Prompt Driven Development (PDD) Extension

Build software with prompts as the durable source of truth. This extension provides first‑class editing for .prompt files—clear syntax highlighting and editor behaviors—so requirements stay human‑readable while code becomes a regenerable artifact.

Why this matters: AI agents can draft code in seconds, but teams often spend hours repairing breakage and drift. Instead of treating prompts as one‑off instructions, PDD formalizes the prompt as the canonical spec. You iterate on the prompt; the system regenerates code deterministically and safely.

Features

Syntax highlighting for .prompt files
Language configuration for predictable editing (comments, brackets)
Works alongside pdd CLI to turn prompts into code

Learn more:

Whitepaper with Benchmarks: https://github.com/promptdriven/pdd/blob/main/docs/whitepaper_with_benchmarks/whitepaper_w_benchmarks.md
PDD repository: https://github.com/promptdriven/pdd
LinkedIn thread (background + discussion): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gltanaka_ai-softwaredevelopment-devtools-activity-7366248249604648960-ylTA

Why PDD vs. Spec-Driven and Vibe Coding

Spec-driven aims for spec → code. PDD inserts an explicit engineering layer: spec → prompts → code. Developers refine the partitioning into a suite of precise, version-controlled prompts (easier to tune than partitioning code), then regenerate artifacts deterministically.
Vibe coding is ad‑hoc prompting and auto‑accepting of code patches. It is like throwing a grenade in the codebase: you never know what will be changed, deleted or duplicated. In contrast, PDD couples every prompt with automated validation; generated code is accepted only if tests pass. No surprise changes—reviewable diffs and test‑gated merges.
PDD is built for real projects: modular prompts, few‑shot context reuse, and regeneration that reduces drift. The whitepaper documents measurable benefits and benchmarks on non‑toy codebases.

Approach	Source of truth	Change process	Acceptance gate
Vibe coding	Traditional code files	Prompts that auto-patch code files	Human eyeballing
Spec‑driven	Static spec document	Spec → code (direct synthesis/patches)	Reviews; fragile regeneration
PDD	Versioned prompt suite	Spec → prompts → code (regenerate)	Automated tests + review

Requirements

Visual Studio Code 1.96+ or any OpenVSX-compatible IDE
Compatible with VS Code, Cursor, VSCodium, Gitpod, Kiro, Windsurf, and other OpenVSX-compatible editors

Installation

VS Code Marketplace

Install directly from the VS Code marketplace in VS Code or compatible editors.

OpenVSX Marketplace

For OpenVSX-compatible IDEs (VSCodium, Gitpod, Kiro, Windsurf, etc.), install from the OpenVSX marketplace:

VSCodium: Search for "Prompt Driven Development" in the Extensions view
Gitpod: Available through the OpenVSX marketplace integration
Kiro: Available through the OpenVSX marketplace integration
Windsurf: Available through the OpenVSX marketplace integration
Other OpenVSX-compatible editors: Use the OpenVSX marketplace URL

PDD CLI Installation

Getting started with PDD CLI (Gemini setup): https://github.com/promptdriven/pdd/blob/main/SETUP_WITH_GEMINI.md

Get Started

Create a .prompt file that expresses intent and constraints.
Use this extension to edit and validate the prompt with good ergonomics.
Use pdd tooling to synthesize code from the prompt and keep artifacts in sync.

Extension contributes:

Custom language support for .prompt
File association and syntax highlighting

Release Notes

0.0.1

Initial release with syntax highlighting for .prompt files.

Contributing

If you'd like to contribute to this extension, please visit our repository and submit a pull request.