dbt Language Server — VS Code extension

Thin VS Code client for dbt-ls. The extension only launches the Python language server and connects to it over stdio; all features (ref/source completion, go-to-definition, database-aware column info) live in the server.

Install

The server is a Python package, so installation is two parts:

1. Install the server (requires Python 3.10+)

pipx install "dbt-ls[postgres]"   # recommended: isolated, puts `dbt-ls` on PATH
# or: uv tool install dbt-ls
# or: pip install "dbt-ls[postgres]"

Pick the extra that matches your warehouse: duckdb, postgres, mysql, sqlserver, pyspark, databricks, aws, or all.

Verify it is on your PATH:

dbt-ls --help

2. Install the extension

From a packaged file: code --install-extension dbt-ls-<version>.vsix, or Extensions panel → ⋯ → Install from VSIX…
From the Marketplace (once published): search "dbt Language Server".

If dbt-ls is not on your PATH (e.g. it lives in a project venv), set dbtLs.serverCommand to its absolute path in your VS Code settings:

{
  "dbtLs.serverCommand": "/path/to/venv/bin/dbt-ls"
}

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
`dbtLs.serverCommand`	`"dbt-ls"`	Command used to launch the language server.
`dbtLs.serverArgs`	`[]`	Extra arguments passed to the command.

Develop / package

cd editors/vscode
npm install
npm install -g @vscode/vsce

# Try it: open this folder in VS Code and press F5 (Extension Development Host).

vsce package        # -> dbt-ls-<version>.vsix
vsce publish        # -> VS Code Marketplace (needs publisher + PAT)
# ovsx publish      # -> Open VSX (VSCodium / Cursor)

dbt Language Server