WxO ToolBox — VS Code Extension (WxO-ToolBox-vsc)

IBM Watsonx Orchestrate · v2.0.6

Author: Markus van Kempen · 14 Mar 2026

Repository: github.com/markusvankempen/WxO-ToolBox-vsc

Export, import, compare, and replicate Watson Orchestrate agents, tools, toolkits, flows, knowledge bases, plugins, and connections via the orchestrate CLI from VS Code. Uses the **WxO-ToolBox-cli)* CLI scripts (wxo-toolkit-cli) bundled with the extension. Standalone extension (independent of wxo-builder).

Features

• Activity Bar — Browse agents, tools, toolkits (MCP servers with nested tools), flows, knowledge bases, connections, and plugins with display names; inline Create/Edit (form-based), View JSON, Export, Copy, Compare, Delete; multi-select (Shift/Ctrl+click) for bulk delete
• Evaluations — New 🧪 Evaluations panel: generate synthetic test cases from stories.csv, run orchestrate evaluations evaluate, and browse results inline. Includes default HR-agent examples, real-time streaming output, and auto-refresh of results after a run.
• Search & Filter — Search Resources (Quick Pick across all resources); Filter tree by name; Clear Filter when active
• Create Agent / Flow / Connection / Knowledge Base / Tool — Form-based creation with YAML/JSON editor; Connection form supports API Key, Bearer, Basic Auth, OAuth flows
• Edit forms — Edit opens pre-filled forms (not raw JSON) for agents, flows, knowledge bases, connections, and tools; changes sync to YAML/JSON; save pushes via orchestrate CLI
• Agent form — Full agent editor: display_name, kind, model, instructions, temperature, max_tokens, context_access_enabled, hide_reasoning, restrictions, style, welcome_content, chat_with_docs, starter_prompts (3 default prompts pre-filled; add/remove cards), tools & plugins drag-and-drop; YAML editor tab with Open in Editor button (saves sync back automatically)
• Auto-reconnect — Last-used environment is persisted across VS Code restarts and silently re-activated on startup; session is also refreshed before the environment picker opens to handle CLI timeouts
• Duplicate panel prevention — Re-opening an already-open tool or agent edit form reveals and refreshes the existing panel instead of creating a duplicate
• Main Panel — Export, Import, Compare, Replicate, Systems, Observability, Secrets, Dependencies, Help
• Object picker — Export/Import/Replicate: pick specific agents, tools, or connections by name (checkbox list from env)
• Latest Report links — Each tab shows a link to the most recent report with Refresh button
• Systems — Add, activate, Edit (opens credential form), remove Watson Orchestrate environments
• Observability — Search and export traces (ADK 2.5.0+; watsonx Orchestrate SaaS or Developer Edition with telemetry)
• Secrets — Edit connection credentials per environment; .env_connection_* files open in form editor
• WxO Project Dir — Tree view with context menus (New File/Folder, Rename, Delete, Reveal, Copy Path, Open in Terminal)

Screenshots

Panel & Export	Create Connection	Edit Tool

Export	Export Report	System Compare

Delete Multiple	Drag & Drop Tools	Observability

Usage

1. Open any workspace. The extension bundles the wxo-toolkit-cli scripts.
2. In the Activity Bar, click WxO ToolBox (↔ icon) → Select Environment to choose a Watson Orchestrate instance.
3. Open Panel to access Export, Import, Compare, Replicate, and more.
4. Use inline buttons on each resource for quick actions.

Documentation

• User Guide — Run WxO ToolBox: Open User Guide from the Command Palette, or open the Help tab in the panel.
• Full guide: USER_GUIDE.md in this folder.

Related

Install from source

# Clone the repo (or use existing checkout)
git clone https://github.com/markusvankempen/WxO-ToolBox-vsc.git
cd WxO-ToolBox-vsc

npm install
npm run compile

Then in VS Code: Run and Debug → Run Extension (F5).

When developing within the watson-orchestrate-builder monorepo, use watsonx-orchestrate-devkit/packages/wxo-toolkit/vscode-extension as the working directory.

Package and Install

cd WxO-ToolBox-vsc
npm run package

Produces WxO-ToolBox-vsc-2.0.6.vsix (version from package.json). Install via Extensions → "..." → Install from VSIX.

Note: This extension has primarily been tested on macOS.

Files included in the VSIX

Quick setup

1. Add environment — Open Panel → Systems tab → Add Environment (Name, URL, API Key)
2. Credentials are stored securely and synced to the orchestrate CLI
3. Export, Import, Compare, and Create Tool work immediately

See SETUP.md for flow diagrams and a detailed guide.

Using orchestrate in a Python venv

If you install the orchestrate CLI inside a Python virtual environment (e.g. pip install ibm-watsonx-orchestrate inside a venv), the extension needs to know where it is:

1. Settings → search orchestrateVenvPath (or WxO Toolkit)
2. Set Orchestrate Venv Path to your venv folder:
   • Workspace-relative: .venv or venv (if the venv is in your workspace root)
   • Absolute: /path/to/your/venv

The extension prepends venv/bin to PATH for all CLI operations. If you don't set this, Export/Import/Compare may fail with "orchestrate: command not found".

Settings