Mono Studio Extension Creator (MSCE)

The official command-line interface for scaffolding, building, packaging, and publishing extensions for the Mono Studio IDE.

MSCE provides an integrated toolchain that simplifies the extension development lifecycle. It includes a built-in bundler (powered by esbuild), a packaging engine for .msxt files, and a direct publishing pipeline to the Mono Studio Registry.

Features

• Interactive Scaffolding: Generate ready-to-use extension templates with standard directory structures and configuration files.
• Project Initialization: Seamlessly convert existing projects or migrate extensions to the Mono Studio build system without overwriting your source code.
• TypeScript & JavaScript Support: Native support for both languages with zero-configuration build pipelines.
• High-Performance Bundling: Fast compilation and minification using esbuild.
• Watch Mode: Automatic recompilation upon file changes for streamlined development.
• Automated Packaging: Validates the extension manifest and generates optimized .msxt distribution archives.
• Integrated Publishing: Direct upload to the Mono Studio Registry with interactive semantic version bumping.

Website

Mono Studio Website

Installation

You do not need to install the package globally to create a new project. You can use npx to execute the latest version directly:

npx @monostudio/msce

If you prefer to install the CLI globally on your system:

npm install -g @monostudio/msce

Quick Start

1. Scaffold a New Extension

Run the CLI tool and follow the interactive prompts to define your extension ID, publisher name, and preferred language.

npx @monostudio/msce

Navigate to the generated directory, install dependencies, and compile:

cd my-extension
npm install
npm run build

2. Initialize an Existing Project

If you already have a project or are migrating an extension from another IDE, navigate to your project folder and run the init command:

cd my-existing-extension
npx @monostudio/msce init
npm install

Directory Structure

A generated extension project follows this standard structure:

my-extension/
├── .mscode/
│   ├── types/            # Mono Studio API typings for IntelliSense
│   └── msce.js           # Local CLI execution engine
├── assets/
│   └── logo.png          # Extension icon
├── src/
│   └── main.ts           # Extension entry point
├── CHANGELOG.md          # Release history
├── LICENSE.txt           # Open source license
├── manifest.json         # Mono Studio extension configuration
├── package.json          # Node.js dependencies and scripts
└── README.md             # Extension documentation

Command Reference

The project includes standard npm scripts that execute the local .mscode/msce.js engine.

msce init (via npx @monostudio/msce init)

Initializes the MSCE toolchain in an existing project directory.

• Safely merges required build scripts and devDependencies into your package.json without overwriting existing data.
• Injects the local .mscode compiler engine and API typings.
• Auto-generates jsconfig.json or tsconfig.json for full @mscode/api IntelliSense and auto-completion.
• Updates .gitignore and smartly validates the icon path in your manifest.json.

npm run build

Compiles the source code from src/main.ts (or .js) into a single, minified ES module format at dist/main.js. It performs tree-shaking and excludes the mscode core API from the bundle.

npm run watch

Initiates a file watcher on the src/ and assets/ directories. It automatically triggers an incremental build whenever a file mutation is detected, allowing for real-time development.

npm run package

Executes the bundler and packages the extension into a compressed distribution file.

• Validates manifest.json to ensure all declared assets (icons, readmes, themes, snippets) exist.
• Injects the compiled source code.
• Outputs an archive named <publisher>.<extension-id>-v<version>.msxt.

npm run publish

Packages the extension and uploads it directly to the Mono Studio Registry.

• Prompts for an interactive semantic version bump (Patch, Custom, or Keep Current).
• Requires a Personal Access Token (PAT) for authentication.

Publishing Configuration

To publish an extension, you must provide an authentication token. You can pass this token in two ways:

Option 1: Using the CLI argument

npm run publish --token YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN

(Note: If running directly globally, use msce publish --token YOUR_PAT)

Option 2: Using an Environment Variable (Recommended) Export the token in your terminal profile or CI/CD environment:

export MSCE_TOKEN="YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN"
npm run publish

Contributing

For guidelines on contributing to the Mono Studio IDE or the MSCE CLI, please refer to the official documentation site.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.