--- /dev/null
+# Generate Go types and signatures for the LSP protocol
+
+## Setup
+
+Make sure `node` and `tsc` are installed and in your PATH. There are detailed instructions below.
+Get the typescript code for the jsonrpc protocol with
+
+`git clone git@github.com:microsoft vscode-languageserver-node.git`
+
+`util.ts`` expects it to be in your HOME directory
+
+If you want to reproduce the existing files you need to be on a branch with the same git hash, for instance, `git checkout 7b90c29`
+
+## Usage
+
+Code is generated and normalized by
+
+`tsc code.ts && node code.js && gofmt -w ts*.go`
+
+(`code.ts` imports `util.ts`.) This generates 3 files in the current directory, `tsprotocol.go`
+containing type definitions, and `tsserver.go`, `tsclient.go` containing API stubs.
+
+## Notes
+
+1. `go.ts` and `requests.ts` use the Typescript compiler's API, which is [introduced](https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript/wiki/Architectural-Overview) in their wiki.
+2. Because the Typescript and Go type systems are incompatible, `code.ts` and `util.ts` are filled with heuristics and special cases. Therefore they are tied to a specific commit of `vscode-languageserver-node`. The hash code of the commit is included in the header of
+the generated files and stored in the variable `gitHash` in `go.ts`. It is checked (see `git()` in `util.ts`) on every execution.
+3. Generating the `ts*.go` files is only semi-automated. Please file an issue if the released version is too far behind.
+4. For the impatient, first change `gitHash` by hand (`git()` shows how to find the hash).
+ 1. Then try to run `code.ts`. This will likely fail because the heuristics don't cover some new case. For instance, some simple type like `string` might have changed to a union type `string | [number,number]`. Another example is that some generated formal parameter may have anonymous structure type, which is essentially unusable.
+ 2. Next step is to move the generated code to `internal/lsp/protocol` and try to build `gopls` and its tests. This will likely fail because types have changed. Generally the fixes are fairly easy. Then run all the tests.
+ 3. Since there are not adequate integration tests, the next step is to run `gopls`.
+
+## Detailed instructions for installing node and typescript
+
+(The instructions are somewhat different for Linux and MacOS. They install some things locally, so `$PATH` needs to be changed.)
+
+1. For Linux, it is possible to build node from scratch, but if there's a package manager, that's simpler.
+ 1. To use the Ubuntu package manager
+ 1. `sudo apt update` (if you can't `sudo` then these instructions are not helpful)
+ 2. `sudo apt install nodejs` (this may install `/usr/bin/nodejs` rather than `/usr/bin/node`. For me, `/usr/bin/nodejs` pointed to an actual executable `/etc/alternatives/nodejs`, which should be copied to `/usr/bin/node`)
+ 3. `sudo apt intall npm`
+ 1. To build from scratch
+ 1. Go to the [node site](https://nodejs.org), and download the one recommended for most users, and then you're on your own. (It's got binaries in it. Untar the file somewhere and put its `bin` directory in your path, perhaps?)
+2. The Mac is easier. Download the macOS installer from [nodejs](https://nodejs.org), click on it, and let it install.
+3. (There's a good chance that soon you will be asked to upgrade your new npm. `sudo npm install -g npm` is the command.)
+4. For either system, node and nvm should now be available. Running `node -v` and `npm -v` should produce version numbers.
+5. `npm install typescript`
+ 1. This will likely give warning messages that indicate you've failed to set up a project. Ignore them.
+ 2. Your home directory will now have new directories `.npm` and `node_modules` (and a `package_lock.json` file)
+ 3. The typescript executable `tsc` will be in `node_modules/.bin`, so put that directory in your path.
+ 4. `tsc -v` should print "Version 3.7.2" (or later). If not you may (as I did) have an obsolete tsc earlier in your path.
+6. `npm install @types/node` (Without this there will be many incomprehensible typescript error messages.)
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