Foxglove MCAP Explorer

Inspect MCAP files and visualize with Foxglove in VS Code or Cursor.

Requires desktop VS Code 1.96 or later, or a compatible desktop Cursor release. Browser-based VS Code is not supported. For SSH or dev containers, install the extension on the remote host.

Get started

1. Install Foxglove MCAP Explorer from the extension marketplace.
2. Open an .mcap file to see file size, duration, message counts, channels, and schemas. No CLI or account is needed for file information.
3. Select Foxglove to visualize the recording. Sign in if prompted. Visualization requires internet access and Foxglove Embed access.

If the file opens in another editor, choose Reopen Editor With… → Foxglove MCAP Explorer.

Your last tab and layout are remembered, and the viewer follows your editor theme. On VS Code 1.96, the embedded Foxglove viewer may stay light when you switch themes; use a recent editor for full theme synchronization.

Layouts and sign-in

Under Viewer options:

• Load shared layouts… loads organization layouts using a Foxglove API key with layout read access.
• Import JSON… loads an exported layout, including personal layouts.
• Sign-in help → Open sign-in page lets you enter the viewer’s activation code if its sign-in popup is blocked.

Layout edits are saved locally, not back to your Foxglove account. API keys are stored securely by the editor; use MCAP: Clear Foxglove API Key in the Command Palette to remove one.