XamlVisualEditor.FileExplorerExtension 0.2.0

XamlVisualEditor

XamlVisualEditor is an extensible, cross-platform visual IDE for Avalonia XAML. It combines a live designer, AvaloniaEdit code editor, language services, debugging, terminal and Git tooling, collaboration services, and a native .NET extension model in one Dock-based workspace.

Download · Documentation · Extension API · Changelog · Issues · Security

Highlights

• Live XAML parsing, AST synchronization, minimal-edit serialization, preview, selection, resizing, drag-and-drop, rulers, grids, and layout adorners.
• AvaloniaEdit code surfaces with TextMate highlighting, completion, semantic tokens, diagnostics, navigation, and execution-line rendering.
• C# and XAML language services plus an LSP router for external language servers.
• DAP and .NET SDK debugging with breakpoints, call stack, locals, watches, and configurable debugger tooling.
• Extensible commands, menus, toolbar actions, panels, views, property editors, language servers, settings, storage, dialogs, and permissions.
• Solution and file explorers, toolbox, property editor, output/problems, references, tree inspectors, animation editor, terminal, Git, ACP, MCP, collaboration, and IDE-bridge panels.
• Strict MVVM and ReactiveUI architecture with compiled Avalonia bindings, Xaml.Behaviors input routing, dependency injection, and source-generated reactive properties.
• Unit, integration, and Avalonia Headless UI suites run on Linux, Windows, and macOS in CI, with a dedicated Linux performance-test job.

Download and run

Download the archive for your operating system and CPU from the latest release.

Release archives are framework-dependent and require the .NET 10 runtime. Building or loading .NET workspaces also requires a compatible .NET SDK. Extract the archive and run XamlVisualEditor.App on Linux/macOS or XamlVisualEditor.App.exe on Windows.

The current release archives are not code-signed or notarized, so the operating system may show a first-run security prompt. Release assets include SHA256SUMS; verify the archive before running it when your environment requires an integrity check. Each archive also contains the project README, changelog, and MIT license.

Build from source

Prerequisites:

• Git
• .NET 10 SDK; global.json accepts the latest installed .NET 10 feature band
• The repository submodules

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/XamlVisualEditor.git
cd XamlVisualEditor
dotnet restore XamlVisualEditor.slnx
dotnet build XamlVisualEditor.slnx -c Release --no-restore
dotnet run --project src/XamlVisualEditor.App/XamlVisualEditor.App.csproj -c Release

If the repository was cloned without submodules, initialize them with:

git submodule update --init --recursive

Test

dotnet test tests/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.Unit/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.Unit.csproj -c Release
dotnet test tests/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.Integration/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.Integration.csproj -c Release
dotnet test tests/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.UI/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.UI.csproj -c Release
dotnet test tests/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.Performance/XamlVisualEditor.Tests.Performance.csproj -c Release

NuGet packages

The release publishes reusable libraries and built-in extensions to NuGet.org. Packages include MIT license metadata, the repository README and icon, Source Link, deterministic build metadata, and .snupkg symbols. Install a package with:

dotnet add package XamlVisualEditor.Core

Core, shell, and services

Package	Version	Purpose
XamlVisualEditor.Core		Shared primitives, interfaces, enums, and contracts.
XamlVisualEditor.Extensions		Extension SDK, manifests, hosting, permissions, and contribution registries.
XamlVisualEditor.Shell		Dock factory and IDE-style layout.
XamlVisualEditor.Shell.ViewModels		Documents, panels, commands, and shell orchestration.
XamlVisualEditor.Workspace		MSBuild workspace loading, assembly resolution, and metadata.
XamlVisualEditor.Terminal		Terminal emulator, PTY integration, and sessions.
XamlVisualEditor.Terminal.Avalonia		Avalonia terminal control integration.
XamlVisualEditor.Collaboration		CRDT-backed collaborative AST operations.
XamlVisualEditor.Collaboration.UI		Collaboration presence and session ViewModels.
XamlVisualEditor.Acp		Agent Client Protocol client and stdio transport.
XamlVisualEditor.Animation		Animation domain models and AST resource writer.
XamlVisualEditor.Sync		Text, AST, designer, and collaboration synchronization.

Designer and editing

Package	Version	Purpose
XamlVisualEditor.CodeEditor		AvaloniaEdit integration and editor rendering.
XamlVisualEditor.Designer.Core		Design surfaces, items, selection, and hit testing.
XamlVisualEditor.Designer.Rendering		Live Avalonia control creation and visual-to-AST mapping.
XamlVisualEditor.Designer.DragDrop		Toolbox, surface, and tree drag-and-drop protocols.
XamlVisualEditor.Designer.Adorners		Selection, resize, snap-line, and spacing adorners.
XamlVisualEditor.PropertyEditor		DataGrid-based property grid and inline editors.
XamlVisualEditor.TreeView		Visual and logical tree ViewModels.

Language and XAML

Package	Version	Purpose
XamlVisualEditor.CSharp.Language		Roslyn C# completion, diagnostics, and navigation.
XamlVisualEditor.Language		Shared language-service registry and helpers.
XamlVisualEditor.Lsp		LSP client transport, routing, and diagnostics.
XamlVisualEditor.Xaml.Ast		Mutable, observable XAML AST.
XamlVisualEditor.Xaml.Parsing		XamlX-backed parsing and diagnostics.
XamlVisualEditor.Xaml.Serialization		Whitespace-preserving minimal-edit serialization.
XamlVisualEditor.Xaml.Intellisense		Schema inference, completion, and XML namespace resolution.
XamlVisualEditor.Xaml.Language		XAML completion, diagnostics, and hover services.

Built-in extensions

Package	Version	Purpose
XamlVisualEditor.AcpExtension		ACP profiles, authentication, permissions, and transcript UI.
XamlVisualEditor.AnimationEditorExtension		Animation editor panel.
XamlVisualEditor.CollaborationExtension		Collaboration panel.
XamlVisualEditor.DebugSettingsExtension		Debugger settings panel.
XamlVisualEditor.Debugging.DapExtension		DAP-backed .NET debugger integration.
XamlVisualEditor.Debugging.DotNetSdkExtension		.NET SDK debugger integration.
XamlVisualEditor.DotNetTemplatesExtension		.NET project and solution template wizard.
XamlVisualEditor.FileExplorerExtension		File explorer panel.
XamlVisualEditor.GitExtension		Git status, change, and diff panel.
XamlVisualEditor.IdeBridgeExtension		IDE bridge runtime and configuration panel.
XamlVisualEditor.LspSettingsExtension		External language-server settings.
XamlVisualEditor.McpExtension		MCP runtime and permissions panel.
XamlVisualEditor.NavigationExtension		References and language-service navigation.
XamlVisualEditor.OutputExtension		Output channels and problems panel.
XamlVisualEditor.PropertyEditorExtension		Designer selection and property editor integration.
XamlVisualEditor.SolutionExplorerExtension		Solution explorer panel.
XamlVisualEditor.ToolboxExtension		Designer toolbox and insertion commands.
XamlVisualEditor.TreeInspectorExtension		Visual and logical tree inspectors.
XamlVisualEditor.VscodeCompatExtension		VS Code compatibility runtime host.
XamlVisualEditor.WorkspaceExtension		Workspace commands and lifecycle integration.
XamlVisualEditor.XamlEditorExtension		XAML editor property metadata contributions.

Extension development

Extension packages contain xve.extension.json at the package root and a .NET assembly implementing IXveExtension. The host exposes typed services for commands, views, workspaces, diagnostics, editors, navigation, terminals, settings, storage, logging, dialogs, permissions, and panel hosts.

See the extension guide, migration guide, and sample projects in tools/ExtensionSamples. To pack the hello sample:

dotnet pack tools/ExtensionSamples/HelloExtension/HelloExtension.csproj -c Release

Repository layout

Documentation

Build the documentation site locally with:

./build-docs.sh
cd site
dotnet tool run lunet serve

Contributing

Read CONTRIBUTING.md and the authoritative engineering rules in AGENTS.md. Before opening a pull request, build the Release solution, run the relevant test projects, validate packages, and build the docs.

License

XamlVisualEditor is licensed under the MIT License.

Command-line and automation

The examples use the framework-dependent application command:

dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll

If you use a packaged build, use the platform executable instead.

Open a document or workspace

Use --open to open a XAML document:

dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll --open ./Views/MainView.axaml

Use --workspace to open a project or solution:

dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll --workspace ./Sample.slnx

Map generated AXAML to source projects

If generated AXAML is outside the source tree, set XVE_PROJECT_SOURCE_ROOT. XVE walks the parent folders of the generated file and uses a matching project folder.

This example maps generated/Sample.App to src/Sample.App/Sample.App.csproj on Linux or macOS:

export XVE_PROJECT_SOURCE_ROOT="$PWD/src"
dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll --open "$PWD/generated/Sample.App/Views/MainView.axaml"

This PowerShell example uses the same folder layout on Windows:

$env:XVE_PROJECT_SOURCE_ROOT = Join-Path $PWD "src"
dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll --open (Join-Path $PWD "generated/Sample.App/Views/MainView.axaml")

The project folder name and the project file name must match the generated project folder name.

Start the MCP server

Use --mcp to start the local HTTP MCP server:

dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll --mcp

The default endpoint is http://127.0.0.1:4712/mcp/.

Use these options to change the transport or HTTP endpoint:

This example starts an HTTP server on a different endpoint:

dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll --mcp --mcp-port 4812 --mcp-path /editor/

You can also select a transport with the short form:

dotnet XamlVisualEditor.App.dll --mcp=stdio

Use HTTP for a normal desktop process. If the MCP client owns the standard streams, use stdio.

The first MCP connection requests workspace access. The initialize result contains a session token for later requests.

Configure the previewer

If a library workspace needs a separate application assembly, set XVE_PREVIEWER_APP_ASSEMBLY:

export XVE_PREVIEWER_APP_ASSEMBLY="$PWD/bin/Debug/net10.0/Sample.App.dll"

$env:XVE_PREVIEWER_APP_ASSEMBLY = Join-Path $PWD "bin/Debug/net10.0/Sample.App.dll"

Use the full path of the application assembly. The assembly directory must contain its runtime configuration and dependency files.

Set XVE_PREVIEWER_AUTOTRUST=1 to skip the previewer trust prompt:

export XVE_PREVIEWER_AUTOTRUST=1

$env:XVE_PREVIEWER_AUTOTRUST = "1"

CAUTION: Use automatic trust only for a workspace that you trust. The previewer runs workspace code in another process.

Use the IDE bridge

The IDE bridge uses JSON-RPC 2.0 messages with Content-Length framing. Initialize the bridge before you send document or preview requests.

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"bridge.initialize","params":{"workspaceId":null,"clientName":"automation","clientVersion":"1"}}

Use XVE_IDEBRIDGE_AUTOCONSENT=readonly for unattended read-only sessions:

export XVE_IDEBRIDGE_AUTOCONSENT=readonly

$env:XVE_IDEBRIDGE_AUTOCONSENT = "readonly"

The value full also permits write operations.

CAUTION: Use full only for a trusted local client. This value skips the normal permission prompt.

The bridge provides these automation methods:

Open the document before you export its preview:

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"document.open","params":{"filePath":"./Views/MainView.axaml"}}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"preview.export","params":{"filePath":"./Views/MainView.axaml","outputPath":"./artifacts/MainView.png","timeoutMs":90000}}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":4,"method":"document.close","params":{"filePath":"./Views/MainView.axaml"}}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":5,"method":"editor.status"}