repowiseVS Code extension
The Repowise extension brings the local index into VS Code — editor-native health signals, refactoring CodeLens, branch risk, in-editor dashboards — and registers the Repowise MCP server so the same index serves both you and your AI agent.
The Repowise extension brings the local index into your editor and registers
the Repowise MCP server with VS Code, so the same index serves both you and
your AI coding agent. It is a thin client over the local repowise CLI and
server: everything is computed on your machine and nothing about your code
leaves it through the extension.
This extension drives the local, self-hosted server (the index under
.repowise/). If you use the hosted platform and want your agent to reach the
managed MCP endpoint instead, see Connecting your IDE —
no local index required.
Install
Install the CLI
pip install repowise
# or
uv tool install repowisePython 3.11+ required. Verify with repowise --version.
Install the extension
From the VS Code Marketplace (search Repowise, publisher repowise-dev),
or from Open VSX for VS Code forks.
Set up the repository
Open a repository and run Repowise: Set Up This Repository to build the index, or follow the Get Started with Repowise walkthrough.
The extension activates only in trusted workspaces and does no work at startup
beyond registering its commands. It discovers a running server from the
lockfile under .repowise/, or offers to start one when you first need data.
What it surfaces
Editor-native signals
- Diagnostics for the files you open, published to the Problems panel. Quiet by default: only high-severity findings, capped at Warning. Lower-severity findings live in the gutter and tree views.
- Gutter heat: a severity-tiered strip next to lines with findings in the visible editor.
- File health in the status bar: defect, maintainability, and performance scores for the active file. See Code health.
- File explorer badges on the worst-health files (threshold configurable).
- Refactoring CodeLens above symbols with a detected plan, including Copy plan for agent — the same payload the web Refactoring tab produces.
- Hovers with file health, hotspot flag, primary owner, and governing decisions.
- Branch risk from the SCM title bar: score the current branch against its base, with the drivers behind the score.
Tree views
A single Repowise activity-bar container with a Home overview, a Findings tree (health, hotspots, ownership, dead code), and a Refactoring tree. All lazy: data is fetched on first expand and refreshed only when the index moves.
Dashboards
Editor-tab webviews rendered from the same shared visualization library the web app uses (no duplicated components): health overview, C4 architecture, knowledge graph (with node search, path finder, and community detail), refactoring plans, decision timeline, and a docs browser.
MCP for your AI agent
One install registers the Repowise MCP server with VS Code, so agent-mode
assistants query the index through the nine task-shaped tools
instead of guessing from open files. For editors that read a config file, run
Repowise: Configure MCP for this Workspace to write .vscode/mcp.json.
Settings
| Setting | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
repowise.server.autoStart | ask | Start the local server automatically, ask first, or never |
repowise.server.port | discover | Override the server port instead of using lockfile discovery |
repowise.cliPath | PATH | Absolute path to the repowise executable |
repowise.diagnostics.enabled | true | Show health findings in the Problems panel |
repowise.diagnostics.minSeverity | high | Lowest severity surfaced in the Problems panel |
repowise.diagnostics.dimensions | all | Health dimensions included in the Problems panel |
repowise.gutterHeat.enabled | true | Shade the gutter next to findings |
repowise.fileDecorations.enabled | true | Badge the worst-health files in the explorer |
repowise.codeLens.enabled | true | Show refactoring plan lenses |
repowise.hover.enabled | true | Show file health context on hover |
repowise.risk.baseBranch | default branch | Base branch for branch risk scoring |
Privacy
The extension talks only to the local Repowise CLI and server on your machine
and reads the index under .repowise/. It sends no telemetry of its own. The
CLI's own telemetry opt-out is respected because the extension itself sends
nothing.
Learn more
- Quickstart — install the CLI and build your first index.
- The nine MCP tools — what your agent can ask for.
- Connecting your IDE — the hosted MCP endpoint for other editors.
How it works
The five intelligence layers Repowise computes and how they fit together.
Hosted platform
Everything the managed platform adds on top of the OSS engine — zero-ops indexing, push-sync, AI docs and chat, the security suite, team portfolio intelligence, and alerting — with a plan ladder from free to enterprise.