to improving the user experience, so your feedback is invaluable.

In the meantime, hopefully, the troubleshooting steps and potential workarounds we discussed can help you mitigate the issue and continue working on your Go projects smoothly. Keep an eye out for updates from Zed, and stay tuned for a proper fix.

Thanks for joining me on this troubleshooting adventure, guys! Happy coding!