The jPipe IDE is a Visual Studio Code extension. It gives you syntax highlighting for .jd files, a live diagram preview, validation as you type, and export to SVG/PNG/JSON and more.

This is the recommended way to start: with the extension’s managed mode you never have to install the compiler by hand, because the IDE downloads and runs it for you.

Step 1: Install the extension

  1. Launch Visual Studio Code.
  2. Open the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / ⇧⌘X).
  3. Search for jPipe.
  4. Choose jPipe Language (McSCert) (publisher mcscert) to be sure you have the official tool.
  5. Click Install.

The extension activates automatically whenever you open a .jd (Justification Diagram) file.

Step 2: Let the IDE install the compiler (managed mode)

The extension needs a compiler to render and validate your models. The easiest option, and the one we recommend (especially on Windows), is managed mode, where the extension fetches the compiler for you.

Prerequisites: managed mode downloads the compiler JAR, but it does not install what that JAR needs to run. Make sure you already have Java 25 or newer (download) and Graphviz (download) installed and on your PATH: the IDE runs the JAR with your Java, and calls Graphviz to render the diagrams.

  1. Open the jPipe settings. In the Extensions view, click the gear icon on jPipe Language (McSCert) and choose Settings, or open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, / ⌘,) and search for jPipe.

  2. Click Install from GitHub Release. The extension fetches the list of published compiler releases.

  3. Select the compiler version you want from the list. The extension downloads that release’s JAR over HTTPS into its own private storage.

  4. Back in the settings, set the execution mode dropdown to managed (rather than cli). The IDE now runs the compiler it just downloaded.

Verify the setup

Click on Check jPipe Installation from the Settings page. It reports which execution mode is active and whether the compiler (and Graphviz) can be reached.

🎉 That’s it: you can now open a .jd file and use jPipe: Open Diagram Preview. Head to jPipe 101 to write your first model.

Other execution modes

Managed mode is the recommended default, but the execution mode dropdown offers three choices, depending on where you want the compiler to come from:

  • managed: the extension downloads a published compiler release and runs it for you (Step 2 above). The simplest option, and the one most people want.
  • cli: the extension uses the jpipe already installed on your machine, so your terminal and your IDE always run the exact same compiler. Pick this once you have installed the compiler CLI.
  • jar: the extension runs a compiler JAR you downloaded yourself. Mostly a developer option, handy for trying an unreleased build of the compiler.

Next steps

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