.vsix file when a machine cannot reach a registry, and npm when you want the CLI for terminals and CI.
Every route runs the same analysis engine, so a file scores identically in each, and one sign-in covers your editors and the CLI together.
VS Code
Listing: marketplace.visualstudio.com.1
Open Extensions
Press
Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+Shift+X on macOS.2
Search Iris Code
Look for the extension published by davidjaja.
3
Install
VS Code downloads and activates it immediately. No restart is required.
4
Confirm the install
The Iris Code icon appears in the Activity Bar. Open a
.js, .ts, .vue, .svelte, .go or .py file and the sidebar populates with no configuration.Cursor, Windsurf, VSCodium, Trae
These editors read Open VSX rather than the Visual Studio Marketplace. Iris Code publishes the identical build to both, so the in-editor install works the same way and updates still arrive automatically. Open the Extensions panel, search for Iris Code, and click Install.The manual
.vsix route is not needed for these editors. Use it only if your environment cannot reach a registry at all.Installing from a file
For air-gapped or locked-down machines, or when you need a specific version. Download:iriscode.co/downloads/iris-code.vsix
Install it through the GUI, using the Extensions panel → the ⋯ menu → Install from VSIX…, or from the command line:
- VS Code
- Cursor
- Windsurf
- VSCodium
JetBrains IDEs
Works in IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, GoLand, PhpStorm, Rider, RubyMine, CLion and Android Studio. Listing: plugins.jetbrains.com.1
Install LSP4IJ first
Open Settings → Plugins → Marketplace, search for LSP4IJ, and install it. Iris Code communicates with its analysis engine through it.The Marketplace resolves this dependency automatically. Installing Iris Code from a file does not, and Iris Code will not load without LSP4IJ.
2
Install Iris Code
In the same Marketplace tab, search for Iris Code and click Install.
3
Restart the IDE
Use a full restart rather than a plugin reload. JetBrains registers file-type associations at startup, so a reload leaves
.irisconfig.json handled incorrectly.4
Confirm the install
Open a supported file. Findings appear as squiggles, and the Iris Code tool window on the right shows the full panel. Sign in from Tools → Iris Code → Sign In.
”JSON standard does not allow comments”
If.irisconfig.json reports this error, your IDE is holding a user-level override that cancels the file-type registration Iris Code ships.
Iris Code writes configs as JSONC, with a comment on each setting so the file explains itself, and registers the file with the JSON5 file type so those comments are valid. When a plugin contributing a file-type mapping is uninstalled, IntelliJ records a permanent override cancelling it, and updating Iris Code by uninstalling and reinstalling is enough to trigger that.
The override lives in your IDE settings rather than in the plugin, which is why reinstalling, updating and restarting will not clear it.
1
Open the file type settings
Go to Settings → Editor → File Types.
2
Select JSON5
Choose JSON5 in the Recognized File Types list.
3
Add the pattern back
Under File name patterns, click +, enter
.irisconfig.json, then click OK and Apply. If the IDE warns that the pattern was previously removed, accept it: that is the override being cleared. No restart is needed.Prefer editing the file directly? Close the IDE completely, remove the line
<removed_mapping pattern=".irisconfig.json" approved="true" type="JSON5" /> from filetypes.xml in your IDE’s configuration directory, then reopen. The IDE must be closed first, since a running instance rewrites that file when it exits.The CLI
The CLI runs scans, enforcement gates and dependency audits from any terminal or CI pipeline, with no editor involved.Requires Node.js 18 or later. Check with
node --version. Very new Node releases occasionally run ahead of tooling support, so an LTS release is the safer choice.System requirements
Languages: TypeScript, JavaScript, Vue, Svelte, Go, Python, Ruby, C#, Java and Rust. Full list of extensions and caveats in Supported languages.
No additional language servers, compilers or runtimes are required. Iris Code analyses files in-process using its own static analysis engine.