Vanthrex for IBM i
An all-in-one IBM i workbench for VS Code, built to be easy for first-time users. Connect with a guided form, browse libraries and the IFS, edit and compile with inline errors, run Db2 for i SQL in a sortable grid, read spooled files and get help writing RPG, all from one sidebar — now with an AI assistant (@vanthrex), an interactive call graph, several systems at once and SQL Explain.
📖 Documentation: https://gauravgupta0612.github.io/vanthrex-ibmi-docs/ — installation, setup, every feature, commands, settings, troubleshooting and FAQ (docs repository).
📘 New here? Read the Feature Guide for why and how to use every feature.
Vanthrex = vanguard + T-Rex: a powerful, modern workbench for one of the most dependable platforms.
 
Highlights
| Area |
What you get |
| AI assistant (new in 0.6) |
@vanthrex in the VS Code chat: /explain, /document, /review, /modernize, /test (RPGUnit), /fix compile errors, /sql against your real tables, /object. It looks things up on the connected system (read-only, with confirmation) and its tools also work in Copilot agent mode. |
| Call graph & impact |
Interactive diagram of callers and callees (programs, service programs, files with their usage), several levels deep, with Copy as Mermaid. New in 0.7: Find dynamic calls shows calls whose program name is in a variable. |
| Who calls each exported procedure? (new in 0.7) |
For a service program: every program, source line and statement that calls each exported procedure — prototypes and /COPY members included — and the exports nobody calls. |
| Several systems at once (new in 0.6) |
Stay connected to DEV, TEST and PROD and switch instantly; files always save to the system they came from. |
| SQL Explain (new in 0.6) |
Table scans, indexes used, temporary indexes, sorts and advised indexes for a query, with CREATE INDEX suggestions. |
| Connect |
Guided form with Test connection, SSH password or key, passwords in the VS Code secret store, status-bar quick menu (Ctrl+Alt+I), optional auto-reconnect. |
| Browse |
Libraries & Source (source files, members, objects), IFS Browser, My Spooled Files. Find a member by pattern across your library list. |
| Edit |
Members and IFS files open like local files; Ctrl+S saves to the IBM i. New RPG and CL members start from a template that compiles as-is. |
| Compile |
Ctrl+Alt+C. The command is chosen from the source type, you pick once when several fit, and errors from EVFEVENT appear inline and in Problems. |
| SQL |
Run SQL Query… (right-click a library, file, member or object, or in the call graph) opens an SQL editor with ready-made queries and the results underneath. Ctrl+Enter runs the statement under the cursor. Results grid with sort, filter, copy and CSV export. Confirmation before destructive statements. ibmi-… snippets for IBM i Services. |
| CL |
Ctrl+Alt+L runs a CL command with your library list and keeps a history. |
| Spool |
Open, save or delete your spooled files. |
| RPG |
Highlighting for free and fixed format, outline and breadcrumbs, hovers for BIFs and opcodes, column hints on fixed-format specs, % completion, snippets, and fixed → free conversion of H, F, D, P and C specs. |
| CL / DDS |
Syntax highlighting and snippets. |
| System dashboard (new) |
CPU, system ASP, jobs, memory, top CPU jobs, latest QSYSOPR messages and PTF group levels, refreshing automatically. |
| Jobs & messages (new) |
Active Jobs view (yours, a user, a subsystem or all): job log, hold, release, end. Messages view for QSYSOPR and your own queue: messages waiting for an answer come first and you reply in two clicks. |
| Table data editor (new) |
Open any physical file or table in a grid: filter with a WHERE clause, page through rows, edit cells, add and delete rows. Values are checked against the column type before anything is written. |
| Object & source search (new) |
Ctrl+Alt+O finds objects by name or text across your library list or all user libraries. Ctrl+Alt+F searches the source code of members. Where used lists the programs that reference a file or program. Open program source jumps from a *PGM to the member it was compiled from. |
| RPG navigation (new) |
Go to definition (F12, also into /COPY members), find all references, rename (F2, scoped to the procedure), highlight occurrences, Ctrl+click on /COPY and /INCLUDE, and hover a name to see its declaration. |
| SQL autocomplete (new) |
Table and view names after FROM/JOIN/INTO/UPDATE, columns after alias., columns of the tables in your statement, and hover for column types and descriptions. |
| Local history & compare (new) |
Every member and IFS file you open or save is kept locally. Compare any version, restore it, compare your editor with the copy on the IBM i, or compare two members side by side. |
| SEU-style source dates (new in 0.3) |
Each line shows its last-changed date (and sequence number), dates of untouched lines are kept on save, and you can highlight lines changed since any date. |
| F4 prompters (new in 0.3) |
F4 on a fixed-format RPG or DDS line opens a labelled form for its columns. F4 on a CL command builds a form from the command's real definition. |
| Locks & conflicts (new in 0.3) |
Shows who has a member open (name, job, lock) right in the editor, lets you ask them to release it or get notified when it's free, and warns before you overwrite changes made by someone else. |
| RPG code checks (new) |
As you type: unused variables, GOTO, missing *INLR/RETURN, empty ON-ERROR, SELECT *, numbered indicators, overly long procedures and fixed/free mixing. Each check can be turned off, with quick fixes where possible. |
| Object tools (new in 0.4) |
Object information page (owner, dates, last used, size, source, journaling), who has an object locked, compare two libraries (DEV vs PROD) with side-by-side member diffs, modules & exports of service programs. |
| SQL power tools (new in 0.4) |
Generate SQL (DDL) for tables, views, indexes and routines; run a whole SQL script with per-statement results (Ctrl+Shift+Enter); SQL history and saved queries. |
| Procedure tools (new in 0.4) |
Generate a prototype from a procedure, extract lines to a new procedure safely, and find unused /COPY members. |
| Debugger (new in 0.5) |
Step-through debugging of RPG, COBOL and CL with breakpoints, variables and call stack (Ctrl+Alt+G), through IBM's IBM i Debug client and Debug Service, with a setup check that fixes the setup for you. |
| Insights (new in 0.8) |
Index advisor with one-click index creation, table data compare between DEV and PROD by key, message help on hover for any CPF/MCH/RNQ/SQL ID, and a job log analyzer that points at the root cause. |
| System tools (new in 0.9) |
Journal explorer (who changed which rows, from which program), authority checker that explains why a user can't use an object and offers the fix, data queue & data area viewer/editor, and a PTF & system health report compared with IBM's latest PTF levels. |
| Your language (new in 0.10) |
The whole interface in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese and Simplified Chinese — it follows the VS Code display language. |
| Work with… (new in 0.11) |
The 5250 WRK screens in VS Code: subsystems, job queues, output queues, job scheduler, user profiles, system values, security audit journal, save files (save / restore / download / upload), TCP/IP connections and servers. |
| Operations (new in 1.0) |
Storage & cleanup advisor, live alerts (MSGW, QSYSOPR inquiries, abnormal job ends, disk), message file editor, field finder, and object promotion DEV → TEST → PROD with backup, compare, log and undo. |
| Data, performance & quality (new in 1.1) |
Export to Excel / CSV / JSON and import CSV or Excel with a preview, a live performance monitor, code metrics with grades, Markdown documentation from source, and RPGUnit tests in VS Code's Testing view. |
| Safe on production (new in 1.2) |
Mark a connection Production (every change asks first) or Read-only, a self-check of the system with fixes, and errors that explain what to do. |
| See and share (new in 1.3) |
5250 screen preview for display files, database diagrams with inferred relationships, compare two systems (member, objects, table rows, system values, PTFs), and spooled files to PDF / e-mail. |
| 2.0: 20 new helpers |
RPG code from a table, SQL formatter, find & replace across members, compile changed members, print preview, copy members / objects, test data, duplicates, table statistics, SQL INSERT export, submit & watch, recent jobs, spool compare, tail -f for IFS files, IFS search, library list sets and a CL command finder. |
| Security Admin *(2.1, for SECADM users) |
Create, copy, change, reset, disable and delete user profiles, unused and powerful profiles, group profiles and authorization lists — shown only to users with *SECADM; passwords are always masked. |
| More in 2.1 |
Objects out of sync with their source, release notes of what changed, member templates, binder source and binding directories, row locks, running SQL with cancel, exit points, bulk owner / authority changes, installed software & license keys, PTF lookup, journals, IFS permissions, table structure compare, unused code, hard-coded library scan, any message queue, what a job is doing, QHST history log, file dependents, indicator usage, IFS CCSID, ping and web API calls from the IBM i. |
Requirements on the IBM i
- SSH server running:
STRTCPSVR SERVER(*SSHD). The user profile needs a home directory (e.g. /home/MYUSER).
- SQL, one of these (the Automatic setting tries them in order):
- Mapepire over SSH, which needs nothing installed beyond Java (5770-JV1). Vanthrex uploads the Mapepire server JAR to
~/.mapepire on first use and runs it over your SSH session.
- Mapepire daemon, if you already run one (port 8076).
- db2util (
yum install db2util).
Install
- From the Marketplace: in VS Code, open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X), search for Vanthrex for IBM i and click Install.
- Offline: download the
.vsix from Releases, then Extensions → … → Install from VSIX….
Then click the Vanthrex icon in the activity bar, then Add IBM i Connection.
Build from source
npm install
npm run typecheck
npm test # unit tests for the parsers and the RPG converter
npm run package # creates vanthrex-ibmi-<version>.vsix
Press F5 to start an Extension Development Host (launch settings are in .vscode/).
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Purpose |
vanthrex.compileActions |
RPG/SQLRPG/CL/DDS/CMD/SQL, member and IFS |
Compile commands. Variables: &LIB &OBJLIB &SRCFILE &NAME &EXT &FULLPATH &CURLIB &USER. |
vanthrex.sql.maxRows |
500 |
Rows fetched into the grid. |
vanthrex.sql.confirmDestructive |
true |
Ask before DROP / TRUNCATE / DELETE or UPDATE without WHERE. |
vanthrex.tempDirectory |
/tmp |
IFS folder for temporary transfer files. |
vanthrex.spool.maxEntries |
200 |
Spooled files listed. |
vanthrex.autoConnectLast |
false |
Reconnect at start-up. |
vanthrex.objects.showAll |
true |
Show the Objects folder under libraries. |
vanthrex.dashboard.refreshSeconds |
30 |
Dashboard refresh interval (0 = manual). |
vanthrex.dataEditor.pageSize |
100 |
Rows per page in the table data editor. |
vanthrex.history.enabled / maxVersions |
true / 50 |
Local history of members and IFS files. |
vanthrex.lint.enabled / rules / maxProcedureLines |
true / all on / 200 |
RPG code checks. |
vanthrex.connections.keepOthersOpen |
true |
Keep other systems connected when you connect to another one. |
vanthrex.ai.enabled / useTools / allowQueries / confirmQueries |
true |
AI assistant, its look-ups, its read-only queries and the confirmation before each query. |
vanthrex.callGraph.depth / maxNodes / hideSystemObjects |
2 / 200 / true |
Call graph levels, size and IBM-supplied objects. |
How it works
- Members are transferred with
CPYTOSTMF / CPYFRMSTMF in CCSID 1208, so national characters survive the round trip. Lines longer than the source file's record length are truncated by the system. With a Mapepire SQL engine, members are read and saved through SQL with their sequence numbers and dates (SRCSEQ / SRCDAT) instead, like SEU.
- CL commands run in a QSH job whose library list comes from the connection (
liblist), then system.
- Compile errors are read from
&OBJLIB/EVFEVENT(&NAME). For SQLRPGLE, errors that RPG reports on the precompiled source are shown on line 1 with the generated line number.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Keys |
Action |
Ctrl+Alt+I |
IBM i quick menu |
Ctrl+Alt+C |
Compile |
Ctrl+Enter |
Run SQL statement (in .sql files) |
Ctrl+Alt+L |
Run CL command |
Ctrl+Alt+O |
Search objects |
Ctrl+Alt+F |
Search source code |
F12 / Shift+F12 / F2 |
RPG: go to definition / references / rename |
F4 |
Prompt the fixed-format spec (RPG, DDS) or CL command at the cursor |
Ctrl+Alt+D |
Cycle source dates: date → sequence + date → hidden |
Ctrl+Shift+Enter |
Run the whole SQL script (in .sql files) |
Ctrl+Alt+G |
Debug the program of the current source |
@vanthrex in the chat |
Ask the IBM i AI assistant |
Known limitations (v0.6)
Where used builds its cross-reference with DSPPGMREF in QTEMP, so it needs a Mapepire SQL engine (not db2util). Scanning large libraries takes a while.
The table data editor writes each change straight away (no commitment control). Rows are identified by relative record number, so don't reorganize a file while editing it.
Source dates and the conflict checks need a Mapepire SQL engine. With db2util, members are copied as plain text (dates are reset on save, as before).
Rename only works inside one source and refuses length changes in fixed-format sources, because they would shift columns.
Generate SQL (DDL) needs a Mapepire SQL engine. Extract to procedure works on free-form calculations and does not create parameters.
The debugger needs the IBM i Debug Service (PTF) and IBM's IBM i Debug extension; it debugs programs started in a batch job (service entry points are planned).
The fixed → free converter does not convert I and O specs or primary/table files; anything it can't convert safely is marked // TODO.
The AI assistant needs a chat model in VS Code (for example GitHub Copilot Chat); the code you ask about is sent to that model.
The call graph and SQL Explain need a Mapepire SQL engine.
Interactive (5250) commands such as WRKACTJOB can't run from the CL runner; use their OUTPUT(*PRINT) form or the IBM i Services SQL snippets.
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