⚠️ BETA WARNING

SQLite IntelliView is currently in BETA on the VS Code Marketplace. Features and stability are evolving. Please report issues and feedback via GitHub.

SQLite IntelliView

Modern SQLite/SQLCipher database viewer and editor for VS Code: Monaco-powered queries, ER diagrams, cell editing, encryption, and more.

Features

Custom Editor for SQLite Files: Open .db, .sqlite, and .sqlite3 files in a rich, Monaco-powered editor.
Database Explorer: Tree view of tables and columns, with icons and tooltips.
Monaco Query Editor: Syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and SQL snippets.
Cell Editing: Edit table data directly with real-time updates.
Context Menus: Right-click for copy, navigation, and export actions.
Foreign Key Navigation: Visual indicators and direct navigation for relationships.
Advanced Pagination: Configurable page size for large tables.
SQLCipher Support: Open encrypted databases with a password.
WAL Mode Support: Automatic detection and checkpoint of Write-Ahead Logging files for up-to-date data.
Real-time WAL Monitoring: Automatically refreshes when WAL files change.
Theme Integration: UI matches your VS Code theme.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Fast access to all major features.

Installation

Install from the VS Code Marketplace:

code --install-extension bowlerr.sqlite-intelliview-vscode

Or search for "SQLite IntelliView" in the Extensions sidebar.

Usage

Opening a Database

Right-click any .db, .sqlite, or .sqlite3 file in the Explorer and select "Open SQLite Database".
Or run the command:
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+O or search for Open SQLite Database in the Command Palette.

Connecting to Encrypted Databases

Run "Connect with SQLCipher Key" from the Command Palette or use Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+K.

Database Explorer

View all tables and columns in the Database Explorer side panel.
Click tables to view data and schema.

Query Editor

Write and execute SQL queries in the Monaco-powered editor.
Use Ctrl/Enter (or Cmd/Enter on Mac) to run queries.

Export Data

Run "Export Data" from the Command Palette or use Ctrl/Shift+E.

Context Menus

Right-click table cells for copy and navigation options.

Commands

Command ID	Title	Description
sqlite-intelliview-vscode.openDatabase	Open SQLite Database	Open a SQLite/SQLCipher database file
sqlite-intelliview-vscode.connectWithKey	Connect with SQLCipher Key	Open encrypted database with a password
sqlite-intelliview-vscode.refreshDatabase	Refresh Database	Refresh the database explorer/tree view
sqlite-intelliview-vscode.exportData	Export Data	Export table data (CSV/JSON, coming soon)
sqlite-intelliview-vscode.checkpointWal	Checkpoint WAL and Refresh	Force checkpoint WAL files and refresh

Configuration

Setting	Type	Default	Description
sqliteIntelliView.defaultPageSize	number	100	Default number of rows per page in data tables (10–1000)
sqliteIntelliView.enableEncryption	boolean	true	Enable SQLCipher encryption support
sqliteIntelliView.themeIntegration	boolean	true	Enable automatic theme integration for the editor UI

Keybindings

Command	Windows/Linux	macOS	When
Open SQLite Database	Ctrl+Shift+O	Cmd+Shift+O	explorerViewletVisible
Connect with SQLCipher Key	Ctrl+Shift+K	Cmd+Shift+K
Refresh Database	Ctrl+Shift+R	Cmd+Shift+R
Export Data	Ctrl+Shift+E	Cmd+Shift+E

Example: Command Palette Usage

Open SQLite Database:
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+O or search for Open SQLite Database.
Connect with SQLCipher Key:
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+K or search for Connect with SQLCipher Key.
Refresh Database:
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R or search for Refresh Database.
Export Data:
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+E or search for Export Data.

Development

Prerequisites

Node.js 20.x or higher
VS Code 1.101.0 or higher

Build & Run

git clone https://github.com/Bowlerr/sqlite-intelliview-vscode.git
cd sqlite-intelliview-vscode
npm install
npm run vendor   # Vendor external libraries (Monaco Editor, etc.)
npm run compile
# For development mode:
npm run watch

Packaging

npm run package  # Automatically runs vendor + compile + vsce package

Debug Controls

In development, press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+D to open debug controls for:

Adjusting log levels (OFF, ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE)
Exporting debug logs for troubleshooting
Real-time debugging feedback

Test

npm test

Lint

npm run lint

WAL Mode Support

SQLite IntelliView fully supports databases using Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) mode. WAL is a high-performance journaling mode that writes changes to a separate -wal file before committing them to the main database.

Features

Automatic Detection: Automatically detects when a database is in WAL mode
Automatic Checkpoint: Checkpoints WAL files before opening to ensure you see current data
Real-time Monitoring: Watches WAL and SHM files for changes and auto-refreshes
Encrypted Database Support: Works with SQLCipher encrypted databases in WAL mode

How It Works

When you open a database with WAL mode enabled:

The extension detects associated .db-wal and .db-shm files
Automatically checkpoints the WAL to merge uncommitted changes
Loads the up-to-date database content
Monitors WAL files for external changes and refreshes automatically

Configuration

Control WAL behavior with these settings:

sqliteIntelliView.walAutoCheckpoint: Automatically checkpoint WAL files before opening (default: true)
sqliteIntelliView.walMonitoring: Monitor WAL files for changes and auto-refresh (default: true)

Manual Checkpoint

Force a WAL checkpoint and refresh:

Run command: SQLite IntelliView: Checkpoint WAL and Refresh
Useful when automatic checkpointing is disabled or when you want to force an update

Common Scenarios

Database shows stale data:

The extension automatically checkpoints WAL files, but if the database is locked by another process, you may see a warning
Try the manual checkpoint command or close the other application

Read-only databases:

Checkpointing requires write access to perform the operation
If you have read-only access, the extension will display a warning and show data from the main database file only

Large WAL files:

Checkpointing may take a few seconds for very large WAL files (>100MB)
The extension shows a progress indicator during checkpoint operations

Troubleshooting

Debug Mode

If you encounter issues, enable debug logging:

Press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+D to open debug controls
Set debug level to DEBUG or TRACE
Reproduce the issue
Click Export to save debug logs
Share the exported JSON file when reporting issues

WAL-Specific Issues

"Database is locked" error:

Another application has an active connection to the database
Close the other application or wait for it to release the lock
The extension will retry automatically up to 3 times with exponential backoff

"Cannot checkpoint WAL due to read-only access":

You don't have write permissions to the database file
Data may be stale if there are uncommitted changes in the WAL file
To see current data, you need write permissions

WAL file not detected:

Ensure the database is actually in WAL mode (check with: PRAGMA journal_mode;)
WAL files (.db-wal and .db-shm) must be in the same directory as the database file

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release notes and version history.

License

MIT License – see LICENSE for details.

Credits / Architecture & Dependencies

Core Libraries

better-sqlite3 - High-performance SQLite binding
sql.js - SQLite compiled to WebAssembly
monaco-editor - Code editor (bundled locally)
sortablejs - Drag-and-drop functionality (bundled locally)
d3 - Data visualization for ER diagrams
VS Code API - Extension host integration

Enjoy browsing your SQLite databases with style! ✨