architecture.md

Architecture

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           VS Code Extension                                │
│  packages/vscode/src/extension.ts                                          │
│                                                                            │
│  ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │
│  │ Language Server │ │ Prisma Postgres │ │  Prisma Studio  │ │ AI Tools  │ │
│  │     Plugin      │ │     Manager     │ │     Plugin      │ │  Plugin   │ │
│  └────────┬────────┘ └────────┬─────┬──┘ └───────────────┬─┘ └───────────┘ │
│           │              HTTP │     │                    │                 │
│           │ LSP over IPC      │     │ fork()             │ HTTP (webview)  │
└───────────┼───────────────────┼─────┼────────────────────┼─────────────────┘
            │                   │     │                    │
            │                   │     └─────────────┐    ┌─┴──────────────────────┐
            ▼                   ▼                   ▼    ▼                        ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐  ┌ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ┐  ┌─────────────────────────┐  ┌ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ┐
│      Language Server      │      Prisma     │   PPG Dev Server Worker │    Remote Prisma
│  packages/language-server │  │  HTTP API │  │   dist/workers/         │  │   Postgres    │
│  /src/server.ts           │     (Cloud)     │   ppgDevServer.js       │      (Cloud)
│                           │  └ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ┘  │                         │  └ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ┘
│  ┌─────────────────────┐  │                 │  ┌───────────────────┐  │
│  │    MessageHandler   │  │                 │  │    @prisma/dev    │  │
│  │  Dispatches LSP     │  │                 │  │  Local PPG server │  │
│  │  requests           │  │                 │  │                   │  │
│  └──────────┬──────────┘  │                 │  │  ┌─────────────┐  │  │
│             │             │                 │  │  │   pglite    │  │  │
│             ▼             │                 │  │  │  In-process │  │  │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐  │                 │  │  │  PostgreSQL │  │  │
│  │ prisma-schema-wasm  │  │                 │  │  └─────────────┘  │  │
│  │  WASM module for    │  │                 │  └───────────────────┘  │
│  │  parsing/formatting │  │                 │                         │
│  └─────────────────────┘  │                 │  • Detached process     │
└───────────────────────────┘                 │  • IPC communication    │
                                              │  • Survives restarts    │
                                              └─────────────────────────┘

Build System

The VS Code extension uses esbuild to bundle the extension, language server, and worker processes into optimized JavaScript bundles. See Build System for details on the bundling configuration and why certain assets cannot be bundled.

Key Prisma Dependencies

These are internal Prisma packages that provide core functionality:

Package	Purpose	Bundled?
@prisma/prisma-schema-wasm	WASM module for parsing/formatting/linting	Partial¹
@prisma/schema-files-loader	Handles loading multi-file Prisma schemas	Yes
@prisma/config	Loads prisma.config.ts configuration	Yes
@prisma/studio-core-licensed	Prisma Studio UI (webview)	No²
@prisma/dev	Local Prisma Postgres development server	Partial³
prisma-6-language-server	Pinned Prisma 6 language server	No⁴

¹ JS is bundled; WASM binary is copied separately (loaded at runtime via __dirname)

² Served as static files to the webview at runtime; cannot be inlined into a bundle

³ Bundled into separate worker (dist/workers/ppgDevServer.js); PGlite assets (pglite.data, pglite.wasm) are copied separately

⁴ Kept separate to support runtime switching between Prisma 6 and latest language servers via the prisma.pinToPrisma6 setting

Note: These dependencies are updated by .github/workflows/bump_prisma.yml, which pins them to a given Prisma CLI version and pushes the change. check_for_prisma_update.yml dispatches it when npm has a newer CLI, but its cron schedule is currently disabled, so both are manual dispatches today. release.yml only publishes; it never changes dependencies. See CI/CD.

File Organization

packages/
├── language-server/
│   └── src/
│       ├── __test__/                # Tests and fixtures
│       │   ├── __fixtures__/        # .prisma test files
│       │   └── *.test.ts            # Test files
│       ├── lib/
│       │   ├── ast/                 # AST utilities
│       │   ├── code-actions/        # Quick fixes
│       │   ├── completions/         # Completion providers
│       │   ├── prisma-schema-wasm/  # WASM wrapper functions
│       │   ├── MessageHandler.ts    # Main LSP request dispatcher
│       │   └── Schema.ts            # PrismaSchema class
│       └── server.ts                # LSP server entry point
│
└── vscode/
    └── src/
        ├── __test__/                # Extension tests
        ├── plugins/                 # Plugin modules
        │   ├── ai-tools/
        │   ├── prisma-language-server/
        │   ├── prisma-postgres-manager/
        │   └── prisma-studio/
        ├── workers/                 # Separate process entry points
        │   └── ppgDevServer.ts      # Prisma Postgres local dev server
        ├── extension.ts             # Extension entry point
        └── util.ts                  # Shared utilities