Visual Studio Code Bitcoin Script Hints

🔮 A magical Visual Studio Code extension for Bitcoin Script 🪄

How does it work?

This VSCode extension is intended to be used in Rust projects that use the script! macro (from rust-bitcoin-script).

The first line after the script! invocation must be in one of these formats:

• [X, Y] (just the main stack)
• [X, Y], [Z] (the main stack and the alt-stack)

Example usage

use bitcoin_script::{define_pushable, script};

define_pushable!();

fn retrieve_hashed_leaf_item() -> ScriptBuf {
    script! {
        // [1, 2], [3] <-- Add this comment
        OP_DUP   // you should now see [1, 2, 2], [3] here
        OP_2     // and [1, 2, 2, 2], [3] here
        OP_ADD   // etc...
        OP_DEPTH
        OP_GREATERTHAN
        OP_IF
            OP_FROMALTSTACK
            OP_SWAP
        OP_ENDIF
    }
}

Installation

You can install this extension in several ways:

VS Code Marketplace

1. VS Code Marketplace

   • Open VS Code
   • Click on the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar
   • Search for "Rust Bitcoin Lib Script! Hints"
   • Click Install

2. Quick Open

   • Press Ctrl+P / Cmd+P
   • Paste ext install portlandhodl.bitcoin-script-hints
   • Press Enter

3. Manual Installation

   • Download the .vsix file from the latest release
   • Open VS Code
   • Press Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P
   • Type "Install from VSIX"
   • Select the downloaded file

Local Development and Testing

If you want to test or develop the extension locally:

1. Clone and Setup

   git clone https://github.com/russeree/bitcoin-script-hints-vscode.git
   cd bitcoin-script-hints-vscode
   npm install

2. Build the Extension

   npm run package

3. Test in VSCode

   • Press F5 to open a new VSCode window with the extension loaded
   • Open a Rust file containing script! macros
   • The extension will automatically activate and show stack hints

4. Development Tips

   • Use npm run watch during development for automatic rebuilds
   • After making changes, reload the VSCode window (Ctrl+R or Cmd+R)
   • Check the "Output" panel (View -> Output) and select "Bitcoin Script Hints" for logs

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code >= 1.80.0
• A Rust project using the script! macro

Features

• Real-time stack visualization for Bitcoin Script operations
• Inline hints showing stack state after each operation
• Support for both main stack and alt-stack visualization
• Automatic updates as you type

Acknowledgments

This extension is a port of the bitcoin-script-hints.nvim plugin. Special thanks to the original plugin creators and the Script Wiz IDE team, which inspired both projects with their excellent stack visualization capabilities.