How do I set up VS Code for Sui Move?

Install the Move extension published by Mysten Labs (marketplace ID mysten.move). It installs the move-analyzer language server for your platform, and it bundles the Move Syntax highlighter and the Move Trace Debugger. Then make sure the sui binary is on your PATH, because the extension's build, test and trace commands call it.

Install the extension

From the Extensions view (Shift+Cmd+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux), search for mysten.move and install the Move extension by Mysten Labs. Or use the command line:

Installing it also installs two companion extensions:

• Move Syntax (damirka.move-syntax) for syntax highlighting
• Move Trace Debugger (mysten.move-trace-debug) for stepping through unit tests and replayed transactions

Make sure sui is installed

The extension looks for sui on the system PATH. If you haven't installed it yet, see How do I install the Sui CLI?. If the binary lives somewhere else (for example, a version managed by suiup), point the extension at it in settings.json:

What you get

Open a folder that contains a Move.toml. The extension then gives you:

• Hover information for types, functions, struct fields, docstrings and macros
• Completion after . (methods and fields) and after ::
• Inlay hints showing inferred types for variables, unpacks and parameters
• Go to definition for types, functions and macros, and find references
• Command palette commands that build, test and trace the package. They find the nearest Move.toml and run the matching sui move command in a terminal.

Navigation relies on the last successful build by move-analyzer, so a file that doesn't compile can show stale or missing results.

If the language server doesn't start

The extension tries to download the right move-analyzer binary on its own. If that fails, build it with Cargo:

By default the extension expects the binary in ~/.sui/bin. Copy it there or set the server path in the extension settings.

Debugging tests

The Move Trace Debugger works from execution traces. For unit tests, run Move: Trace Move test execution from the command palette (traces land in a traces directory), then open the test file and choose Run > Start Debugging. If the command fails, generate traces from a terminal:

You can also replay a mainnet or testnet transaction locally with sui replay --trace --digest <DIGEST> and step through it. Trace generation needs a sui binary built with the tracing feature. The docs say the binaries from release tarballs, Homebrew and Chocolatey include it. For more on tests, see How do I write unit tests in Sui Move?.

Gotchas

• Open the package root (the folder with Move.toml), or a parent folder, so the analyzer can find the manifest.
• If build or test commands do nothing, check that which sui works in the same shell VS Code was launched from, or set move.sui.path.

Sources

• Move Analyzer VS Code Extension, Sui documentation
• Move Trace Debugger, Sui documentation