how-to

Install the editor extension

Install the Marreta CLI and the MarretaLang editor extension in VS Code or Cursor, so .marreta files get syntax, completion, diagnostics, and formatting.

The MarretaLang extension brings syntax highlighting, completion, hover, go-to-definition, diagnostics, and formatting to .marreta files. It is a thin client over the marreta CLI: the editor features call the binary under the hood, so you install the binary first and the extension second.

1. Install the Marreta CLI

bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tm-dev-lab/marreta-lang/main/install.sh | sh

This installs the marreta binary. Confirm it is on your PATH:

bash
marreta --version

If the command is not found, add the install location to your PATH, or note the full path for step 3. Windows is supported through WSL: run the same command inside your WSL distribution.

2. Install the extension

From a release VSIX (works today, every editor)

Every extension release attaches a .vsix file. Download the latest one from the GitHub releases (the VS Code Extension vscode-vX.Y.Z entries), then install it.

The command palette works the same in every editor and does not need a CLI on your PATH:

  1. Open the command palette: Ctrl+Shift+P (macOS: Cmd+Shift+P).
  2. Run Extensions: Install from VSIX.
  3. Select the .vsix you downloaded.

This is the path for VS Code, Cursor, VSCodium, and Windsurf alike.

If you prefer the command line and have the editor’s CLI on your PATH, the equivalent is code --install-extension marreta-extension.vsix (Cursor: cursor --install-extension ...).

From the marketplace

Once MarretaLang is published to the registries, you will be able to install it by name from the Extensions view, without downloading a file:

  • VS Code pulls from the Visual Studio Marketplace. Search for MarretaLang and install.
  • Cursor, VSCodium, and Windsurf pull from Open VSX. Search for MarretaLang and install.

3. Point the extension at the binary (only if needed)

The extension calls marreta on your PATH by default. If the binary lives somewhere else, or the extension reports that the CLI was not found, point it at the binary in your editor settings.

The quickest way is the settings UI: open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P, macOS Cmd+Shift+P), run Preferences: Open Settings (UI), search for Marreta: Path, and enter the full path to the binary.

To edit the JSON directly instead, run Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) from the same palette and add:

json
{
  "marreta.path": "/absolute/path/to/marreta"
}

The same setting exists at the workspace level (a .vscode/settings.json in the project), if you want the path to apply to one project rather than your whole editor.

Open a .marreta file and the editor features activate. If anything looks off, run marreta doctor to check your setup.