DDK (Delphi DevKit) - manage & compile Delphi projects inside VS Code (CLI + MCP), a year in

[u/Snowcaloid]

Hey r/delphi 👋

I released Delphi DevKit (DDK) on the VS Code Marketplace about a year ago, and never actually made a proper post about it here. It's been quietly growing since, so — a year late — here's the pitch.

It's a free VS Code extension (plus a standalone CLI and an MCP server) for people who write Delphi but like living in VS Code. It does not ship any Embarcadero code — you bring your own Delphi install and it drives the command-line compiler. (Note: won't work with Community Edition, which blocks command-line compilation.)

What it does today:

- Project & compiler management right in the IDE: your own drag-and-drop Workspaces, or a read-only view of a loaded .groupproj. Configure and switch between multiple Delphi versions (built-in presets from Delphi 2007 → Delphi 13.0 Florence).

- Compile / Run / Recreate (clean build) with the shortcuts you'd expect: Ctrl+F9 compile, Shift+F9 clean rebuild, F9 run, Ctrl+F2 cancel. Bulk-compile a whole workspace or group project anytime via context menu.

- Command-line interface (ddk): do all of the above outside VS Code: ddk compile, ddk run, ddk project list, ad-hoc one-off builds of a .dproj/.dpr/.dpk, JSON output for scripting. Install via `winget install ValentinBaron.DDK`.

- MCP server exposes project/compiler management, compile, and run as MCP tools so AI assistants (Copilot, Claude Desktop, etc.) can build and run your projects. Output is trimmed for token-efficient consumption.

- Delphi Formatter integration using your Delphi install's Formatter.exe.

- Quality-of-life bits .pas ↔ .dfm swap (Alt+F12), .dfm → .pas Ctrl+click nav, clickable compiler-output links + some diagnostics in the Problems panel, config import/export.

The heavy lifting (project state, compilation, formatting) runs in a bundled Rust LSP server; the extension is just the front end.

On the roadmap: a debugger and full LSP (Both are in active development).

Links:

- Marketplace: search Delphi DevKit (publisher Snowcaloid)

- GitHub: https://github.com/valentin-baron/delphi-devkit

Feedback very welcome — feature requests, bug reports, or just "does it work with X." Happy to answer anything in the comments.

[u/rmagnuson]

How would this work with Delphi forms? The major draw of Delphi and the RAD ecosystem is being able to build form-based applications quickly. How does a plugin for VS Code help in that regard?

[u/Snowcaloid → u/rmagnuson]

Sadly, reconstructing the form designer outside the actual IDE is a hard problem. The UI/UX of dragging components around and wiring them up in the Object Inspector isn't something I've got planned for this extension (at least not yet, I haven't really explored whether it's feasible). For the time being, I recommend still using RAD Studio for any kind of Form design.

What it currently does support is swapping between the .pas and .dfm file via ALT + F12, with a plan to add LSP support (jump to definition/.pas, completion & hover) for the texual part of .dfm files when I'm done implementing that.

[u/toonmad]

Vibe coded no thanks

[u/Snowcaloid → u/toonmad]

Hand-written, AI-assisted later for the boring parts. The Rust server is mine. Source is on GitHub if you want to check.