VS Code Extension
Install the Bruin VS Code extension and explore its key features for visual pipeline development.
What you'll do
Install the Bruin VS Code extension and learn what it can do.
Why this step matters
The VS Code extension turns your editor into a full pipeline development environment. Instead of switching between the terminal, a database client, and a diagramming tool, you get everything in one place.
Instructions
1) Install the extension
Open VS Code and go to the Extensions panel (Cmd+Shift+X on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows/Linux). Search for Bruin and click Install.
The extension activates automatically when you open a folder containing a .bruin.yml file. You'll see a Bruin icon in the sidebar.
2) Verify it's working
Open a Bruin project folder in VS Code (or create one with bruin init chess in the terminal first). You should see:
- The Bruin icon in the left sidebar
- Syntax highlighting in
.asset.ymland Bruin SQL files - The Bruin panel when you click the sidebar icon
If you don't have a project yet, don't worry - you'll create one in the next Getting Started step.
3) Explore the features
Here's what the extension gives you and where to learn more about each feature:
Run pipelines visually - Set start and end dates, run the whole pipeline or individual assets, and see progress in the output panel. You can also select specific assets and run them with downstream dependencies.
View data lineage - Open any asset file and click Lineage to see a visual graph of upstream and downstream dependencies.
Query databases - Browse tables, view schemas, and run queries across all your connections directly in VS Code - no need for external database clients.
Preview SQL queries - Open a SQL asset and click the play icon to run the query and see results in a formatted table, right inside the editor.
Browse run history - Review past pipeline runs, see which assets succeeded or failed, copy commands, and re-run previous executions.
Auto-generate schemas - Pull column names and data types from your database into your asset definitions automatically.
Validate pipelines - Check configurations, asset definitions, SQL syntax, and dependency issues before deploying.
Understand materialization - See how materialization transforms your SQL queries at runtime with the render command.
What just happened
You installed the Bruin VS Code extension and now know what it can do. Next, you can optionally set up the Bruin MCP to connect an AI coding assistant to your pipelines.