Penstock

VS Code / Start here

Installing in VS Code

How to put Penstock into VS Code, and how to check that it works.

Free VS Code 1.88 or later

What you need

VS CodeVersion 1.88 or later. The extension declares ^1.88.0. The automated tests of the extension run on VS Code 1.90.
The extensionPublisher penstock, name penstock, shown as Penstock. Its id is penstock.penstock.
A local folderThe extension reads penstock.yaml, templates and linked files from the local disk, so it does not support virtual workspaces.
The priceFree. Every new machine also gets 30 days of Pro. See Plans and licence.

Install from the Marketplace

  1. Open the Extensions view. The keys are Ctrl+Shift+X, or Cmd+Shift+X on a Mac.
  2. Search for Penstock and press Install.
  3. Open any .bpmn file. It opens in the Penstock editor.

You can also open the Marketplace page in a browser and press Install there. The extension is not on the Marketplace until the release, so before then the page may not open.

From a terminal, code --install-extension penstock.penstock installs it from the Marketplace.

Install from a VSIX file

  1. Open the Extensions view.
  2. Open its … menu and choose Install from VSIX….
  3. Pick the .vsix file.

From a terminal, code --install-extension penstock.vsix does the same.

First run

A VS Code window with shipping-decision.dmn open in the Penstock editor: a decision table called Shipping method with ten rules and the hit policy First, and a Try panel on the right.
A .dmn file opens in the same editor, as a decision table. The status bar reads Penstock Pro trial: 30d.

The 30-day trial

A new machine gets 30 days of Pro. The status bar counts the days down. When the trial ends, the item reads Penstock Free and a paid feature explains itself when you reach for it. The editors, deployment and everything else that is free keep working. The licence is kept in ~/.penstock, which the plugin and the command line share, so they all see the same trial. See Licence in VS Code.

Uninstall

  1. Open the Extensions view and find Penstock.
  2. Press Uninstall.

Your diagrams are ordinary files, so they stay as they are. Penstock keeps a few small files of its own on your machine. To remove them all, delete the folder ~/.penstock. Files Penstock reads and writes lists each one.

The command line is separate

The extension does not install the penstock command. The command line needs Node.js 22.22 or later. See Command line.

Common problems

VS Code says the extension is not compatible.
Your VS Code is older than 1.88. Update VS Code first.
A .bpmn file opens as plain XML.
See Troubleshooting.
Nothing happens in a virtual workspace.
The extension needs files on the local disk. Open a local folder.

See also