Knip Editor Extension for VS Code/Open VSX

The Knip Editor Extension for VS Code/Open VSX is powered by Knip: Find unused files, dependencies, and exports in your JavaScript/TypeScript projects.

• Website: knip.dev
• GitHub repo: webpro-nl/knip
• Follow @webpro.nl on Bluesky for updates
• Blogpost: Knip for Editors & Agents
• Sponsor Knip

What Is This?

The usual suspects like red squiggles for unused exports are there. What really moves the needle for DX with Knip's module graph is navigation. A completely unique way to view & fly through codebases for developers who care. Connect the dots during development and refactors, while keeping things in check. We're starting out with 3 key features:

1. Hover over Export for import & usage locations
2. Imports Tree View for direct links to implementations
3. Exports Tree View for direct links to import & usage locations

Features

• Diagnostics for unused files, dependencies, and exports
• Hover on exports to see import locations
• Tree views for imports and exports
• Code actions to fix or ignore issues
• CodeLens showing import counts for exports

MCP Tools

The extension provides MCP tools for coding agents:

• knip-configure — Run Knip and configure
• knip-docs — Get Knip documentation by topic

In other words, you can tell your coding agent to "configure knip" and it will RTFM so you don't have to. Using a newer model results in an optimized knip.json file and an uncluttered codebase.

Screenshots

• Lint Findings
• Imports & Exports
• Contention
  • Circular Dependencies
  • Ambiguous
  • Shadowed
  • Converged
• VS Code Extension Settings

Lint Findings

Imports & Exports

Contention

The extension shows circular dependencies and three kinds of export contention: ambiguous, shadowed, and converged.

Circular Dependencies

If an import is part of a circular dependency, Knip will display:

Ambiguous

Different bindings compete for the same name, with no winner. Knip lists the competing bindings.

Shadowed

An explicit export hides bindings from export *. Knip labels the site as "shadowing" and lists the winning and hidden bindings.

Converged

The same binding arrives through multiple re-export paths. Knip shows where those paths meet and the binding they share.

VS Code Extension Settings