Debian Language Support for VS Code

Language Server Protocol extension for Debian package files, including:

• debian/control - Package control files
• debian/copyright - DEP-5 copyright files
• debian/watch - Upstream watch files
• debian/source/options - dpkg-source options files
• debian/source/local-options - Local dpkg-source options files
• debian/tests/control - Autopkgtest control files

Features

• Field name completion: Intelligent completion for Debian control file fields
• Package name suggestions: Common package name suggestions for dependencies
• Diagnostics: Real-time validation of field names and syntax
• Quick fixes: Automatic corrections for common issues like incorrect field casing
• Syntax highlighting: Support for Debian control, copyright, and watch files

Requirements

The debian-lsp language server binary is bundled with the extension for supported platforms (Linux x64/arm64, macOS x64/arm64). No separate installation is needed.

If you are on an unsupported platform or want to use a different build of debian-lsp, you can install it manually and configure the path in settings (see Configuration below).

Configuration

This extension contributes the following settings:

• debian.enable: Enable/disable the Debian language server (default: true)
• debian.serverPath: Path to the debian-lsp executable. Override this to use a custom build instead of the bundled binary (default: "debian-lsp")
• debian.trace.server: Trace communication between VS Code and the language server (default: "off")

Example configuration

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "debian.serverPath": "/usr/local/bin/debian-lsp",
  "debian.trace.server": "verbose"
}

On-Type Formatting

Format-on-type is enabled by default for deb822-based file types (control, copyright, watch, tests/control). This automatically inserts a space after typing : at the end of a field name and adds continuation-line indentation when pressing Enter inside a field value.

To disable this, add to your settings.json:

{
  "[debcontrol]": { "editor.formatOnType": false },
  "[debcopyright]": { "editor.formatOnType": false },
  "[debwatch]": { "editor.formatOnType": false },
  "[debtestscontrol]": { "editor.formatOnType": false }
}

Usage

Simply open any Debian package file:

• debian/control
• debian/copyright
• debian/watch
• debian/source/options
• debian/source/local-options
• debian/tests/control

The extension will automatically activate and provide language features.

Development

Building the extension

npm install
npm run compile

Packaging the extension

npm run package

This creates a .vsix file that can be installed in VS Code.

Installing the extension locally

code --install-extension vscode-debian-*.vsix

License

Apache-2.0+