OBDb tooling

A Visual Studio Code extension for OBDb signal editing tooling.

Features

• Hover Information: Hover over signal IDs in JSON files to see which model years support the specific signal

Requirements

• VS Code version 1.99.0 or higher
• A project structure that includes model year test cases in tests/test_cases/[year] directories

Installation

From VSIX File

1. Download the latest .vsix file from the releases page
2. In VS Code, go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Click "..." at the top of the Extensions view
4. Select "Install from VSIX..." and choose the downloaded file

In devcontainers

Add to your devcontainer.json:

"customizations": {
  "vscode": {
    "extensions": [
      "https://github.com/OBDb/vscode-obdb/releases/download/v[VERSION]/signalid-hover-info-[VERSION].vsix"
    ]
  }
}

Replace [VERSION] with the actual version number.

How It Works

The extension:

1. Detects when you hover over an ID in a JSON file within the signalsets directory
2. Scans the project structure for matching signal IDs in test cases across different model years
3. Displays a hover card showing all model years that support the specific signal ID

Development

Setup

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile the extension
npm run compile

# Watch mode during development
npm run watch

CLI Tool

The project includes a command-line tool for working with signalsets outside of VS Code.

Building the CLI

# Compile the CLI
npm run compile:cli

Or use the VSCode task:

1. Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
2. Type "Tasks: Run Task"
3. Select "compile-cli"

Running the CLI

After building, you can run the CLI in several ways:

Using node directly:

node dist/cli.js optimize <workspace-path>

Using npm link (for development):

# Link the CLI globally
npm link

# Now you can use it anywhere
obdb optimize <workspace-path>

Example:

# Parse and display the root node of the signalset
obdb optimize /path/to/your/workspace

The CLI will look for a signalset at <workspace-path>/signalsets/v3/default.json and print the parsed root node to the console.

MCP Server

The project includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes signalsets and command support data to AI agents like Claude Code.

Building the MCP Server

# Compile the MCP server
npm run compile:mcp

# Or compile everything
npm run compile:all

Using the MCP Server

The MCP server is automatically available when you install this extension in a workspace with Claude Code.

VSCode Chat: The extension automatically registers the MCP server - no configuration needed. Just use Claude Code's chat interface in VSCode.

Terminal claude command: The MCP server is bundled with the extension and needs to be registered manually:

# From your OBDb workspace (e.g., Hyundai-IONIQ-5)
# Replace the path with where you installed the vscode-obdb extension
claude mcp add obdb-signalsets --transport stdio -- node /path/to/vscode-obdb/dist/mcp/server.js "$(pwd)"

Or create a .mcp.json file in your workspace:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obdb-signalsets": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/vscode-obdb/dist/mcp/server.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The server will use the current working directory as the workspace root when run from the terminal.

Available MCP Resources

• obdb://signalsets - List all available signalsets
• obdb://signalset/{name} - Get a specific signalset
• obdb://support/matrix - Complete command support matrix

Available MCP Tools

• list_signalsets - List all signalsets in the workspace
• get_signalset - Get a specific signalset by name
• search_signals - Search for signals by pattern, path, or metric
• get_signal - Get a specific signal by ID
• get_command_support - Check which model years support a command
• get_commands_for_year - Get all commands for a model year
• validate_signalset - Validate signalset for errors
• get_signal_stats - Get statistics about signals
• get_unique_paths - List all unique signal paths
• get_unique_metrics - List all unique suggested metrics

Example MCP Queries

Agents can now query the codebase:

"Find all engine temperature signals"
"Which model years support command 7E0.221100?"
"Validate the default signalset"
"What signals are available in the powertrain path?"

Build & Package

# Prepare for publishing
npm run vscode:prepublish

# Package as VSIX
npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

Release Process

This extension uses GitHub Actions for automated builds and releases:

1. Create and push a tag with format v*.*.* (e.g., v0.1.0)
2. The CI will automatically build, package, and create a GitHub release

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.