Getting started with the Looker extension for VS Code

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The Looker extension for VS Code lets you develop LookML directly within your local desktop environment. It provides rich syntax highlighting, bidirectional file synchronization with your Looker instance, and integration with AI coding agents for "vibe coding."

The extension is built by using the Visual Studio Code (VS Code) framework, and it supports IDEs that are based on the VS Code IDE, such as the following IDEs and coding tools:

• Claude Code
• Codex
• Cursor
• Kiro
• VS Code
• Windsurf
• Zed

IDEs that are not forks of VS Code, such as IntelliJ and Eclipse, aren't supported by the Looker extension for VS Code.

This guide covers how to set up and authenticate the extension.

AI-enabled workflow

The Looker extension for VS Code is part of an AI-enabled agentic development workflow for editing and creating LookML files. To enable this workflow, configure the following tools:

• The Looker extension for VS Code.
• A local IDE that is based on VS Code. The IDE must either contain a built-in AI agent (for example, Cursor), or, if the IDE doesn't contain a built-in AI agent (such as basic VS Code), the IDE must be integrated with a stand-alone agentic tool (such as Gemini CLI or Claude Code). See your local IDE's documentation for how to connect your IDE to an agent.
• An MCP server, such as the MCP Toolbox for Databases.

To learn more about the AI-enabled workflow, see the AI-assisted development (vibe coding) with Looker documentation page.

Before you begin

Before you install the extension, you must meet the following requirements:

• Connect to AI tools: If you plan to use AI-assisted development, connect your IDE and your AI agent to the MCP Toolbox for Databases. As an example, a sample configuration for connecting the MCP Toolbox to Gemini CLI appears in the Use Looker with MCP, Gemini CLI, and other agents documentation. See your tools' documentation for additional details.
• Looker permissions: You must have the develop Looker permission for any models that you want to edit.
• Looker instance: Your instance must be running Looker 26.6 or later.
• Git installation: You must have Git installed on your local machine to clone and manage your LookML repository.
• Project configuration: Your LookML project must be configured for Git.
• OAuth Client ID: If you're using OAuth authentication (recommended), you must obtain an OAuth Client ID from your Looker admin.

Admin setup

If your organization uses OAuth for authentication, a Looker admin must register the Looker extension for VS Code as an OAuth client in the Looker Admin UI.

Use the Looker API Explorer to set up OAuth integration. You can access the API Explorer using one of the following methods:

• If your Looker instance already has the API Explorer installed, you can access it with this URL format:

  https://LOOKER_INSTANCE_URL/extensions/marketplace_extension_api_explorer::api-explorer/
  

• If your Looker instance doesn't have the API Explorer, you can install it from the Looker Marketplace. See the Using the API Explorer page for information.

To register the extension, complete the following steps:

1. Follow the instructions in the Registering an OAuth client application documentation to register the extension.

2. For the client_guid field, complete the following steps:

   • Use any globally unique ID.
   • Be prepared to distribute the ID to any LookML developers who want to use the extension.

3. For the redirect_uri, use:

   vscode://google.vscode-looker-official/oauth_callback
   

4. Complete the display_name and description as described in the Registering an OAuth client application documentation.

Once the app is registered, the API Explorer will return a response with a summary of the registration. You can use the Get OAuth Client App endpoint with the client_guid to review your registration details.

Provide the generated client_guid to your developers; they will use it when configuring the extension.

Install the extension

Complete the following steps to install the extension:

1. Install the Looker extension for VS Code from the Visual Studio Marketplace.
2. Open your IDE, such as VS Code or Cursor.
3. Click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar.
4. Find the Looker extension for VS Code and click Install.
5. Once the extension is installed, the Looker icon appears in the Activity Bar.

Configure the extension

Note: We recommend using workspace settings rather than user (global) settings because they are specific to a Looker instance and project.

You must configure the extension with your Looker instance details in your workspace's settings.json file.

1. With a workspace open, open the Command Palette (Command-Shift-P on Mac or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux).
2. Search for and select Preferences: Open Workspace Settings (JSON).
3. Add the configuration variables to your settings. The configuration variables will vary depending on whether your authentication method is OAuth or API credentials.

Authenticate with OAuth (Recommended)

OAuth 2.1 is the recommended authentication flow. Paste these settings in your workspace settings.json file.

{
  "looker.instanceUrl": "https://YOUR_INSTANCE_URL",
  "looker.oauthClientId": "YOUR_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID",
  "looker.projectId": "YOUR_PROJECT_ID"
}

Replace the following:

• https://YOUR_INSTANCE_URL: The URL of your Looker instance.
• YOUR_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID: The OAuth client ID (client_guid) that you receive from your Looker admin.
• YOUR_PROJECT_ID: The name of the project that you want to edit. To find it, within your Looker instance, open the LookML Projects page. The project ID is in the Project column.

Authenticate with API credentials

If you prefer to use Looker API keys, follow the documentation to create API credentials. You must also provide your project ID.

{
  "looker.instanceUrl": "https://YOUR_INSTANCE_URL",
  "looker.clientId": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
  "looker.clientSecret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
  "looker.projectId": "YOUR_PROJECT_ID"
}

Replace the following:

• https://YOUR_INSTANCE_URL: The URL of your Looker instance.
• YOUR_CLIENT_ID and YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET: The client ID and client secret for the API credentials that you're using to authenticate. To find these credentials, within your Looker instance, open your Account page; then, in the API Keys section, click the Manage button. That opens the API Keys page where you can view your client IDs and secrets.
• YOUR_PROJECT_ID: The name of the project you want to edit. To find the project name, within your Looker instance, open the LookML Projects page. The project ID is in the Project column.

Settings

You can configure the following MCP settings in your IDE workspace.

Setting	Description	Default
looker.instanceURL	Base URL of the Looker instance (for example, https://mycompany.looker.com).	-
looker.authURL	URL to use for OAuth authentication. Only set if different from your instance URL.	looker.instanceURL
looker.sdkURL	URL to use for API requests. Only set if different from your instance URL.	looker.instanceURL
looker.oauthClientId	Looker OAuth Client ID. Required for OAuth.	-
looker.clientId	Looker API Client ID. Required for API Key auth.	-
looker.clientSecret	Looker API Client Secret. Required for API Key auth.	-
looker.projectId	Looker Project ID.	-
looker.mcpServerUrl	URL of the external MCP server to proxy (for example, http://localhost:5000/mcp).	-
looker.acceptSelfSignedCertificates	Ignore SSL certificate errors (for example, for self-signed certificates). Warning: Enabling this option is not recommended.	false
looker.askBeforeOverwritingRemote	Always ask before overwriting remote files when a conflict is detected.	false

Authenticate through Looker

If you're using OAuth authentication, you must sign in to link your local IDE to your Looker account.

1. Open the Command Palette.
2. Run the command: Looker: Sign In (OAuth).
3. Acknowledge the prompt to open your browser.
4. In the browser, authorize the extension to access your Looker account.
5. After authorizing, the browser redirects back to your IDE. You should see a notification stating Successfully signed in to Looker!

Clone your LookML project

To begin development, you must clone your LookML repository to your local machine.

1. In VS Code, open a new window.
2. Open the Command Palette and select Git: Clone.
3. Enter the URL of your remote Git repository (for example, from GitHub or GitLab) and choose a local folder.
4. Open the cloned folder in your IDE.

The extension automatically detects the LookML files and begins synchronizing with your checked-out branch in your Looker instance's Development Mode.

Troubleshooting

You can view extension logs in your IDE's Output panel. Select the Looker channel to view logs. For more detailed logs, open the Command Palette, run the Developer: Set Log Level command, and select Debug or Trace.

• Authentication errors: Verify that your looker.instanceUrl and looker.oauthClientId are correct. Ensure that the redirect URI in Looker matches exactly.
• Sync issues: Check extension logs to address sync issues. To view logs, open the Output panel and select Looker from the drop-down menu.
• Bad Request response during OAuth: Ensure your Looker instance is accessible from your local network and that you have a valid internet connection.

If you encounter issues with the extension, running the Developer: Reload Window command from the Command Palette can help resolve them.

What's next

• Managing LookML files and Git with the Looker VS Code extension
• Use Looker with MCP, Gemini CLI, and other agents
• AI-assisted development (vibe coding) with Looker