Protobuf Inspector

Deserialize and serialize Protobuf messages directly inside VS Code — no external tools, no command line. Just open a .proto file, click a lens, and inspect your binary data, including schemas with imports from configured include paths.

Features

One-click Inspect from your .proto file

A CodeLens action appears above every message definition. Click Inspect <MessageName> to instantly open the decode/encode panel for that message — no configuration needed.

Decode and Encode Protobuf messages

Easily convert between binary Protobuf (Base64/Hex) and JSON using the Decode (deserialization) and Encode (serialization) tabs. Paste your payload or JSON, click the respective button, and see the result instantly. The panel validates your input and displays the output with full field names and values from your schema.

Command Palette support

Run Protobuf Inspector: Open Decode/Encode Panel from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

• If a .proto file is active in the editor — the extension uses it automatically and shows a message picker listing all message definitions found in that file.
• If no .proto file is open — a file dialog opens so you can browse to any .proto file on disk, then the message picker appears.

Auto-generate a JSON template

Not sure what fields a message has? Use the Generate Template button to auto-fill the editor with a skeleton JSON object containing all fields of the message, including nested messages, repeated fields, and enums — with sensible placeholder values.

Live schema reload

When you save your .proto file, the panel automatically reloads the schema — no need to close and reopen anything. Imported .proto dependencies are tracked too, so changes to any loaded schema are picked up automatically. If your file has unsaved changes, the CodeLens shows a Save to inspect prompt instead.

Imported schema support

The extension resolves imported .proto files from the importing file's directory and from configured include paths. You can choose which location takes precedence when files with the same import path exist in multiple locations. Include paths are resolved relative to the workspace folder when configured as relative paths, while absolute paths are used as-is.

Usage

1. Open a .proto file in VS Code.
2. Click the Inspect <MessageName> CodeLens above any message definition.
3. In the Decode tab (deserialization): paste your Base64 or Hex payload and click Decode.
4. In the Encode tab (serialization): paste or generate a JSON template and click Encode.

Tip: Use the Generate Template button on the Encode tab to scaffold a valid JSON structure from your message definition.

Extension Settings

Requirements

No external dependencies or CLI tools required. Everything runs inside VS Code.

Release Notes

1.0.1

Changes:

• Support additional .proto import paths through the protobuf-inspector.includePaths setting
• Configure whether the importing file's directory or include paths are searched first with protobuf-inspector.importResolutionOrder
• Resolve relative settings per workspace folder and support .proto files outside an open workspace
• Reload schemas automatically when a loaded imported dependency is saved
• Stop waiting indefinitely when schema loading encounters unresolvable imports and report invalid message references explicitly

1.0.0

Initial release:

• Deserialize (decode) Protobuf binary (Base64 / Hex) to JSON
• Serialize (encode) JSON to Protobuf binary (Base64 / Hex)
• Auto-generate JSON templates from message definitions
• CodeLens integration for .proto files
• Live schema reload on file save
• Command Palette command to open any .proto file

License

This extension is licensed under the MIT License.

Third-Party Notices

This extension uses the following open-source packages:

• protobufjs — BSD 3-Clause License. Copyright © 2016, Daniel Wirtz.
• @vscode/codicons — Icon font licensed under CC BY 4.0; code licensed under MIT. Copyright © Microsoft Corporation.