vscode-proto3

Protobuf 3 support for Visual Studio Code — syntax, validation, snippets, and quick compile/renumber workflows.

⚠️ Project is no longer maintained. Please consider using Protobuf VSC instead. This extension will receive no further updates and is marked as deprecated on the VS Code Marketplace. A big thank you to all users and contributors!

Highlights

• Fast syntax highlighting and validation for .proto
• IntelliSense-style completion and snippets
• Compile current/all protos via protoc
• One-click renumbering for fields and enums
• Formatting via clang-format

Commands

Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run:

Command	Description
proto3: Compile All Protos	Compile all workspace protos using configured protoc.options.
proto3: Compile This Proto	Compile the active proto using configured protoc.options.
proto3: Renumber Fields/Enum Values	Renumber fields from 1 and enum values from 0 in the current scope.

Renumbering

While inside a message or enum, run proto3: Renumber Fields/Enum Values. Tags are rewritten so fields count up from 1 and enums from 0.

Snippets

prefix	body
sp2	syntax = "proto2";
sp3	syntax = "proto3";
pkg	package package.name;
imp	import "path/to/other/protos.proto";
ojp	option java_package = "java.package.name";
ojoc	option java_outer_classname = "ClassName";
o4s	option optimize_for = SPEED;
o4cs	option optimize_for = CODE_SIZE;
o4lr	option optimize_for = LITE_RUNTIME;
odep	option deprecated = true;
oaa	option allow_alias = true;
msg	message MessageName {}
fbo	bool field_name = tag;
fi32	int32 field_name = tag;
fi64	int64 field_name = tag;
fu32	uint32 field_name = tag;
fu64	uint64 field_name = tag;
fs32	sint32 field_name = tag;
fs64	sint64 field_name = tag;
ff32	fixed32 field_name = tag;
ff64	fixed64 field_name = tag;
fsf32	sfixed32 field_name = tag;
fsf64	sfixed64 field_name = tag;
ffl	float field_name = tag;
fdo	double field_name = tag;
fst	string field_name = tag;
fby	bytes field_name = tag;
fm	map<key, val> field_name = tag;
foo	oneof name {}
en	enum EnumName {}
sv	service ServiceName {}
rpc	rpc MethodName (Request) returns (Response);
svgapi	Google API standard methods

Formatting

• Runs clang-format if available. Configure via settings:

{
  "clang-format.style": "google",
  "clang-format.executable": "clang-format"
}

Configuration

Example .vscode/settings.json (see example/.vscode):

{
  "protoc": {
    "path": "/path/to/protoc",
    "compile_on_save": false,
    "options": [
      "--proto_path=protos/v3",
      "--proto_path=protos/v2",
      "--proto_path=${workspaceRoot}/proto",
      "--proto_path=${env.GOPATH}/src",
      "--java_out=gen/java"
    ]
  }
}

Field	Type	Default	Description
path	string	protoc in PATH	Protoc binary path.
compile_on_save	boolean	false	Compile current file on save.
renumber_on_save	boolean	false	Renumber fields/enums on save.
compile_all_path	string	Workspace root	Search path for Compile All.
use_absolute_path	boolean	false	Use absolute paths when searching.
options	string[]	[]	Protoc flags for validation/compilation.

Inline variables supported: config.*, env.*, workspaceRoot.

Development

• Install dependencies: npm install
• Local checks: npm run verify (lint, markdown lint, format check, tests with --forbid-only)
• Build/package: npm run package:vsix
• Release: push a tag v*.*.* to trigger CI packaging and GitHub release attachment (no marketplace publish)

Troubleshooting

• spawnsync clang-format enoent: install clang-format (brew install clang-format on macOS) or update clang-format.executable.
• Auto-complete may be limited in complex scopes; please file an issue with a minimal repro.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING. PRs that add tests and keep npm run verify passing are welcome.

Top contributors

See the full list on GitHub in the contributors graph.

Release Notes

See CHANGELOG.md.