Drafts Lab Notes is a lightweight, non-intrusive VS Code extension designed to attach persistent notes directly to specific lines of code or general project scratchpads—without modifying your source files or polluting your repository.
Keep your developer notes, architectural decisions, TODO lists, and local debugging context organized right inside your editor workspace.
✨ Key Features
📍 Contextual Code Anchoring: Attach notes directly to specific code snippets or lines in any file. Includes smart line-drift tracking to keep notes aligned as surrounding code evolves.
🔒 Private Local Storage: Notes are stored in isolated local workspace storage, keeping your notes private and completely separate from your project repository.
📝 Workspace Scratchpad: Create general project notes for ideas, architectural plans, or tasks that aren't tied to a specific file.
⚡ Lifecycle Management: Organize notes through a complete status lifecycle:
Active: Work in progress and active developer notes.
Done: Mark notes as complete with visual strikethrough and editor gutter indicators.
Archived: Archive completed notes to declutter your workspace while preserving history.
Trash: Soft-delete notes with auto-purge safety and quick restoration.
🎨 Interactive Sidebar: Modern webview panel featuring real-time search, flexible filtering (Current File, Current Directory, Notes, All), and status views.
🤖 AI Assistant Integration (MCP): Built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server allowing AI coding assistants to interact with your developer notes seamlessly.
🚀 Quick Start Guide
1. Attach a Note to Code
Select a code snippet or place your cursor on any line in an open file.
Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
Run Drafts Lab Notes: Add Note to Current File.
Enter your title and description, then save.
2. Create a General Project Note
Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P).
Run Drafts Lab Notes: Add Note (or click the + icon in the sidebar).
Enter your note details and save.
3. Manage Notes in the Sidebar
Click the Drafts Lab Notes icon in the VS Code Activity Bar.
Filter notes by location (Current File, Current Directory, Notes, All).
Click any note card or snippet to jump directly to the target line in your editor.
⚙️ Configuration
Drafts Lab Notes includes the following setting:
Setting
Type
Default
Description
codeNotes.enableMcpServer
boolean
false
Enables the local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for AI coding assistants.
