Installation

VS Code Marketplace

Command Line

Install from a downloaded .vsix file using the terminal:

code --install-extension path/to/cerial-0.1.0.vsix

This works with VS Code, VS Code Insiders (code-insiders), and Cursor (cursor).

Manual VSIX Install

1. Download the .vsix file from the GitHub Releases page
2. Open VS Code
3. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
4. Click the ... menu at the top of the Extensions panel
5. Select Install from VSIX...
6. Choose the downloaded .vsix file

You can also find the latest extension release and download link in the extension release notes.

Compatible Editors

The extension works with any editor built on VS Code's extension API:

• VS Code (1.96.0+)
• VS Code Insiders
• Cursor
• Other VS Code-compatible editors that support the Language Server Protocol

Activation

The extension activates automatically when you open a .cerial file. There's nothing to configure or enable manually. The activation event is onLanguage:cerial, so the extension stays dormant until you actually work with a Cerial schema.

Verify the Installation

After installing, open any .cerial file in your project. You should see:

• Syntax highlighting on all keywords, types, and decorators
• Cerial shown as the language in the bottom status bar
• Completions appearing as you type inside a model or object block

If highlighting doesn't appear, check that the file extension is .cerial and that no other extension is claiming the file type. You can verify the active language mode by clicking the language indicator in the status bar and confirming it says "Cerial".