Protobuf support for VS Code, by Zovo: syntax highlighting, a formatter that keeps every comment, go to definition, find references and error marks that match protoc. For proto2, proto3 and editions (2023, 2024). It runs offline with its own parser, so there is no protoc, no language server and no setup.
Free, with no sign-in and no network
- Highlighting for
.proto files and for proto code blocks in Markdown.
- Format Document: one statement per line, the indentation of your editor, single spaces around
=. Comments, blank-line groups and your line breaks in long statements stay where they were. A file with a syntax error is left alone. Works with format on save.
- Go to definition and find references across imports, with the protobuf scoping rules (nested types, packages, leading
.). Ctrl or Cmd click an import to open the file.
- Diagnostics with the protoc wording: duplicate field numbers (with the next free number), unknown types, types used without their import, reserved numbers and names, field numbers out of range, proto3 rules (first enum value 0, no
required, no defaults), editions rules, enum aliases, map keys, oneof labels, extension ranges. Unused imports are faded.
- No false red marks: when an import is not in your workspace, the extension says so on the import line and does not guess about the types it would bring.
- Outline, breadcrumbs and Go to Symbol in workspace for messages, fields, enums, services and methods.
- Hover a type to see its fields and its comment. Completion for types, keywords, options, import paths and the next free field number after
=.
- Built-in names for the well-known types (
google/protobuf/timestamp.proto and the others).
Zovo Pro: USD 19 once, for the Pro tools of every Zovo extension. Each tool has 3 free tries first, with no account.
- Check breaking changes against git: compares your .proto files with main (or a branch you set) and lists removed fields, changed numbers, types and labels, renamed fields and enum values, and removed or changed methods. Each finding says whether it breaks binary data, JSON or only generated code. Saves a JSON file for CI.
- Generate API docs: one Markdown file or one self-contained HTML page with every service, method (and its HTTP route), message, field and enum, with your comments.
- Decode a binary message: protobuf bytes from a file, hex or base64 become readable JSON with your schema (field names, enums, maps, nested messages, packed fields), or with field numbers only. A gRPC frame header is removed for you.
The Pro tools are in the editor right-click menu of a .proto file and in the Explorer right-click menu (folders, .proto files, and .bin or .pb files for the decoder).
How to use
- Open a folder with
.proto files. Highlighting and the outline start at once.
- Format with Shift+Alt+F (Shift+Option+F on macOS), or turn on
editor.formatOnSave.
- F12 on a type or an import goes to its definition. Shift+F12 lists its uses.
- If your imports start from a folder such as
proto/ or third_party/, the extension finds them by walking up from each file. For other roots, add them to zovoProto.importPaths, as you would with protoc -I.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
What it does |
zovoProto.importPaths |
[] |
Extra import roots, like protoc -I. Relative paths start at the workspace folder. |
zovoProto.diagnostics |
true |
Show the protoc-style errors in open files. |
zovoProto.unusedImports |
true |
Fade imports that nothing uses. |
zovoProto.maxFiles |
5000 |
How many .proto files to index. |
zovoProto.exclude |
node_modules, bazel-*, .git |
Folders not to index. |
zovoProto.baseBranch |
(auto) |
Branch for the breaking-change check. |
Privacy
The extension reads files on your computer and nothing else. It makes no network requests and has no telemetry. The breaking-change check runs your local git. The Pro tools write files only where you choose.
Known limits
- Custom option names are checked for their import but not against the extension's field type.
- The editions feature checks cover
enum_type, labels, packed and groups. Other feature rules are left to protoc.
- The formatter keeps your line breaks inside long statements. It does not wrap long lines and does not align
= in columns.
- Formatting needs a file that parses. Fix the error the Problems panel shows first.
Support Zovo
Zovo Pro: USD 19 once, every Zovo viewer. Get Zovo Pro on GitHub Sponsors to turn on the Pro tools in this extension and in the other Zovo extensions you use. The free features stay free.
Zovo extensions have no ads and no tracking. They are made by theluckystrike on GitHub. You can also support the work with no Pro:
Open a format request with a sample file, and I reply there whether it can be done. For USD 299 once, through this GitHub Sponsors tier, I add your file format or a missing feature to this extension, with tests, within 7 days.
See all Zovo extensions on the Marketplace.
License
MIT
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