ide extension
Purpose
VS Code/Cursor extension for analyst workflows and dashboard preview. This workstream builds the IDE integration that gives analysts a native editing experience: live dashboard preview as they write YAML, schema-aware autocomplete/intellisense for the Dataface YAML spec, inline validation errors, and quick-start scaffolding. The extension is the primary authoring surface for code-first analysts (complementing the cloud-suite browser UX). Adjacent to dft-core (which provides the rendering engine the preview calls) and mcp-analyst-agent (which provides AI-assisted generation within the IDE).
Owner
- Head of Engineering
Tasks by Milestone
A runnable prototype path exists for analyst authoring workflow in VS Code/Cursor with preview, diagnostics, and assist, with concrete artifacts that prove the flow works end-to-end in the current codebase. Core assumptions are documented, known constraints are explicit, and the team can explain what is real versus mocked without ambiguity.
- Prototype gaps and follow-on capture Completed — Document top gaps and risks in inspector/agent integration in IDE that must be addressed next.
- Prototype implementation path Completed — Implement a runnable end-to-end prototype path for editor + preview workflow.
- Prototype validation and proof Completed — Validate IDE diagnostics and guidance with concrete proof artifacts and repeatable steps.
Internal analysts can execute at least one weekly real workflow that depends on analyst authoring workflow in VS Code/Cursor with preview, diagnostics, and assist in the 5T Analytics environment, without bespoke engineering intervention for every run. Instrumentation and feedback capture are in place so failures, friction points, and adoption gaps are visible and triaged with owners.
- IDE extension usability hardening for internal analyst pilot CompletedPR #726PR at 2026-03-23T00:15:19-07:00 — Harden extension UX so YAML editing, validation, preview, and error recovery are smooth enough for non-engineer interna…
- Profiler surface in IDE extension is pilot-ready CompletedPR #728PR at 2026-03-23T00:16:46-07:00 — Deliver profiler and inspector surfaces in VS Code/Cursor extension with stable rendering, interactions, and fallback b…
- Enable internal analyst IDE flow Cancelled — Ship a stable VS Code/Cursor flow for YAML editing, validation, and preview in pilot usage.
- Open in browser regression coverage and shell-safe serve launch Completed — Add end-to-end openInBrowser regression tests and harden VS Code terminal command construction for project-dir paths.
- Split VS Code inspector runtime from webview controller Completed — Decompose apps/ide/vscode-extension/src/inspector/inspector-panel.ts by extracting server/runtime orchestration, naviga…
analyst authoring workflow in VS Code/Cursor with preview, diagnostics, and assist is hardened enough for regular use by multiple internal teams and initial design partners, with a predictable response loop for issues and requests. Quality expectations are documented, and prioritized improvements from real usage are actively incorporated into delivery.
- Adoption hardening for internal teams — Harden editor + preview workflow for repeated use across multiple internal teams and first design partners.
- Copilot + MCP dashboard and query workflow in extension — Enable a reliable Copilot-driven flow in the extension where MCP tools can generate and iterate on dashboards and SQL q…
- Design-partner feedback loop operations — Operationalize rapid feedback-to-fix loop for IDE diagnostics and guidance with explicit decision logs.
- Quality standards and guardrails — Define and enforce quality standards for inspector/agent integration in IDE to keep output consistent as contributors e…
- Unify IDE preview and inspector on one extension-managed dft serve — Design and implement a single extension-managed dft serve runtime for both preview and inspector so the IDE stops mixin…
Launch scope for analyst authoring workflow in VS Code/Cursor with preview, diagnostics, and assist is complete, externally explainable, and supportable: user-facing behavior is stable, documentation is publishable, and operational ownership is explicit. Remaining gaps are non-blocking, risk-assessed, and tracked as post-launch follow-up rather than unresolved launch debt.
- Launch docs and external readiness — Publish external-facing documentation and examples for IDE diagnostics and guidance that are executable by new users.
- Launch operations and reliability readiness — Finalize operational readiness for inspector/agent integration in IDE: telemetry, alerting, support ownership, and inci…
- Public launch scope completion — Complete launch-critical scope for editor + preview workflow with production-safe behavior and rollback clarity.
- Cross-dashboard changed charts view with canonical links — In the IDE extension, provide a unified view that lists every chart across all dashboards that is affected by changes:…
Post-launch stabilization is complete for analyst authoring workflow in VS Code/Cursor with preview, diagnostics, and assist: recurring incidents are reduced, support burden is lower, and quality gates are enforced consistently before release. The team has a repeatable operating model for maintenance, regression prevention, and measured reliability improvements.
- Regression prevention and quality gates — Add or enforce regression gates around IDE diagnostics and guidance so release quality is sustained automatically.
- Sustainable operating model — Document and adopt sustainable operating model for inspector/agent integration in IDE across support, triage, and relea…
- v1.0 stability and defect burn-down — Run stability program for editor + preview workflow with recurring defect burn-down and reliability trend tracking.
v1.2 delivers meaningful depth improvements in analyst authoring workflow in VS Code/Cursor with preview, diagnostics, and assist based on observed usage and retention signals, not just roadmap intent. Enhancements improve real customer outcomes, and release readiness is demonstrated through metrics, regression coverage, and clear migration guidance where relevant.
- Quality and performance improvements — Ship measurable quality/performance improvements in IDE diagnostics and guidance tied to user-facing outcomes.
- v1.2 depth expansion — Deliver depth expansion in editor + preview workflow prioritized by observed usage and retention outcomes.
- v1.2 release and migration readiness — Prepare v1.2 release/migration readiness for inspector/agent integration in IDE, including communication and upgrade gu…
Long-horizon opportunities for analyst authoring workflow in VS Code/Cursor with preview, diagnostics, and assist are captured as concrete hypotheses with user impact, prerequisites, and evaluation criteria. Ideas are ranked by strategic value and feasibility so future investment decisions can be made quickly with less rediscovery.
- Experiment design for future bets — Design validation experiments for inspector/agent integration in IDE so future bets can be tested before major investme…
- Future opportunity research — Capture long-horizon opportunities for editor + preview workflow with user impact and strategic fit.
- Prerequisite and dependency mapping — Map enabling prerequisites and dependencies for IDE diagnostics and guidance to reduce future startup cost.