Installation

There are three ways to install the VS Code MDL extension.

Option 1: mxcli init (Recommended)

Running mxcli init on a Mendix project automatically installs the VS Code extension along with skills, commands, and configuration files:

mxcli init /path/to/my-mendix-project

The command copies the bundled .vsix file into the project and installs it into VS Code. This is the recommended approach because it also sets up the full AI-assisted development environment.

Option 2: Manual VSIX Install

If you already have the VSIX file (e.g., from the mxcli build artifacts), install it directly:

code --install-extension vscode-mdl/vscode-mdl-*.vsix

Or from the VS Code Command Palette:

1. Open Extensions: Install from VSIX… (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Navigate to the .vsix file
3. Click Install

Option 3: Build from Source

If you are developing or modifying the extension:

# Requires bun (not npm/node)
cd vscode-mdl
bun install
bun run compile

# Package as VSIX
make vscode-ext

# Install the built VSIX
make vscode-install

Note: The VS Code extension build toolchain uses bun, not npm or node. The Makefile targets make vscode-ext and make vscode-install handle this automatically.

Verifying the Installation

After installation, open any .mdl file in VS Code. You should see:

1. Syntax highlighting – MDL keywords like CREATE, SHOW, and DESCRIBE are colored
2. Parse diagnostics – Syntax errors appear as red underlines immediately
3. Status bar – The MDL language server status appears in the bottom bar

Configuring the Extension

Open VS Code settings (Ctrl+,) and search for “MDL”:

Example settings.json:

{
  "mdl.mxcliPath": "./mxcli",
  "mdl.mprPath": "./app.mpr"
}

Dev Container Setup

When using mxcli init, a .devcontainer/ configuration is also created. Opening the project in VS Code and choosing Reopen in Container gives you a sandboxed environment with:

The VS Code extension is automatically available inside the dev container.