ABAP Mirror

Lets Claude Code read and edit ABAP objects opened through SAP's ABAP Development Tools (ADT) for VS Code. Every change stays safely under your review.

Why this exists

The ABAP Development Tools for VS Code extension (SAPSE.adt-vscode) opens ABAP repository objects (programs, classes, CDS views, and more) under a virtual abap:// URI scheme. The object's source lives entirely in VS Code's in-memory document model, streamed live from the SAP system; it is never a real file on disk.

That's a problem for AI coding assistants like Claude Code, which read and write through the real OS filesystem. From Claude's point of view, an open abap:// tab simply doesn't exist: it can't read the code you're looking at, and it can't propose an edit to it.

ABAP Mirror closes that gap. It mirrors whatever ABAP object you have open to a real file on disk, keeps it in sync in both directions, and gets out of the way otherwise. Claude Code (or any other tool that only understands real files) can now work with the ABAP code you're actively looking at in ADT.

Features

• Automatic mirroring: open any object in ADT and its source is written to a real file under ~/.abap-mirror/, nested in a folder tree that matches the object's repository path.
• Two-way live sync: keep typing in the ADT tab and the mirror updates automatically; edit the mirror file (by hand, or by asking Claude Code to change it) and the change flows back into the ADT document buffer.
• Opens once, then stays out of your way: the mirror pane reveals itself automatically the first time you look at a given object. After that, switching tabs away and back won't keep stealing focus back to it.
• Open it back up anytime: right-click any ADT abap:// document and choose ABAP Mirror - Open Mirror Object, or run the same command from the Command Palette.
• ABAP-flavored syntax highlighting in the mirror view: comments, strings (including |string templates|), numbers, keywords, operators, and punctuation are colored to match ADT's own conventions.
• One-flag kill switch: abapMirror.enabled turns the whole thing off instantly, no reload required.
• Mirror a whole folder at once: right-click any ABAP package (or other folder) in ADT's Explorer tree and choose ABAP Mirror - Mirror Folder (with Sub-Objects) to mirror every object under it, recursively, without opening an editor tab per object. Folders with more than 200 objects ask for confirmation first.
• ABAP Mirror Files status view: a new panel in the Explorer sidebar lists every mirrored object in the same hierarchy as ADT's own tree. An object shows red when its ADT document has unsaved changes pending, blue once it's saved. Folders containing an unsaved object expand automatically so you can spot it at a glance.

How it works

1. You open (or switch focus to) an ABAP object in ADT.
2. The extension writes its current text to a mirror file under ~/.abap-mirror/.
3. The mirror opens beside the original the first time, so Claude Code's active-file context picks up a real, readable file.
4. From then on, edits on either side are synced to the other automatically, so you don't need to keep both tabs focused.

Safety model: nothing reaches SAP without your say-so

Syncing an edit back only updates the in-memory buffer of the ADT tab. It never calls document.save() and never triggers ADT's activate/transport flow. You'll see the change land in the ADT editor with the normal unsaved-changes indicator. Nothing reaches the SAP backend until you review it yourself and save/activate through ADT as usual (Ctrl+S, or ADT's own Activate command).

If a mirror file changes while its original ADT document isn't open, the extension reopens that document automatically (revealed beside your editor, not focused) and applies the change to its buffer, still without ever calling save. This is how mirrored objects from Mirror Folder stay in sync even though most of them are never opened by hand. If the original object can no longer be resolved at all (for example, it was deleted from the package), you will get a warning notification instead of the edit silently vanishing.

Getting started

1. Install ABAP Mirror from the VS Code Marketplace, alongside sapse.adt-vscode.
2. Open any ABAP object through ADT as you normally would.
3. That's it: the mirror file appears automatically, and Claude Code can read/edit it like any other file in your workspace.

Commands & context menu

Settings

Where mirror files live

~/.abap-mirror/: one file per ABAP object, nested in folders that match its repository path (so paths stay unique), with a short, readable leaf filename, e.g. zdemo.prog.abap.abapmirror. Mirror editor tabs carry an M badge (colored by sync state) so they are never confused with the real ADT tab. Safe to delete at any time: it's regenerated the next time you open the corresponding object.

Known limitations

• Only abap:// documents are mirrored.
• A brand-new object needs to be focused at least once before its mirror file exists.
• No conflict resolution: if you edit both the ADT tab and the mirror file at the exact same moment, whichever write lands last wins.
• The bundled grammar is a close approximation of ADT's own ABAP highlighting rather than a byte-for-byte copy, so colors can differ slightly depending on your theme.
• Mirroring a folder is a snapshot: objects added to that package afterward won't appear until you run Mirror Folder again.
• The mirror status view's red/blue coloring is provided through VS Code's file decoration API, which is per-file rather than per-view, so the same coloring may also show up on a mirrored file elsewhere in VS Code (for example, an open editor tab), not only inside the ABAP Mirror Files panel.

Release notes

0.1.0

First release as ABAP Mirror, the successor to ABAP Claude Mirror. Everything from the previous extension plus:

• Mirror Folder (with Sub-Objects) command: right-click any ABAP package or folder in ADT's Explorer tree to mirror everything under it, recursively, without opening an editor tab per object. Folders with more than 200 objects ask for confirmation first, and the run is cancellable.
• ABAP Mirror Files panel in the Explorer sidebar: every mirrored object in its original hierarchy, red while its ADT document has unsaved changes, blue once saved. Folders holding an unsaved object expand automatically.
• Editing a mirror file whose original ADT document is not open now reopens that document automatically and applies the change to its buffer. Nothing is ever saved to SAP without you.
• Objects that fail during bulk mirroring are listed in the "ABAP Mirror" output channel instead of failing silently.
• Cleaner mirror filenames: no more name prefix. Mirror tabs are marked with an M badge instead.
• Codebase converted to TypeScript.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. See the project's GitHub page for details.

License

MIT