Protobuf Tools

Protobuf Tools is a lightweight Visual Studio Code extension for .proto files — no separate language server, just the editor features you need, plus optional protoc validation and protolint linting.

Syntax highlighting and outline for gRPC-oriented .proto files:

Completion for scalar types, messages, enums, and service authoring:

Features

• Syntax highlighting for .proto
• Snippets for file headers, messages, enums, services, RPCs, and imports
• Completion for top-level keywords, message/service bodies, scalar types, common options, and local message/enum names
• Go to Definition for imports, messages, enums, and services
• Rename across the current file plus directly related imported/importing proto files
• Document Symbols / Outline for messages, enums, enum values, services, RPCs, oneofs, and fields
• Renumber Fields/Enum Values command
• protoc diagnostics on save
• Optional protolint diagnostics on save
• proto3: Compile This Proto
• proto3: Compile All Protos
• proto3: Lint This Proto
• clang-format document formatting
• Markdown fenced-code highlighting for proto and protobuf

Validation And Linting

Protobuf Tools supports two complementary feedback loops:

• protoc validation for compile errors
• protolint linting for style and protobuf rule violations

If your team already uses protolint in CI, enable protolint.lint_on_save to surface the same rule feedback directly inside VS Code.

Commands

Command	Description
proto3: Compile This Proto	Compile the active .proto file with configured protoc arguments.
proto3: Compile All Protos	Compile every .proto file under the configured compile root.
proto3: Lint This Proto	Run protolint against the active .proto file.
proto3: Renumber Fields/Enum Values	Renumber message fields from 1 or enum values from 0 in the current scope.

Settings

The extension keeps the old protoc.* settings shape so migration is straightforward.

{
  "protoc.path": "protoc",
  "protoc.options": [
    "--proto_path=${workspaceRoot}/proto",
    "--go_out=gen/go"
  ],
  "protoc.compile_on_save": false,
  "protoc.renumber_on_save": false,
  "protoc.compile_all_path": "",
  "protoc.use_absolute_path": false,
  "protolint.path": "protolint",
  "protolint.lint_on_save": false,
  "clang-format.style": "file",
  "clang-format.executable": "clang-format"
}

Enable protolint on save with:

{
  "protolint.path": "protolint",
  "protolint.lint_on_save": true
}

Supported variables

• ${workspaceRoot}
• ${env.NAME}
• ${config.some.setting}

Behavior Notes

• Diagnostics come from protoc, not from a custom semantic engine.
• protolint integration is optional and disabled by default.
• If protolint is not installed, the extension warns and continues without lint results.
• Rename is intentionally conservative in scope: current file plus directly related proto files.
• Compile All recursively scans the configured directory for .proto files.
• Formatting requires clang-format to be installed locally.

Limits

This extension does not implement:

• a full language server
• semantic references / hover / code actions
• build-system-specific buf or Bazel integration
• gRPC request execution or schema testing

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm test

Package a VSIX with:

npm run package:vsix

About Glubean

Protobuf Tools is maintained by Glubean and stays focused on .proto authoring inside VS Code.

If you later need workflow-oriented API or gRPC testing, Glubean will be the broader product surface. This extension is intentionally the lightweight editor entry point.

Contributing

Protobuf Tools is AI-first by design.

If you want to contribute a feature or fix, we strongly prefer small pull requests that are drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed by a human who understands the result. Clear scope, clear explanation, and easy verification matter more than big rewrites.