Sododeck for VS Code

Draw architecture and flow diagrams in VS Code. Open a .sododeck file and it becomes an interactive canvas right next to your code, saved as plain JSON that lives in your repository.

Sododeck is local-first: the extension makes no network requests, sends no telemetry and uploads nothing.

A deck open as a canvas, dark theme

Getting started

Run Sododeck: New Sododeck deck from the Command Palette (or right-click a folder in the Explorer).
Draw on the canvas. The tab shows it has changed, like any file.
Save with Cmd/Ctrl+S. Commit the .sododeck file with your code.

Any existing *.sododeck or *.sododeck.json file opens as a canvas automatically.

Features

Works like a normal file

Save, Save As, Revert, unsaved-changes prompts and hot exit all use VS Code's own behavior. The file on disk is tidy, stable JSON, so a change to a diagram shows up as a small, readable diff in version control.

Follows the file on disk

After a git pull, a branch switch, or a tool or AI agent rewriting the file, the open canvas updates in place without reloading. If you had unsaved edits in that tab, the file on disk wins and a short notice tells you so. A file that is not valid is never overwritten: the canvas shows what is wrong, and Open as text shows the raw JSON.

Pictures embedded or next to the deck

By default pictures are stored inside the deck file. Switch the setting to save new pictures as image files in a folder next to the deck (my-deck.assets/), which keeps the deck small and the pictures reviewable in a pull request. Pictures are only read or written inside your workspace.

Light and dark

The canvas follows your VS Code color theme and switches live.

The same canvas in the light theme

Private by design

No network requests, no telemetry, no accounts. Everything the canvas needs ships inside the extension.

Commands

Command	What it does
Sododeck: New Sododeck deck	Creates an empty deck and opens it. Never overwrites an existing file.
Sododeck: Open in Sododeck web	Shows the file in your file manager and opens the web app in your browser, so you can drag the file in.
Sododeck: Open as text	Opens the raw JSON of the current deck in the text editor.

Settings

{
  // "embed" (default): pictures stay inside the deck file.
  // "file": new pictures are saved as image files in <deck>.assets/ next to the deck.
  "sododeck.pictures.storage": "embed",
}

Restricted Mode

In an untrusted workspace the canvas still opens and saves the deck. Picture files next to the deck are not read or written until you trust the workspace.

Limits

One canvas per file: opening the same deck twice shows the first tab.
No deck library inside VS Code; use the web app for that.
Desktop VS Code, including remote workspaces (SSH, containers, WSL). Not yet tested on vscode.dev.

Sododeck