RIPP™ Protocol - VS Code Extension

VS Code integration for the Regenerative Intent Prompting Protocol (RIPP™).

What This Extension Does

This extension integrates the official RIPP CLI into VS Code. It is a thin wrapper around the CLI—no reimplementation of validation or linting logic. All operations are read-only with respect to RIPP packet files, and no data is transmitted externally. Processing happens locally via the RIPP CLI.

What RIPP is:

• A structured specification format for capturing feature requirements
• A handoff artifact between prototyping and production teams
• A contract that preserves decisions, constraints, and outcomes

What RIPP is not:

• Not a code migration tool or code generator
• Not a refactoring assistant or production hardening helper
• See SPEC.md for full details

Commands

All commands are available via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

• RIPP: Initialize Repository - Set up RIPP structure in your repository (creates ripp/, GitHub Actions, etc.)
• RIPP: Validate Packet(s) - Validate all RIPP packets in your workspace against the schema
• RIPP: Lint Packet(s) - Run quality checks and best practice linting on your packets
• RIPP: Package Handoff - Package a RIPP packet into a handoff document (Markdown, JSON, or YAML)
• RIPP: Analyze Project (Draft Packet) - Generate a draft RIPP packet from existing documentation

Requirements

This extension requires the RIPP CLI to be available. For best performance and offline support, install it as a dev dependency:

npm install -D ripp-cli

Alternatively, the extension can use npx ripp (fetches on demand, slower).

Recommended setup:

1. Install RIPP CLI locally: npm install -D ripp-cli
2. Run RIPP: Initialize Repository to set up your project structure
3. Start creating RIPP packets in ripp/features/

Platform Support

This extension works on:

• ✅ Windows (uses ripp.cmd from node_modules)
• ✅ macOS (uses ripp binary)
• ✅ Linux (uses ripp binary)

It also works in:

• ✅ VS Code Desktop
• ✅ GitHub Codespaces (install ripp-cli in your devcontainer or via npm install -D ripp-cli)
• ✅ VS Code Remote Containers
• ⚠️ VS Code Web (requires Node.js environment with RIPP CLI available)

Codespaces & Remote Environments

GitHub Codespaces: This extension works in Codespaces. For best results:

1. Add ripp-cli to your devDependencies in package.json
2. Or run npm install -D ripp-cli in your Codespace
3. The extension will automatically prefer the local CLI binary

The extension falls back to npx ripp if no local installation is found, but this is slower and requires network access.

Security Notes

• Read-only validation: The extension never modifies RIPP packet files (*.ripp.yaml, *.ripp.json) during validation
• Local processing: All validation, linting, and analysis happens locally via the RIPP CLI
• No credentials collected: No secrets, tokens, or environment variables are collected or stored
• Explicit writes only: Commands like init, package, and analyze only write files when you explicitly invoke them and choose output locations

Installation

Install from the VS Code Marketplace:

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "RIPP Protocol"
4. Click Install

Quick Start

For New Users

1. Open your project in VS Code
2. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
3. Run RIPP: Initialize Repository
4. This creates:
   • ripp/ directory for RIPP packets
   • ripp/features/ for feature specifications
   • ripp/intent-packages/ for packaged artifacts
   • .github/workflows/ripp-validate.yml for CI validation
5. Create your first RIPP packet in ripp/features/my-feature.ripp.yaml
6. Run RIPP: Validate Packet(s) to validate
7. View results in the Output panel (View → Output, select "RIPP")

For Existing RIPP Users

1. Open a workspace containing RIPP packets
2. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
3. Run RIPP: Validate Packet(s) to validate your packets
4. View results in the Output panel (View → Output, select "RIPP")

Standard Repository Layout

RIPP uses a standard repository structure (created by ripp init):

your-repo/
├── ripp/                        # RIPP artifacts
│   ├── README.md                # Documentation
│   ├── features/                # Feature RIPP packets
│   │   ├── auth-login.ripp.yaml
│   │   └── user-profile.ripp.yaml
│   └── intent-packages/         # Packaged artifacts
│       ├── README.md
│       └── latest.tar.gz
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── ripp-validate.yml    # CI validation
└── (your project files)

The extension will discover RIPP packets anywhere in your workspace, but following this structure is recommended for consistency.

Configuration

Configure the extension via VS Code settings (File → Preferences → Settings):

ripp.cliMode

How to execute the RIPP CLI:

• "npx" (default): Prefers local node_modules/.bin/ripp, falls back to npx ripp
• "npmScript": Uses workspace npm scripts (requires scripts like ripp:validate, ripp:lint, etc.)

{
  "ripp.cliMode": "npx"
}

Recommendation: Use the default "npx" mode and install ripp-cli as a dev dependency for best performance.

ripp.strict

Enable strict mode for linting (treat warnings as errors):

{
  "ripp.strict": false
}

ripp.paths

Glob patterns for discovering RIPP packet files:

{
  "ripp.paths": ["**/*.ripp.yaml", "**/*.ripp.json"]
}

File Naming Convention

RIPP packet files must follow the naming convention:

• *.ripp.yaml or *.ripp.yml
• *.ripp.json

Examples:

• user-registration.ripp.yaml
• api-feature.ripp.json

Documentation

• RIPP Protocol Homepage
• RIPP Specification
• Getting Started Guide
• Extension Testing Guide
• Extension Publishing Guide

Support

• GitHub Issues
• GitHub Repository

License

MIT

Release Notes

0.2.0 (Upcoming)

New features:

• RIPP: Initialize Repository command for easy project setup
• Prefer local node_modules/.bin/ripp over npx for better performance
• Improved error messages with install guidance
• Cross-platform binary detection (Windows .cmd support)
• Updated documentation for RIPP v1.0 alignment

0.1.0

Initial release:

• Validate command
• Lint command
• Package command
• Analyze command
• Configuration support for CLI mode, strict mode, and file paths