RA's workspace detection doesn't support "orphaned" workspace members

[winterqt]

rust-analyzer version: 2026-01-19

rustc version: 1.93.0

editor or extension: Helix

relevant settings: n/a

repository link (if public, optional): https://github.com/winterqt/rust-analyzer-workspace-issue-repro (this uses an older version of r-a and rustc -- nothing changes)

When using r-a with Helix (and probably other clients like Neovim, but not VS Code IIRC), and opening src/main.rs in bar (cwd = bar as well), r-a loads the workspace instead of bar.

[ChayimFriedman2]

True, this is by design. You need to open the bar directory in the editor or use rust-analyzer.linkedProjects if you don't want this to happen.

[winterqt]

Thanks @ChayimFriedman2! I am doing that, though:

...and opening src/main.rs in bar (cwd = bar as well), r-a loads the workspace instead of bar.

which leads me to believe that this might be a bug in my LSP client? Let me take a look at the LSP messages (it's been a while since I narrowed down this bug) and see what's going on.

[ChayimFriedman2]

I cannot reproduce this in VSCode, as you said, so this probably is a client issue.

[winterqt]

Thanks, looked at the LSP messages and was able to figure it out: my client was sending the wrong rootUri.