CLion CMake Format - VS Code Extension

Professional CMake code formatter with CLion-compatible style for Visual Studio Code

💡 Need command-line formatting? Check out the cc-format CLI tool for CI/CD pipelines and terminal workflows!

📌 About This Project

CLion CMake Format is a VS Code extension that provides professional CMake code formatting based on JetBrains CLion's built-in formatting style. This extension is part of the CLion CMake Format project, which offers consistent CMake formatting across different development tools and environments.

Perfect for: Visual Studio Code users who want seamless editor integration with format-on-save, keyboard shortcuts, and visual configuration.

This extension uses the same core formatting engine (@cc-format/core) as the cc-format CLI tool, ensuring consistent formatting results whether you format files in your editor or via command line.

💡 Need to format CMake files in CI/CD or terminal? Install the cc-format CLI tool for command-line formatting, pre-commit hooks, and automated build systems!

Why Use This Extension?

⚡ Zero Dependencies - Pure TypeScript implementation, no external tools required
🎯 CLion-Compatible - Matches CLion's formatting rules exactly for consistent code style
🔧 Zero Setup - Install and format immediately with sensible defaults
🛠️ Highly Customizable - 23+ configuration options for complete control
📁 Project Config Support - Use .cc-format.jsonc files to share formatting rules with your team
🚀 Fast & Reliable - Instant formatting with idempotent results

🖼️ Visual Configuration Editor

Edit .cc-format.jsonc with a friendly visual editor inside VS Code.

Project Links

🌐 GitHub Repository — wysaid/clion-cmake-format
💻 CLI Tool — cc-format npm package
📚 Core Library — @cc-format/core for developers
📖 Full Documentation — GitHub Wiki

Installation

Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace or via:

code --install-extension wysaid.clion-cmake-format

Quick Start

Open a CMake file (.cmake or CMakeLists.txt)
Right-click and select "Format Document" or press Shift+Alt+F
The file will be formatted according to your configuration

Configuration

Create a .cc-format.jsonc file in your project root:

{
    // Indentation
    "indentSize": 4,
    "useTabs": false,
    "tabSize": 4,
    "continuationIndentSize": 8,

    // Spacing
    "spaceBeforeIfParentheses": true,
    "spaceBeforeForeachParentheses": true,
    "spaceBeforeWhileParentheses": true,

    // Formatting
    "commandCase": "lowercase",
    "lineLength": 120,
    "maxBlankLines": 2,
    "alignMultiLineArguments": false
}

Configuration Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
`indentSize`	number	4	Number of spaces for indentation
`useTabs`	boolean	false	Use tabs instead of spaces
`tabSize`	number	4	Number of spaces per tab
`continuationIndentSize`	number	8	Continuation line indent size
`commandCase`	string	unchanged	Command case: `unchanged`, `lowercase`, `uppercase`
`lineLength`	number	0	Maximum line length (0 for unlimited; min 30 for non-zero values)
`maxBlankLines`	number	2	Maximum consecutive blank lines
`alignMultiLineArguments`	boolean	false	Align multi-line arguments

VS Code Settings

You can also configure the formatter in VS Code settings (.vscode/settings.json):

{
    "clionCMakeFormatter.indentSize": 4,
    "clionCMakeFormatter.commandCase": "lowercase",
    "clionCMakeFormatter.lineLength": 120,
    "clionCMakeFormatter.enableProjectConfig": true
}

Configuration priority (highest to lowest):

Project config (.cc-format.jsonc in workspace root)
VS Code workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json)
VS Code user settings
Default options

Note: Project-level .cc-format.jsonc files take precedence over VS Code settings to ensure team-wide consistency. To disable this behavior, set "clionCMakeFormatter.enableProjectConfig": false.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Format Document - Shift+Alt+F (or Shift+Option+F on macOS)
Format Selection - Ctrl+K Ctrl+F (or Cmd+K Cmd+F on macOS)

Commands

CMake Format: Format Document - Format the current CMake file
CMake Format: Create Config - Generate a .cc-format.jsonc template

Project Configuration

Place a .cc-format.jsonc file in your project root to apply formatting rules to the entire project:

// .cc-format.jsonc
{
    "indentSize": 4,
    "commandCase": "lowercase",
    "lineLength": 100
}

Examples

Before

project(MyProject)
set(SOURCES src/main.cpp src/util.cpp src/config.cpp)
add_executable(myapp ${SOURCES})
target_link_libraries(myapp PRIVATE pthread)

After (with default formatting)

project(MyProject)
set(SOURCES
    src/main.cpp
    src/util.cpp
    src/config.cpp
)
add_executable(myapp ${SOURCES})
target_link_libraries(myapp PRIVATE pthread)

Troubleshooting

Extension not formatting files

Check that the file is recognized as CMake (should show cmake in the bottom right)
Verify VS Code has a formatter registered for CMake files
Check the extension output panel for error messages
Ensure the file extension is .cmake or the filename is CMakeLists.txt

Configuration not being applied

Ensure .cc-format.jsonc is in the workspace root (where you opened the folder in VS Code)
Check that clionCMakeFormatter.enableProjectConfig is true in settings
Reload VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window") to refresh the configuration
Check for syntax errors in your .cc-format.jsonc file

Format on Save not working

Verify editor.formatOnSave is true for CMake files:

{
  "[cmake]": {
    "editor.formatOnSave": true,
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "wysaid.clion-cmake-format"
  }
}

Check that no other CMake formatter extension is conflicting
Try manually formatting (Shift+Alt+F) to verify the extension is working

@cc-format/core — Core formatting engine for integration into your own tools
cc-format — Command-line interface for CI/CD pipelines, pre-commit hooks, and terminal usage
- Install globally: npm install -g cc-format
- Perfect for automated build systems, Git hooks, and developers who prefer terminal workflows

License

MIT

CLion CMake Format

wysaid