Edit IOModel models and specs in your editor with navigation, rendering, and live validation.
The IOModel extension brings the Studio experience into VS Code and Cursor. You browse models and docs, view rendered model and spec pages, get autocomplete for model YAML and MDX, and validate without leaving the editor.
What the extension provides
| Capability | In the editor |
|---|---|
| Model navigation | List of models and the object tree for a selected model |
| Docs navigation | List of groups and the document tree |
| Object view | A /model-style rendered page when you select an object |
| Doc view | MDX rendered like the /docs page when you select a document |
| IntelliSense | Auto-completion, schema validation, and hover docs for YAML and MDX |
| Live preview | Rendered diagram and spec next to your source |
| Validation | IOModel compiler diagnostics in the Problems panel, with quick-fixes |
Attachment files live on disk in _attachments/ next to the page or handbook, same layout as Studio. The sidebar still shows the semantic tree (objects, workflows, spec pages). A Show files overlay for those folders is not in this release — use the editor’s Explorer for PNGs and other sidecars. The extension is not published to the Marketplace yet; install from a .vsix when your team provides one.
Working in the editor
Open a Git-project
Open a Git-project folder in VS Code or Cursor.
Browse models and docs
Use the navigation panels to move through the model object tree and the document tree.
Edit with feedback
Author YAML and MDX with autocomplete; preview rendered objects and docs.
Validate
Diagnostics in the Problems panel
The extension runs the same IOModel compiler that powers the CLI and CI. Broken links, schema violations, and spec errors appear in the Problems panel with file, line, and column — click to jump straight to the mistake, and apply quick-fixes for common model and link errors without leaving the editor. Re-validation is scoped to the file you edit, so feedback stays fast. These are the same checks described in Model Validation.
AI clients via MCP
Cursor and other MCP-compatible clients can connect to the project through the IOModel MCP integration, giving AI structured access to the model and specs. See AI Workflows.
Use the editor for focused authoring next to code, and Studio for collaborative review. The extension and Studio operate on the same content model.
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