03 · Engineering tools for VS Code
Engineering tools for VS Code
Your whole toolchain, inside the editor.
Each tool keeps its files in git and ships a command line that scripts and agents drive.
| Tool | What it does | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| HDL Studio | VHDL on GHDL and Vivado: a debugger that steps through simulation time in both directions, a WebGL signal viewer, the Vivado flow to a programmed board, a block design editor; hdl CLI with --json |
Free; Pro $35 per seat per month |
| Electronic Workbench | Schematic and PCB design on native KiCad files: live ERC and DRC, push-and-shove routing, ngspice simulation, Gerber engine, 3D view; ewb CLI and MCP server |
v1.6.0 |
| UI Designer | A Figma-class design tool: one .design file next to the code, and a ud command line that gives Claude Code and your scripts every editor command |
Free; Pro 4.00 a month; Team 15.00 a month |
| Browser DevTools | A self-contained browser workbench: live server, Elements, Styles, Console, Network, Performance, Memory, Storage, Accessibility | Free, Pro by subscription |
| Project Board | Backlog, milestones, Kanban, requirements, reports and an assistant in one .pb file; pb CLI |
Reading free for ever; Pro €4 a month |
| Software Board | UML 2.5 for software architecture, one .uml file next to the code; uml CLI |
In development |
| Perf Analyser | Line heatmaps from perf and py-spy, an interactive flame graph | Free; Pro $12 a month |
| Control Dashboard, cx-db Store Editor, Custom Actions | Live telemetry dashboards for industrial signal buses; a live tree editor for cx-db stores; Command Palette actions as plain JavaScript files |