Protobuf Pro

Comprehensive Protocol Buffers support for Visual Studio Code
Navigation · IntelliSense · Diagnostics · Formatting · Linting · Interactive Schema Graphs & more

Comprehensive Protocol Buffers language support for Visual Studio Code
Get syntax highlighting, advanced IntelliSense, robust diagnostics, fast formatting, smart compilation, breaking change detection, and interactive schema visualization, all seamlessly integrated in your editor.

Note:
Protobuf Pro is the direct successor of vscode-proto3. The codebase is entirely new with even more features and improvements. If you encounter any issues migrating from vscode-proto3, please open an issue.
Thanks to the contributors of vscode-proto3 for their foundational work!

Author: Fernand Benachile (Dr.Benachile)

🚀 Quick Start

Install Protobuf Pro from the VS Code Marketplace.
Open any .proto or .textproto file – syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, diagnostics, and formatting work right away!
Open the Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P) and try actions like Protobuf: Compile This Proto or Protobuf: Show Schema Graph.
Install protoc for advanced code generation, and optionally more tools for lint and formatting.
(Optional) Configure custom build output paths as needed:

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "protobuf.protoc.path": "protoc",
  "protobuf.protoc.options": ["--proto_path=${workspaceFolder}", "--go_out=${workspaceFolder}/gen/go"]
}

💻 Install

Marketplace: ext install Dr.Benachile.protobuf-pro (or search inside VS Code).
From Source: git clone, npm install, then npm run compile, and press F5 in VS Code.

✨ Features

Navigation & IntelliSense: Go to definition, find references, workspace symbol search, auto-import, and fuzzy matching.
Diagnostics: 30+ built-in checks – syntax, import resolution, duplicate fields, naming conflicts, reserved ranges, cycle detection, and much more.
Code Lens: Shows inline reference counts and symbol data.
Document Links: Instantly open or navigate to import paths.
Hover Information: In-depth descriptions, references, and usage details.
Code Actions: Fast fixes: organize imports, convert proto2 ↔ proto3, auto-renumber fields.
Completion: Intelligent suggestions for fields, types, enum values, and imports.
Validation & CEL / Protovalidate: Get completions and assistance for validator expressions.
Formatting: Powerful built-in formatter, or use clang-format / buf format. Smart alignment of fields and keys.
Compilation: One-click protoc execution for single file or all protos, with full argument customization.
Linting: Integrate with Buf/Protolint – run linter on save or on demand.
Breaking Change Detection: Quickly identify breaking schema changes via git or reference baseline.
Schema Graphs: Visual, interactive message/enum relationship diagrams.

Example: Schema Graph Feature
Buf.yaml Support: Reads your workspace configuration.
Templates: Common Proto statement templates at your fingertips.
Refactoring: Rename, renumber, auto-fix recommendations.
Toolchain Management: Easy install and upgrade of proto tools from within VS Code.
Dependency Suggestions: Hints for missing BSR modules and more.
Auto-Detection: Proactively detects installed tools and project setup.

Full feature details in the documentation.

📝 Common Tasks

Format current file: Protobuf: Format Document
Compile file: Protobuf: Compile This Proto
Compile all protos: Protobuf: Compile All Protos
Check breaking changes: Protobuf: Check for Breaking Changes
Lint code: Protobuf: Run External Linter (Buf/Protolint)
Visualize relationships: Protobuf: Show Schema Graph
Renumber tags: Protobuf: Renumber Fields/Enums

🏁 Commands

Command	Description
`Protobuf: Compile This Proto`	Run `protoc` on the active proto file
`Protobuf: Compile All Protos`	Compile all workspace protos
`Protobuf: Check for Breaking Changes`	Compare schema to baseline (git/file)
`Protobuf: Show Schema Graph`	Draw message/enum relationship graph
`Protobuf: Renumber Fields/Enums`	Auto-renumber tags/fields and enums
`Protobuf: Format Document`	Pretty format using built-in, clang-format, or buf
`Protobuf: Run External Linter`	Perform linting using Buf/Protolint
`Protobuf: Go to Definition / Find References`	IntelliSense-powered navigation

⚙️ Settings Cheat Sheet

All options are searchable under "protobuf" in the VS Code settings.

Setting	Description	Default
`protobuf.formatter.enabled`	Enable built-in formatter + semicolon fixer	`true`
`protobuf.formatter.insertEmptyLineBetweenDefinitions`	Ensure single blank line between top-level definitions	`true`
`protobuf.formatter.maxEmptyLines`	Maximum consecutive blank lines allowed	`1`
`protobuf.formatOnSave`	Auto-format proto files on save	`false`
`protobuf.protoc.path`	Path to the `protoc` binary	`"protoc"`
`protobuf.protoc.options`	Extra command line arguments to `protoc` (as array)	`[]`
`protobuf.protoc.compileOnSave`	Compile proto files on save	`false`
`protobuf.breaking.enabled`	Check for breaking schema changes	`false`
`protobuf.breaking.againstGitRef`	The git ref to compare against	`"HEAD~1"`
`protobuf.externalLinter.linter`	Linter to use: `buf` or `protolint`	`"none"`
`protobuf.clangFormat.enabled`	Use `clang-format` for formatting instead of built-in	`false`
`protobuf.clangFormat.style`	Style for clang-format (e.g. `"file"`)	`"file"`

Example:

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  // Formatting options
  "protobuf.formatOnSave": true,
  "protobuf.formatter.alignFields": true,

  // Import include paths
  "protobuf.includes": [
    "${workspaceFolder}/protos"
  ],

  // Protoc configuration
  "protobuf.protoc.path": "protoc",
  "protobuf.protoc.options": [
    "--proto_path=${workspaceFolder}",
    "--go_out=${workspaceFolder}/gen/go",
    "--go_opt=paths=source_relative"
  ],

  // Lint configuration
  "protobuf.externalLinter.enabled": true,
  "protobuf.externalLinter.linter": "buf",
  "protobuf.externalLinter.runOnSave": true,

  // IntelliSense/hover
  "protobuf.completion.autoImport": true,
  "protobuf.hover.showDocumentation": true
}

📖 Documentation

Find more documentation in the docs/ folder and on the GitHub repository.

🛠️ Optional Tools

protoc: brew install protobuf
buf: brew install bufbuild/buf/buf or npm install -g @bufbuild/buf
protolint: brew install protolint or go install github.com/yoheimuta/protolint/cmd/protolint@latest
clang-format: brew install clang-format or use LLVM tooling

👩‍💻 Development

Requirements: Node.js 18+, npm 9+, VS Code 1.85+

Setup: npm install
Build: npm run compile
Test: npm run test
Debug/develop: Open in VS Code and press F5 to launch Extension Development Host

Check protos in examples/, and common types in resources/google-protos/.

🤝 Support

Report Bugs & Feature Requests: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Marketplace: VS Code Marketplace

If you enjoy the extension, star the repo or leave a rating!

🐞 Troubleshooting

protoc: command not found: Install protoc and adjust your PATH or set protobuf.protoc.path.
Linter issues? Install buf/protolint and restart VS Code.
Import errors? Check your --proto_path and protobuf.protoc.options.
Formatting not as expected? Try enabling protobuf.clangFormat.enabled for external configs.

🎉 Contributing

Pull requests and contributions are always very welcome!
Please run npm run compile and npm run test before submitting PRs.

Protobuf Pro

Benachile-studio

Protobuf Pro

🗂️ Table of Contents

🚀 Quick Start

💻 Install

✨ Features

📝 Common Tasks

🏁 Commands

⚙️ Settings Cheat Sheet

📖 Documentation

🛠️ Optional Tools

👩‍💻 Development

🤝 Support

🐞 Troubleshooting

🎉 Contributing

📄 License