Working on Mysti

Mysti is a VS Code extension with a host bundle, chat webview, Canvas webview, 16 provider adapters and a separate Mysti coordinator. It remains beta.

Find the right document first

• Documentation map: choose a guide by task.
• Machine-readable map: paths, topics, audience and status.
• Plain-text discovery index: links to raw Markdown for remote readers.
• Architecture and developer notes: implementation boundaries.
• Production readiness: actual evidence, outstanding work and release checklist.

Read the smallest relevant guide, then inspect its source references. package.json defines contributed settings and commands; the provider registry and capability contracts define current adapters. Plans and old release reports describe their recorded scope, not proof of current behavior. Never infer native-provider acceptance from a sample-data recording or an installed CLI.

Development and validation

Use the Node version in .nvmrc and npm ci. Do not upgrade dependencies as a workaround for a failed locked install. Start npm run watch before pressing F5.

Release test phases are test:release:unit, test:release:browser and test:release:performance, in that order. Browser phases need the locked Playwright Chromium (npm exec --no -- playwright install chromium). Keep them separate from recording workloads. Preserve failures and skips; do not weaken assertions, increase deadlines or add retries just to obtain a green run.

Preserve the important boundaries

• Keep unrelated work intact. Inspect git status before edits and stage only the task's files.
• Bind state, permissions, async completions and cleanup to the owning panel/run.
• A streamed tool notification is not a blocking native approval. Follow approval contracts.
• Workspace settings may lower authority; they must not widen machine/user policy. Preserve default-off capability gates and untrusted-result fencing.
• Read the relevant provider source before changing CLI arguments, process cleanup, credentials or usage attribution.
• Use CONTRIBUTING.md for provider integration and security policy for vulnerability reporting.
• Publish the qualified artifact with its source identity and checksum. GitHub release, Marketplace and Open VSX publication are separate states.

Keep documentation discoverable

Update the task guide and docs/navigation.json when adding a documented surface. Use meaningful headings, relative repository links, text alternatives for visuals, and explicit prerequisites, outcomes and limitations. Generated references come from the manifest; edit their generator or source rather than hand-editing output. See documentation maintenance.