Binder for VS Code

Binder is a local-first knowledge base with bidirectional Markdown sync — edit in any editor, query via CLI and MCP, share with AI agents.

Language support for Binder workspaces in VS Code.

Features

Autocomplete - links, field names, and valid values completed as you type.

Validation - inline diagnostics with hover docs showing valid options and field descriptions.

• Autocomplete - link references, field names, and valid option values as you type
• Hover docs - field descriptions and allowed values on hover
• Go to definition - jump to any referenced entity
• Inlay hints - see referenced entity titles inline without leaving the file
• Code actions - quick fixes for invalid field values
• Diagnostics - real-time validation against your schema
• Sync on save - Markdown and YAML files stay in sync with the knowledge graph automatically

Requirements

• Binder CLI must be installed and accessible in your PATH
• Your project must be a Binder workspace (contains a .binder directory)

To install the CLI and initialize a workspace:

npm install -g @binder.do/cli
binder init

Extension Settings

• binder.command: Command to run the Binder CLI (default: "binder")
• binder.logLevel: Log level for the Binder language server — "info" or "debug" (default: "info")
• binder.workspaces: Explicit list of subdirectory paths containing binder workspaces. Bypasses automatic scanning when set (default: [])
• binderLsp.trace.server: Traces the communication between VS Code and the language server — "off", "messages", or "verbose" (default: "off")

Usage

1. Open a folder that contains a .binder directory (or has subdirectories with .binder)
2. The extension activates automatically
3. Edit any .md or .yaml file — completions, diagnostics, and hints are live immediately
4. Save the file to sync changes to the knowledge graph

Multi-Root Workspaces

The extension automatically discovers binder workspaces in the root and immediate subdirectories of each VS Code workspace folder. This means you can open a parent folder containing multiple binder projects and all of them will be active simultaneously.

To limit which subdirectories are scanned, set binder.workspaces to an explicit list of relative paths:

{
  "binder.workspaces": ["project-a", "project-b"]
}

Troubleshooting

Check if the LSP server is running

1. Open the Output panel (View → Output or Cmd+Shift+U)
2. Select "Binder LSP" from the dropdown
3. You should see server logs indicating the connection status

Configure a custom CLI path

If Binder CLI is not in your PATH:

1. Open Settings (Cmd+,)
2. Search for "binder.command"
3. Set the command or absolute path to your binder executable

Extension not activating

The extension activates when a .binder directory is present in the workspace root or in an immediate subdirectory.

More Information

Visit binder.do or the GitHub repository.

Other Editors

WebStorm / IntelliJ

Install the LSP4IJ plugin, then add a new language server under Settings → Languages & Frameworks → Language Servers:

• Command: binder lsp
• File patterns: *.md, *.yaml

Neovim

require('lspconfig').configs.binder = {
  default_config = {
    cmd = { 'binder', 'lsp' },
    filetypes = { 'markdown', 'yaml' },
    root_dir = require('lspconfig.util').root_pattern('.binder'),
  },
}
require('lspconfig').binder.setup({})