ts-chef

CyberChef-style data transformations, directly inside VS Code.
239 operations · Visual pipeline editor · Pattern scanner · Variable store

What is ts-chef?

ts-chef brings the power of CyberChef into your editor. Select any piece of text — a Base64 blob, a hex string, an AES-encrypted value, a JWT — and decode, transform, or analyse it without ever leaving VS Code.

• No clipboard juggling — transformations happen inline, replacing your selection.
• No context switching — the pipeline editor, variable store, and pattern scanner live in the sidebar.
• No internet required — everything runs locally in the extension host.

Demo

Features

⚡ Quick Convert

Select text, open the command palette, run ts-chef: Quick Convert Selection (or right-click → ts-chef), and pick from 239 categorised operations. The result replaces your selection instantly.

Operations that require a key or IV (AES, DES, Blowfish, …) prompt for the value inline.

🔍 Pattern Scanner & Hover Conversion

Run ts-chef: Scan Document for Patterns to highlight every recognisable encoded value in the active file.

Hover over any highlighted match to see a preview of the decoded value and a one-click Convert link that replaces it in place.

Detected patterns include: Base64 / Base64url, hex strings, MD5/SHA-1/SHA-256/SHA-512 hashes, JWTs, UUIDs, URL-encoded text, HTML entities, Unix timestamps, PEM blocks, binary, octal, Base32, escaped Unicode, char codes, and more.

🧬 Deep Analysis

Right-click a selected value → ts-chef: Deep Analysis of Selection.

ts-chef runs every detection pattern against the selection, ranks candidates by confidence, and presents them in a quick-pick list. Pick the best match to decode it immediately.

🔗 Visual Pipeline Editor

Open with ts-chef: Open Pipeline Editor.

• Drag operations from the left panel into the pipeline.
• Click ▼ on any block to expand it and edit its parameters (Key, IV, Mode, encoding, …) inline — no need to remember argument syntax.
• Live preview (⚡ Live toggle) — the output updates automatically as you edit the input or adjust any argument, with a 380 ms debounce.
• Text field at the bottom stays in sync for power users who prefer typing From Base64 | To Hex.
• Save pipelines by name; they persist in .vscode/ts-chef/pipelines.json.

📋 Saved Pipelines

Saved pipelines appear in the Pipelines sidebar view. Click any entry to run it on the current selection, or use ts-chef: Run Saved Pipeline from the command palette to pick from a searchable list.

🗝️ Variables

Store named values — AES keys, secrets, tokens — with ts-chef: Set Variable or the + button in the Variables sidebar view.

Reference them in any operation using $varName or {{varName}} syntax:

$aes-key          →  replaces with the stored value before the operation runs
{{db-password}}   →  same, with brace syntax

Variables persist in .vscode/ts-chef/variables.json (or .ts-chef/variables.json when no .vscode/ folder exists).

Commands

Installation

From VSIX (local build)

git clone https://github.com/michaelweiss/vscode-ts-chef.git
cd vscode-ts-chef
npm install
npm run build

Then in VS Code: Extensions → … → Install from VSIX… → select vscode-ts-chef-*.vsix.

Requirements: Node.js ≥ 18, VS Code ≥ 1.85.

Storage Layout

<workspace>/
├── .vscode/
│   └── ts-chef/
│       ├── pipelines.json   ← saved pipelines (name, steps, raw text)
│       └── variables.json   ← named variables

If no .vscode/ folder exists, storage falls back to .ts-chef/ in the workspace root.

Operations

239 operations across 15 categories, ported from GCHQ's CyberChef:

* Some operations requiring native dependencies (Argon2, Bzip2) are excluded from the extension host.

Development

npm run build          # compile chef lib + generate registry + bundle extension
npm run watch          # incremental bundle watch
npm run verify-ops     # lint registry + sample-input test for all 239 ops

Project Layout

src/
├── extension.ts              # activation, command registration
├── logger.ts                 # [ts-chef] output channel
├── chef/
│   ├── Operation.ts          # base class
│   ├── operations/           # 239 individual operation files
│   └── lib/                  # shared utilities (Binary, Hex, Radix, …)
├── commands/runner.ts        # runOp, runPipeline, parsePipeline
├── panels/pipelinePanel.ts   # visual pipeline editor webview
├── providers/
│   ├── detector.ts           # pattern detection & analyseValue
│   ├── decorationProvider.ts # editor highlight decorations
│   ├── hoverProvider.ts      # hover conversion hints
│   └── …TreeProvider.ts      # sidebar tree views
└── storage/store.ts          # VariableStore, PipelineStore

License

Apache License 2.0 — see LICENSE.

Operations ported from GCHQ CyberChef (Apache 2.0).

Made with ☕ and TypeScript