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Ready An Extension via CLI

To make extension development frictionless, Mono Studio provides a powerful scaffolding tool called MSCE (@monostudio/msce). You do not need to create folders and configuration files manually; our CLI generator sets up the perfect boilerplate tailored to your specific needs.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, ensure you have Node.js (version 20.0 or higher) and npm installed on your system. You can verify this by running the following commands in your terminal:

node -v
npm -v

Installation​

If you plan to build extensions frequently, we highly recommend installing the CLI globally on your machine. Run the following command:

npm install -g @monostudio/msce

Once installed globally, you can launch the tool from anywhere using just the msce command.

Initializing the Generator​

Open your terminal and run the following command to start the interactive Mono Studio CLI Extension (MSCE) creator:

If installed globally:

msce

If you prefer using npx (without global installation):

npx @monostudio/msce

Once executed, the CLI will guide you through a series of configuration steps.

Step 1: Choose a Template​

The CLI offers multiple starter templates depending on what you want to build. It intelligently categorizes them into code-based extensions and data-only extensions:

  • Basic: Hello World starter — minimal command extension.
  • Sidebar: Custom sidebar panel with activity bar icon.
  • Color Theme: Workbench color theme pack (data-only, no script).
  • Icon Theme: File icon theme pack (data-only, no script).
  • Menu Option: Add custom options in existing or custom menus.
  • Snippets: Code snippet pack for any language (data-only).

Step 2: Select a Language​

Note: This prompt only appears if you selected a template that requires a runtime script (like Basic or Sidebar).

You can choose your preferred development language:

  • JavaScript (Default)
  • TypeScript (Automatically configures tsconfig.json and dev dependencies)

Step 3: Extension Details​

You will be prompted to provide metadata for your extension. This data automatically populates your manifest.json and package.json.

[3] Extension details
? Extension ID (publisher.extension-name): mono.my-extension
? Display name: My Extension
? Short description: A Mono Studio extension.
? Author / publisher: mono
? Output folder name: my-extension

Step 4: License Selection​

Select an open-source or proprietary license for your project. The CLI will automatically generate the corresponding LICENSE.txt file.

  • MIT
  • Apache-2.0
  • GPL-3.0
  • ISC
  • Proprietary

Post-Generation Workflow​

Once the CLI finishes generating your files, it will output a success message along with the commands needed to start developing.

✔ Created my-extension/

  cd my-extension
  npm install

  npm run build       # compile once
  npm run watch       # compile + watch
  npm run package     # validate + bundle → release/*.msxt

Understanding the Build Scripts​

Your generated package.json comes pre-configured with essential scripts:

  1. npm run watch: Starts the compiler in watch mode. It listens for changes in your src/ directory and automatically recompiles your code, which is highly recommended during active development.
  2. npm run build: Compiles your source code into the out/ directory for production readiness.
  3. npm run package: The final step. It uses the CLI to bundle your code, assets, and manifest.json into a single .msxt (Mono Studio Extension) file, ready to be installed or published.