KiCad Custom Design Rules — VS Code extension
Syntax highlighting and snippets for KiCad Custom Design Rule files
(.kicad_dru) in Visual Studio Code.
KiCad ships a single-line textbox in Board Setup → Custom Rules and a
Check Rule Syntax button. That works for one-liners. For real rule sets
you want a real editor — multi-cursor, search, and colour that distinguishes
condition operators from A.NetClass accessors from layer names from
string literals. This extension adds that for .kicad_dru specifically.
Features
- Syntax highlighting scoped to
.kicad_dru. Keywords (version,
rule, constraint, condition, layer, severity, disallow),
constraint types (clearance, hole_clearance, track_width,
length, assertion, …), token-expression accessors (A.NetClass,
B.intersectsArea, …), operators, layer names, severities, comments,
strings, and numbers with units are all coloured distinctly.
- Snippets for the common rule shapes: starter
rule block, clearance
by netclass, disallow, length matching, via and track sizing,
hole-to-hole, assertion. Type the prefix in a paren context, accept,
tab through.
- Editor niceties:
# line comment toggling, paren matching, folding
on each top-level (rule …) block, auto-closing pairs.
What this extension does not do
- It is a highlighter, not a validator. KiCad's own Check Rule Syntax
button remains the source of truth for whether a rule is valid.
- It does not parse
.kicad_pcb, .kicad_sch, .kicad_sym, or any other
KiCad file. Those have other extensions (DanielMeza.kicad-syntax- highlighter covers most of them; oaslananka.kicadstudio covers KiCad
workflows end-to-end). This extension intentionally stays focused on
.kicad_dru so that DRU support is first-class instead of incidental.
- It does not provide hover docs, completion, or diagnostics. Those are
potential future additions and are tracked against later versions.
Installation
From the VS Code Marketplace:
ext install cimos.kicad-dru
Or search for "KiCad Custom Design Rules" in the Extensions view.
A .vsix is also attached to each GitHub release if you prefer manual
installation:
code --install-extension vscode-kicad-dru-<version>.vsix
KiCad ≥ 7 supports launching an external editor on a file via
Preferences → Configure Paths → External Tools. Pointing it at VS Code
gives you a one-click round trip from the KiCad PCB editor to this
extension's editor view. Save the file in VS Code, switch back to KiCad,
and re-run Check Rule Syntax.
Contributing
Pull requests are welcome — especially for grammar gaps you hit on a real
rule file. Please attach a minimal .kicad_dru snippet that demonstrates
the issue.
Issues: https://github.com/Cimos/vscode-kicad-dru/issues
License
MIT.
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