SERP — VS Code Extension

Developer tooling for SERP — architecture explorer, live deployment control, runtime inspector, and AI sessions scoped to every part of your system.

What is SERP?

SERP (Service · Event · Runtime · Platform) is a C++ framework for building distributed multiprocess systems on embedded and automotive platforms.

serpcore provides the runtime — typed service interfaces, properties, notifications, calls, a threading model, and IPC transports (in-process, D-Bus, gRPC).

serpgen takes a declarative spec (serp.sidl) and generates the C++ interfaces, transport wiring, process skeletons, and build system. You fill in the business logic; the framework handles the rest.

This extension is the IDE companion for SERP projects.

Getting Started

Install the SERP dev package first — it provides serpgen and the runtime libraries the extension depends on.

No project yet? The Explorer panel shows a Create from Template button — one click scaffolds a complete working project.

Explorer

Browse the full workspace: deployments, services, spec files, and source files — all in one tree. Toolbar: Refresh · Validate · Generate · Open Dashboard Right-click a spec node to validate or regenerate individual files. Keyboard Shortcuts Action Windows / Linux macOS Validate specs Ctrl+Alt+V Ctrl+Option+V Generate Ctrl+Alt+G Ctrl+Option+G Open Architecture Dashboard Ctrl+Alt+D Ctrl+Option+D Build Ctrl+Alt+B Ctrl+Option+B Run Ctrl+Alt+R Ctrl+Option+R Stop Ctrl+Alt+S Ctrl+Option+S

Active Deployment

Build, run, and stop the active deployment. Shows processes, the services they host, interfaces each service implements or uses, and direct links to impl and generated files. Toolbar: Select Deployment · Open Diagram · Build · Clean Build · Run · Stop · Select Build Profile (dev-grpc / dev-dbus / release) Right-click the deployment: Clean Build · Restart · Show Status · Open Diagram Right-click a service: Open Implementation · Open Generated Files

Architecture Dashboard

An interactive live view of the deployment — process cards with their services, live CPU/MEM stats, and one-click access to sessions and impl files.

Open with Ctrl+Alt+D or the Dashboard button in the Explorer toolbar.

• Green dot on a card — process running; red — stopped
• Blue dot on a service chip — Claude Code session is linked
• Click a service chip — detail panel with impl file, interfaces, Open Impl / Open Session
• Click a process card — Start / Stop / Restart / Logs controls

Runtime Inspector

Click any service chip on the Dashboard to open the detail panel. The Runtime Inspector exposes the full interface of the service — call methods with typed input fields, read and watch properties, and subscribe to notifications. All directly on the running process, no client code needed.

Works over gRPC (dev-grpc profile, macOS) or D-Bus (dev-dbus, Linux).

SERP AI

Work on a SERP project is decomposed into focused AI sessions — each with its own role, context, restrictions, and workflow. This keeps every session small and purposeful: Claude knows exactly what it owns, what it can touch, and what the goal is.

When a session opens, it calls the SERP MCP server (serp.session.getContext) to load its role definition — responsibility, allowed writes, forbidden writes, and the knowledge documents relevant to that role. The MCP server also manages session state, summaries, validation, and cross-session context inheritance.

Architecture — designs service decomposition and deployment topology. Can write to specs/ only. Cannot touch src/ or gen/.

Services — one session per service implementation. Scoped to src/services/<group>/<service>/ and its tests. Cannot change specs or other services. Expand to add Sequence sub-sessions for individual interaction flows.

HMI — one session per HMI component.

Debug — three sessions tied to the active deployment: Session Role Can write Analyze Runtime Investigator nothing — read-only Debug Runtime Investigator nothing — probes live runtime only Fix Deployment Fixer src/services/**, tests/**

Click a node → opens the linked Claude Code session. Right-click → Unlink · Old Sessions…

A context guard hook keeps Claude current between messages — before each prompt it diffs watched files against a snapshot taken at last getContext call and injects only what changed. A scope guard hook enforces write restrictions on every file edit — gen/ is always blocked, and writes outside the session's allowed paths are rejected before Claude can act on them.

Session commands (type in any message to trigger the corresponding MCP tool):

PlantUML Diagrams

Generate an architecture or sequence diagram for any deployment straight from the spec — rendered in a VS Code webview, no external server needed.

Active Deployment toolbar → Open Diagram    or    right-click deployment → Open Diagram