Skip to content
ArchTect Docs

VS Code Extension

The VS Code extension is the recommended way to use ArchTect. It integrates directly into your editor with full Copilot support.

Installation

Section titled “Installation”
  1. Open VS Code.
  2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
  3. Search for ArchTect.
  4. Click Install.

Opening a DSL file

Section titled “Opening a DSL file”

The simplest way to start:

  1. Create or open a .dsl file in VS Code.
  2. The ArchTect icon appears in the editor title bar (top right).
  3. Click the icon to open the visual canvas editor.
Method Steps
Editor title icon Open a .dsl file → click the ArchTect icon in the title bar
Explorer context menu Right-click a .dsl file → ArchTect: Open with ArchTect
Explorer context menu (folder) Right-click a project folder → ArchTect: Open Project

Command Palette commands

Section titled “Command Palette commands”

These commands are always available in the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

Command Description
ArchTect: New Project Create a new workspace with wizard
ArchTect: Open Generation Center Open the documentation generation center
ArchTect: Open User Guide Open the ArchTect user guide
ArchTect: Show Copilot Diagnostics Debug AI integration issues

When the ArchTect editor is active, additional commands are available via the ArchTect menu in the menu bar:

Command Description
ArchTect: Save Save the current project
ArchTect: Export PNG Export current view as PNG
ArchTect: Export SVG Export current view as SVG
ArchTect: Create View Create a new view
ArchTect: Edit Architecture Info Edit workspace-level metadata
ArchTect: Generate Documentation Generate arc42 documentation
ArchTect: Validate Architecture Run DSL validation

See VS Code Commands for the full list.

AI and Copilot integration

Section titled “AI and Copilot integration”

ArchTect includes a Copilot chat participant — type @archtect in the Copilot chat to ask questions about your model, get DSL suggestions, or generate documentation.

The extension also provides an in-app AI chat panel for modeling assistance without leaving the editor — see AI Chat.

File types

Section titled “File types”
File Purpose
*.dsl Structurizr DSL model definition
*.nbc4 ArchTect native project file

See File Types for details.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”