Atomize for VS Code

Preview and generate repeatable task breakdowns from reusable YAML templates inside VS Code.

Atomize helps teams turn stories into consistent child tasks. Author Atomize YAML files with schema completions, validate them, preview the task plan, and generate tasks only after an explicit confirmation step.

Compatibility: Atomize is designed around platform adapters. Today, connected generation supports Azure DevOps. Mock is available for offline testing.

First Workflow

Open or create an Atomize YAML file.
Run Atomize: Validate to check the template.
Run Atomize: Preview (Mock) to simulate generated tasks without connecting to a platform.
Configure a Connection Profile with Atomize: Manage Profiles when you are ready to use connected workflows.
Run Atomize: Preview (Live) to preview against a real Story.
Run Atomize: Generate to review the plan and create Tasks only after confirmation.

Atomize previews by default. Creating Tasks requires the Generate flow and an explicit confirmation.

Atomize YAML

Use .atomize.yaml or .atomize.yml for the full editor experience: CodeLens actions, save-time diagnostics, schema hovers, completions, and snippets.

You can also add # atomize-yaml on the first line of a regular YAML file. The extension may identify matching YAML content during a session, but a durable marker is recommended for team templates.

Atomize YAML files stay on VS Code's YAML language service for schema-backed hovers and completions. The extension pack installs the Red Hat YAML extension for this.

formatVersion: "1.0"
name: "Feature Breakdown"

filter:
  workItemTypes: ["Story"]

tasks:
  - title: "Design: ${story.title}"
    estimationPercent: 20
  - title: "Build: ${story.title}"
    estimationPercent: 60
  - title: "Validate: ${story.title}"
    estimationPercent: 20

Commands

Atomize: Validate checks the active Template and opens a Validation Report for explicit runs.
Atomize: Preview (Mock) runs an offline Mock Preview from entered Story fields.
Atomize: Preview (Live) runs a connected dry run against a real Story.
Atomize: Generate previews the generation result, then creates Tasks only after confirmation.
Atomize: Manage Profiles adds, tests, rotates, removes, and selects Connection Profiles.
Atomize: Browse Catalog opens Templates and Mixins from the Template Library.
Atomize: Browse Fields looks up platform fields for a selected Connection Profile.
Atomize: Browse Queries looks up saved queries for a selected Connection Profile.
Atomize: Show Effective Template opens the fully Resolved Template.
Atomize: Open Schema Reference opens the Template and Mixin format reference with the installed extension version. Set atomize.schemaReference.openMode to beside for a wider side-by-side view or editor (default) for a regular editor tab. Available from the Command Palette and the editor context menu for Atomize YAML Files. It opens at the field under your cursor and selects the file’s Template or Mixin tab; outside a field, it opens that tab at the top. Running the command again navigates the existing panel. Guide links open in your browser.
Atomize: Open Settings opens extension settings.

For field lookup, Cmd-click an Atomize YAML field name (Ctrl-click on Windows/Linux) to open its Schema Reference. This uses VS Code’s standard link modifier; if your multi-cursor modifier is Ctrl/Cmd, use Alt/Option-click instead. The shortcut targets the clicked field even when your text cursor is elsewhere and uses atomize.schemaReference.openMode.

For durable Atomize YAML files, the main file actions also appear as CodeLens commands at the top of the editor.

Validation And Preview

Offline Validation checks Template structure without credentials.

Online Validation uses a Connection Profile to verify platform-specific fields and query references. The extension always asks which profile to use before an explicit validation run. A workspace default profile may preselect an item, but it does not run connected validation silently.

Mock Preview does not connect to a platform and does not create Tasks.

Live Preview reads a real Story through a Connection Profile and shows the generated task breakdown as a dry run. It does not create Tasks.

Connection Profiles

Run Atomize: Manage Profiles to add, test, rotate, remove, or set a default Connection Profile.

The extension owns profile storage: non-secret fields (name, organization URL, project, team) live in VS Code's extension state and tokens live in VS Code Secret Storage. Nothing is shared with the Atomize CLI.

If you used the Atomize CLI before adopting the extension, the profile picker's empty state offers a one-time Import from CLI action that pre-fills the Add Profile form from ~/.atomize/connections.json (read-only, never written to). You re-enter each token once during import.

For credential scopes and platform-specific setup, see the Auth Guide.

Settings

atomize.defaultProfile: workspace-scoped profile name to preselect in the Validate, Live Preview, and Generate pickers.
atomize.schemaReference.openMode: beside or editor (default); applies when you next open the Schema Reference.
atomize.previewLayout: preview panel layout, either default or compact.

Upgrading from an earlier version? The atomize.cliPath, atomize.cli.installCommand, and atomize.cli.autoCheckUpdates settings are deprecated no-ops. The extension shows a one-time notice if any are still set, and you can safely remove them.

Documentation

Screenshots

Author Atomize YAML

Authoring an Atomize YAML file with CodeLens actions, schema support, and diagnostics

Validate Templates

Offline Validation Report with grouped template errors, warnings, and suggestions

Preview With Mock Data

Mock Preview Panel showing entered story fields and the resolved task breakdown

Preview A Live Story

Live Preview Panel showing a connected dry run against a real Story

Generate After Confirmation

Generate Panel showing the dry-run report before explicit task creation