Dev Workflow

Docker Testing Workflow

You are helping the user develop and test the Datamates VS Code extension. The workflow involves making code changes in either the extension or the MCP engine repo, auto-building via rspack watch mode, deploying to a Docker code-server container, and verifying changes using Playwright MCP.

Architecture

Two linked repositories:

• vscode-dbt-power-user (this repo) — the VS Code extension

The extension is volume-mounted into the container (no VSIX). The repo is mounted read-only at /home/coder/extension-src, and a symlink connects it to the code-server extensions directory.

Step 1: Deploy

Run the deploy script (runs in foreground with watch mode):

yarn docker:deploy

This will:

1. Check docker-setup/.env exists (prompts for DBT_PROJECT_PATH if not)
2. Build the extension with yarn rspack build
3. Stop existing container, rebuild Docker image, start new container
4. Wait for code-server to be ready at http://localhost:3001
5. Start yarn rspack build --watch for automatic recompilation

Since deploy enters watch mode, run it in the background when using Claude:

cd /Users/saravananshanmugam/Desktop/projects/altimate/vscode-dbt-power-user && yarn docker:deploy

Step 2: Verify with Playwright MCP

Use the Playwright MCP tools to verify the extension loads:

1. Navigate to http://localhost:3001/?folder=/home/coder/project
2. Wait 8 seconds for code-server to fully initialize
3. If a trust dialog appears ("Do you trust the authors?"), click "Yes, I trust the authors"
4. Click "Toggle Panel (⌘J)" button to open the bottom panel
5. The "Datamates" tab may be under "Additional Views" overflow menu — check there if not visible
6. Click the "Datamates" tab
7. Verify the extension UI loads inside the iframe (look for heading text, buttons, etc.)

To check engine-side logs:

1. Click the "Output" tab in the bottom panel
2. Select "Datamate" from the output channel dropdown
3. Look for log entries from the MCP engine

Step 3: Hot-Reload After Code Changes

The watcher automatically recompiles when files change in either repo (~350-400ms). To pick up changes in code-server:

1. Save your code change (watcher auto-rebuilds)
2. Reload code-server using Playwright: use browser_navigate to http://localhost:3001/?folder=/home/coder/project — do NOT use the command palette approach
3. Wait 8 seconds for re-initialization
4. Verify the change in the Output > Datamate channel or UI

IMPORTANT: Always reload by navigating to the URL again. Do NOT open the command palette to run "Developer: Reload Window" — it's slower and more fragile.

How It Works

• No VSIX: The Dockerfile does not build or install a VSIX. The extension source is mounted as a Docker volume.
• Volume mount: docker-compose.yml mounts the repo at /home/coder/extension-src:ro
• Symlink: start-code-server.sh creates a symlink from /home/coder/.local/share/code-server/extensions/vscode-dbt-power-user → /home/coder/extension-src
• Watch mode: deploy.sh enters yarn rspack build --watch after the container is ready, so code changes in either repo are auto-compiled
• Settings injection: start-code-server.sh sets altimate.onboardedMcpServer: true in user settings to skip onboarding

Gotchas

Watch mode covers both repos

Changes to vscode-dbt-power-user trigger a rebuild. No need to rebuild manually.

Engine linking

The engine link requires modifications to rspack.config.js and tsconfig.json. See docs/development.md → "Manual" section for the exact diff. If these files revert to their normal state, the engine will be pulled from node_modules instead of the local path.

Trust dialog on first open

When opening a folder in code-server for the first time, a "Do you trust the authors?" dialog appears. You must accept it before extensions activate fully. The --disable-workspace-trust flag should suppress this, but check if it appears.

Datamates tab location

The Datamates tab may appear directly in the bottom panel tabs, OR it may be hidden under the "Additional Views" overflow menu (the ... button). Check both.

Container auth disabled

code-server runs with --auth none. Do not expose port 3001 on public networks.

Port conflict

If port 3001 is already in use: yarn docker:stop first.

CRITICAL: Always up --build, never restart

After any rspack/webpack rebuild, always use docker compose up --build -d (or yarn docker:deploy), never docker compose restart. code-server caches extension state in memory — restart reuses the stale cache and the new bundle won't take effect. This causes tests to pass/fail inconsistently and wastes debugging time.

Docker build cache

If changes don't appear after up --build, force a clean build:

cd docker-setup && docker compose build --no-cache && docker compose up -d

deploy.sh blocks the terminal

yarn docker:deploy enters watch mode and doesn't return. When running from Claude, use run_in_background: true on the Bash tool, then check output with TaskOutput.

Efficient E2E Testing with Playwright MCP

When using Playwright MCP to verify the extension, follow this exact sequence to minimize tool calls:

1. Verify bundle (1 call):

grep -c "myKeyFunction" dist/extension.js

2. Deploy + seed (1 call — combine with &&):

docker compose -f docker-setup/docker-compose.yml up --build -d && \
for i in $(seq 1 15); do curl -sf http://localhost:3001/healthz > /dev/null 2>&1 && break; sleep 2; done && \
CID=$(docker ps -q --filter "name=docker-setup-code-server") && \
docker exec $CID bash -c 'cd /home/coder/project && dbt seed && dbt run'

3. Check activation via logs (1 call — NOT by clicking through the UI):

CID=$(docker ps -q --filter "name=docker-setup-code-server")
latest=$(docker exec $CID bash -c 'ls -td /home/coder/.local/share/code-server/logs/*/ | head -1')
docker exec $CID grep "innoverio\|altimateai\|removed" "${latest}remoteagent.log"

4. Navigate + wait (2 calls):

browser_navigate → http://localhost:3001/?folder=/home/coder/project
browser_wait_for → 20 seconds

5. Open file + execute + screenshot (5 calls):

Preferred: click file tree (Quick Open via Ctrl+P is unreliable in Playwright — sometimes the file doesn't open):

browser_evaluate →
  const items = document.querySelectorAll('[role="treeitem"]');
  const target = Array.from(items).find(i => i.getAttribute('aria-label') === 'test_query.sql');
  if (target) { target.click(); target.click(); } // double-click to pin tab
browser_wait_for → 2 seconds
browser_press_key → Control+Enter
browser_wait_for → 12 seconds
browser_take_screenshot

Fallback: Quick Open (retry if document title doesn't change):

browser_press_key → Control+P
browser_snapshot → find textbox ref
browser_type → ref=<textbox>, text='test_query.sql', submit=true
browser_press_key → Control+Enter (after 2s wait)
browser_take_screenshot (after 12s wait)

Total: ~10 tool calls per test, not 30+.

Multiple worktrees on same Docker setup

When testing multiple branches simultaneously, each needs its own container:

# Use -p for unique project names and different ports in docker-compose.override.yml
docker compose -p feature-a-e2e up --build -d  # port 3004
docker compose -p feature-b-e2e up --build -d  # port 3005

Without -p, containers from different worktrees share the same project name and collide.

Extension symlink gotchas

The symlink directory name must include the version suffix (e.g. innoverio.vscode-dbt-power-user-0.60.1). A bare name like innoverio.vscode-dbt-power-user gets re-marked as removed by code-server's obsolete scanner on every boot — even if extensions.json has the correct entry. The extensions.json registration is necessary but not sufficient without the versioned name.

Language mode timing

.sql files may open as "MS SQL" instead of "Jinja SQL" if the jinjahtml extension hasn't activated yet when the file opens. This is a race condition — jinjahtml maps .sql → jinja-sql but activation order varies. Workaround: reopen the file or manually switch language mode after extension activation.

Updating altimate-code in Docker

The Docker container installs @altimateai/altimate-code from npm. To test local changes from the altimate-code repo:

Build locally

cd /Users/saravananshanmugam/Desktop/projects/altimate/altimate-code

# Requires bun >= 1.3.10 (upgrade with: bun upgrade)
npx turbo build --filter=@altimateai/altimate-code

This produces platform-specific binaries in packages/opencode/dist/@altimateai/.

Replace binary in Docker

The installed binary is a compiled ELF at /usr/lib/node_modules/@altimateai/altimate-code/bin/.altimate-code. To replace it:

# 1. Copy the linux-arm64 binary (Docker runs on Colima aarch64)
docker cp /Users/saravananshanmugam/Desktop/projects/altimate/altimate-code/packages/opencode/dist/@altimateai/altimate-code-linux-arm64/bin/altimate docker-setup-code-server-1:/tmp/altimate-new

# 2. Kill running altimate-code processes (binary is "text file busy" otherwise)
docker exec -u root docker-setup-code-server-1 pkill -f 'altimate-code serve'

# 3. Remove old binary and copy new one
docker exec -u root docker-setup-code-server-1 bash -c "rm /usr/lib/node_modules/@altimateai/altimate-code/bin/.altimate-code && cp /tmp/altimate-new /usr/lib/node_modules/@altimateai/altimate-code/bin/.altimate-code && chmod +x /usr/lib/node_modules/@altimateai/altimate-code/bin/.altimate-code && rm /tmp/altimate-new"

# 4. Reload browser to restart extension (spawns new altimate-code process)

Note: The built binary altimate-code is a symlink to altimate — copy the altimate file, not the symlink.

Update from npm (no local changes)

docker exec -u root docker-setup-code-server-1 npm install -g @altimateai/altimate-code@latest

Clean state after update

After replacing the binary, you may need to clean stale state:

# Remove stale DB and config (fresh start)
docker exec docker-setup-code-server-1 rm -f \
  /home/coder/.local/share/altimate-code/opencode.db \
  /home/coder/.local/share/altimate-code/opencode.db-shm \
  /home/coder/.local/share/altimate-code/opencode.db-wal \
  /home/coder/project/config.json

Useful Commands

Configuration

Stored in docker-setup/.env (gitignored):

To change: edit docker-setup/.env or delete it and run yarn docker:deploy to be re-prompted.

Test Fixtures

Two ready-to-use DuckDB projects are bundled in the repo under test-fixtures/:

How the container uses them

start-code-server.sh copies both fixtures from the read-only /home/coder/extension-src mount into writable home dirs on first boot and runs dbt deps in each:

/home/coder/extension-src/test-fixtures/jaffle-shop-duckdb       →  /home/coder/jaffle-shop-duckdb
/home/coder/extension-src/test-fixtures/dbt-core-sample-duckdb   →  /home/coder/dbt-core-sample-duckdb

The Dockerfile pre-seeds ~/.dbt/profiles.yml with both profiles pointing at DuckDB files, so the fixtures work without any local setup — no warehouse credentials required.

Choosing which project to open

There are three common setups:

1. Fastest smoke test — use a bundled fixture in-container (recommended for throwaway verification). Leave DBT_PROJECT_PATH unset and open the container copy directly:

   http://localhost:3001/?folder=/home/coder/jaffle-shop-duckdb
   http://localhost:3001/?folder=/home/coder/dbt-core-sample-duckdb
   

   Changes stay inside the container and are wiped when the volume is rebuilt.

2. Point DBT_PROJECT_PATH at a fixture path on the host (when you want to edit the fixture and keep the change).

   # docker-setup/.env
   DBT_PROJECT_PATH=/absolute/path/to/vscode-dbt-power-user/test-fixtures/jaffle-shop-duckdb
   

   The fixture is mounted at /home/coder/project, so http://localhost:3001/?folder=/home/coder/project opens it. Edits land in the repo — commit or git checkout to reset.

3. Point DBT_PROJECT_PATH at an unrelated real dbt project (for debugging user-reported issues). Same mechanism as #2 — the project is mounted at /home/coder/project.

Gotchas with fixtures

• Fixture already has target/ committed. test-fixtures/jaffle-shop-duckdb/target/manifest.json is checked in so the extension has something to parse before the first dbt run. Running dbt will overwrite it; don't commit the churn.
• dbt_core_sample_duckdb profile expects /home/coder/dbt-core-sample-duckdb/go_sales.db. That path only exists inside the container copy — running dbt against this fixture from the host mount (#2) will fail unless you also create go_sales.db locally.
• The volume-mount fallback doesn't land on a fixture. If DBT_PROJECT_PATH is unset, compose mounts a host path that usually doesn't exist, and start-code-server.sh then opens /home/coder/jaffle_shop_duckdb (underscores), which also doesn't exist. Always either set DBT_PROJECT_PATH or navigate explicitly to /home/coder/jaffle-shop-duckdb (dashes).

Harness Sandbox Contract

This section is the machine-readable contract for the harness sandbox system. The CLI parses the YAML block below to render the pod template.

Two-phase sandbox lifecycle

harness spawn returns at phase 1 (5s with base image). Agent reads codebase while code-server starts (30-60s for yarn compile + code-server boot).

repo: vscode-dbt-power-user
repo_url: https://github.com/AltimateAI/vscode-dbt-power-user.git
base_image: altimateacr.azurecr.io/vscode-dbt-power-user-base:latest
working_dir: /workspace/vscode-dbt-power-user
port: 3001
health_path: /healthz

provides:
  - name: CODE_SERVER_URL
    value: "http://sandbox-{{ sandbox_id }}.{{ namespace }}.svc.cluster.local:3001"

needs: []

sidecars: []

setup_commands:
  - name: enable-corepack
    cmd: corepack enable
  - name: install-root-deps
    cmd: yarn install --immutable 2>&1 | tail -5 || yarn install 2>&1 | tail -5
  - name: install-webview-deps
    cmd: cd webview_panels && (yarn install --immutable 2>&1 | tail -5 || yarn install 2>&1 | tail -5)
  - name: compile-extension
    cmd: yarn compile
  - name: setup-code-server-extension
    cmd: |
      EXT_DIR="$HOME/.local/share/code-server/extensions"
      mkdir -p "$EXT_DIR"
      ln -sf /workspace/vscode-dbt-power-user "$EXT_DIR/vscode-dbt-power-user"
  - name: setup-code-server-settings
    cmd: |
      SETTINGS_DIR="$HOME/.local/share/code-server/User"
      mkdir -p "$SETTINGS_DIR"
      if [ ! -f "$SETTINGS_DIR/settings.json" ]; then
        echo '{"altimate.onboardedMcpServer": true}' > "$SETTINGS_DIR/settings.json"
      fi

start_command: >
  code-server
  --bind-addr 0.0.0.0:3001
  --auth none
  --disable-telemetry
  --disable-workspace-trust
  --log debug

Sandbox troubleshooting

• Extension not loading in sandbox: Check symlink at ~/.local/share/code-server/extensions/vscode-dbt-power-user and that dist/extension.js was built by yarn compile.
• Slow phase 1: Base image may be stale. Rebuild with az acr build --registry altimateacr --image vscode-dbt-power-user-base:latest -f Dockerfile.base .
• MCP server not starting: Verify altimate.onboardedMcpServer: true in code-server settings.

Source: AltimateAI/vscode-dbt-power-user — distributed by TomeVault.