VS Code Plugin

The Archgate VS Code plugin gives AI agents working in VS Code a structured governance workflow. Agents read your ADRs before writing code, validate after, and capture new patterns for the team — the same workflow available in the Claude Code plugin.

How it works

VS Code supports agent plugins installed from git-based marketplaces. The Archgate plugin is served from a git repository at plugins.archgate.dev/archgate-vscode.git. When you add this marketplace to your VS Code user settings, VS Code discovers and installs the plugin automatically.

The plugin is served in VS Code Copilot’s native .github/plugin/ manifest format, separate from the Claude Code .claude-plugin/ format.

Installation

VS Code version requirement

Agent plugins require VS Code 1.110 (February 2026 release) or later. Earlier versions do not support git-based agent plugin marketplaces. Check your version with code --version.

Beta access required

The VS Code plugin is currently in beta. Sign up at plugins.archgate.dev to get access before following the steps below.

1. Log in with GitHub

Authenticate with your GitHub account to obtain a plugin token:

archgate login

This starts a GitHub Device Flow. The CLI displays a one-time code and URL — open the URL in your browser, enter the code, and authorize. Once complete, credentials are stored in ~/.archgate/credentials.

2. Initialize your project with the plugin

Run archgate init with the --editor vscode flag:

archgate init --editor vscode

If you are already logged in, this command:

1. Creates the .archgate/ governance directory (ADRs, lint rules)
2. Adds the authenticated marketplace URL to your VS Code user settings

The chat.plugins.marketplaces setting is application-scoped in VS Code, so it cannot be set per-workspace. The CLI automatically writes it to your user-level settings.json:

Platform	User settings path
Windows	%APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json
Linux	~/.config/Code/User/settings.json

To explicitly request plugin installation:

archgate init --editor vscode --install-plugin

To install or reinstall the plugin on an already-initialized project:

archgate plugin install --editor vscode

Generated files

The command creates or updates the following:

File	Scope	Purpose
User settings.json	User	chat.plugins.marketplaces with the authenticated URL

The user settings file is merged additively — existing settings are never overwritten. VS Code’s built-in default marketplaces (github/copilot-plugins, github/awesome-copilot) are preserved when the key is set for the first time.

The user-level marketplace setting (added to your settings.json):

{
  "chat.plugins.marketplaces": [
    "https://<github-user>:<token>@plugins.archgate.dev/archgate-vscode.git"
  ]
}

Manual setup

If you prefer not to let the CLI modify your user settings, you can add the marketplace URL manually. Open VS Code’s user settings JSON (Ctrl+Shift+P → “Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)”) and add the chat.plugins.marketplaces entry shown above. You can find your authenticated URL by running archgate login and checking ~/.archgate/credentials.

What the plugin provides

The plugin adds an agent and role-based skills to VS Code’s AI. The agent orchestrates the governance workflow, invoking skills as needed.

Agent

Agent	Purpose
archgate:developer	General development agent that reads ADRs before coding and validates after

The archgate:developer agent is set as the default agent via the plugin settings. It orchestrates the skills below automatically as part of its workflow.

Skills

Skill	Purpose
archgate:architect	Validates code changes against all project ADRs for structural compliance
archgate:quality-manager	Reviews rule coverage and proposes new ADRs when patterns emerge
archgate:adr-author	Creates and edits ADRs following project conventions
archgate:onboard	One-time setup: explores the codebase, interviews the developer, creates initial ADRs

Initial setup with onboard

After installation, run the archgate:onboard skill in your project once. This skill:

1. Explores your codebase structure (directories, key files, package configuration)
2. Interviews you about your team’s conventions, constraints, and architectural decisions
3. Creates an initial set of ADRs based on your responses
4. Sets up the .archgate/ directory with your first rules

The onboard skill is designed to run once per project. After onboarding, the other skills handle day-to-day development.

How it works in practice

The plugin follows a structured workflow for every coding task:

1. Read applicable ADRs

When the developer gives a coding task, the agent runs archgate review-context to read all ADRs that apply to the files being changed. This provides a condensed briefing with the Decision and Do’s and Don’ts sections from each relevant ADR.

2. Write code following ADR constraints

The agent writes code that complies with the constraints from the ADRs. The Do’s and Don’ts sections serve as concrete guardrails.

3. Validate changes

After writing code, the agent runs archgate check to execute automated rules against the changes. Any violations are fixed before proceeding.

4. Architect review

The agent invokes archgate:architect to validate structural ADR compliance beyond what automated rules catch.

5. Capture learnings

The agent invokes archgate:quality-manager to review the work and identify patterns worth capturing as new ADRs.

Tips

• Each developer runs archgate init --editor vscode after archgate login to configure their user-level marketplace URL.
• Run onboard once per project to generate your initial ADRs from your actual codebase.
• Keep ADR rule files up to date — the agent enforces what the rules check for.