Installation

Supported editors

SnakeFlow is built on the VS Code Extension API (^1.85). We develop and test against these first-class hosts:

Editor	Install from	Notes
Microsoft Visual Studio Code	VS Marketplace	`ext install vaulttec-dev.snakeflow-dev-manager` in the Extensions panel (`Ctrl+Shift+X`)
Cursor	Cursor Extensions / VS Marketplace (per product)	Same extension ID; install inside Cursor
Google Antigravity	VS Marketplace or `.vsix`	CLI: `antigravity --install-extension`
VSCodium and other VS Code–compatible products	Open VSX Registry	Editors that use Open VSX instead of the Microsoft Marketplace (e.g. VSCodium, many Eclipse Theia–based IDEs, Gitpod, code-server)

Each application is separate — install the extension in every editor you use (gallery UI, command line, or .vsix in that app).

VS Marketplace (Visual Studio Code & compatible)

Search for SnakeFlow: Dev Environment Manager in the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X), or run:

ext install vaulttec-dev.snakeflow-dev-manager

Open VSX (VSCodium, Theia, Gitpod, …)

If your editor uses the Open VSX registry, install from:

open-vsx.org/extension/vaulttec-dev/snakeflow-dev-manager

Manual .vsix Install

Download the latest .vsix from the VS Marketplace or from the Download action on Open VSX, then:

# Cursor
cursor --install-extension snakeflow-dev-manager-0.2.5.vsix --force

# VS Code
code --install-extension snakeflow-dev-manager-0.2.5.vsix --force

# Antigravity
antigravity --install-extension snakeflow-dev-manager-0.2.5.vsix --force

# VSCodium
codium --install-extension snakeflow-dev-manager-0.2.5.vsix --force

After installing, reload the window:

Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window

Requirements

Tool	Version	Purpose
VS Code–compatible editor (see above)	`^1.85`	Host IDE
Node.js	`>= 18`	Extension runtime

Node.js is required even for non-Node.js projects — it powers the extension’s built-in quality checks and server monitoring.

Optional Tools

Install these to unlock additional features. All are optional — the extension detects availability and shows skip for missing tools.

Tool	Install	Enables
`gh` CLI	cli.github.com	GitHub Issues, PRs, CI
`act`	`winget install nektos.act` / `brew install act`	Run GitHub Actions locally
Docker Desktop	docker.com	Containers, Bearer scan
`semgrep`	`pip install semgrep`	SAST security scan
`trivy`	`winget install AquaSecurity.Trivy`	CVE vulnerability scan
`hadolint`	`winget install hadolint`	Dockerfile linting
`shellcheck`	`winget install koalaman.shellcheck`	Shell script linting
`golangci-lint`	`brew install golangci-lint`	Go linting
`bandit`	`pip install bandit`	Python security
`bearer`	`brew install bearer/tap/bearer` (macOS/Linux)	SAST data-flow analysis

For detailed installation instructions for each tool, see CLI Tools Installation.

Antivirus and real-time scanning (Windows)

On Windows, antivirus and real-time protection (especially Microsoft Defender) can slow down or destabilize tools that read many files quickly — including Docker Desktop (WSL2 backend) and Quality Hub checks that run inside containers (for example Bearer mounts your project into a container; every file read may trigger an on-access scan).

If scans time out, hang after Analyzing codebase, or Docker feels sluggish, add folder exclusions (not full antivirus disable). In Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings → Exclusions → Add an exclusion → Folder, add:

Purpose	Path (typical)
Docker program files	`C:\Program Files\Docker`
Docker Desktop data (WSL2 disks, images, containers)	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Docker` (e.g. `C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Docker`)
Docker user config	`%APPDATA%\Docker` and `%USERPROFILE%\.docker`
Your repositories	Each project root you scan (e.g. `C:\Users\<you>\projects\my-app`)

The WSL2 virtual disks used by Docker often live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Docker\wsl\ (for example ...\wsl\disk\docker_data.vhdx). Excluding the parent folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\Docker covers them without naming each .vhdx file.

After changing exclusions, restart Docker Desktop and retry the check. Third-party antivirus products have similar “exclusions” or “trusted folders” settings — apply the same logical paths there.

If CLIs are installed but blocked from execution (EPERM, Device Guard), add the tool-specific paths from Antivirus & Device Guard exclusions (winget package folders, scoop shims, npm globals, and similar).

Cursor: automatic project setup (optional)

On Cursor, you can install the setup-dev-manager Agent Skill so the AI scans your repository and writes devManager.* settings into .vscode/settings.json for you — useful on a new PC or a fresh clone. See Cursor setup skill.