Configuration

This page collects the current VS Code extension settings in one place and explains when to change them.

Language-server settings

Setting	Default	Use it for
`axsg.languageServer.mode`	`bundled`	Choose between the packaged managed server and a custom command.
`axsg.languageServer.command`	`axsg-lsp`	Custom server executable or script when `mode = custom`.
`axsg.languageServer.args`	`[]`	Extra command-line arguments for a custom server launch.
`axsg.languageServer.trace`	`off`	Protocol tracing for debugging client/server traffic.

Recommended usage

Leave mode = bundled for normal product use.
Switch to custom only when you are debugging a custom server build, external tool wrapper, or transport issue.
Use trace = messages or verbose only for short debugging sessions because it increases log noise.

Inlay-hint settings

Setting	Default	Use it for
`axsg.inlayHints.bindingTypeHints.enabled`	`true`	Show inferred binding types inline in XAML.
`axsg.inlayHints.typeDisplayStyle`	`short`	Choose short names vs fully qualified CLR names.

Preview settings

Setting	Default	Use it for
`axsg.preview.dotNetCommand`	`dotnet`	Override the `.NET` command used for build/launch.
`axsg.preview.compilerMode`	`auto`	Select preview startup strategy.
`axsg.preview.targetFramework`	`""`	Force a target framework when the project has multiple desktop TFMs.
`axsg.preview.hostProject`	`""`	Point library XAML files at an executable preview host project.
`axsg.preview.buildBeforeLaunch`	`true`	Allow preview orchestration to build missing or stale outputs.
`axsg.preview.autoUpdateDelayMs`	`300`	Debounce unsaved XAML pushes to the preview host.

Preview compiler modes

`auto`

Recommended default.

probes source-generated preview first
falls back to Avalonia/XamlX when AXSG runtime output is unavailable
avoids treating a normal fallback path as a user-facing error

`sourceGenerated`

Use this only when you want to force the AXSG preview path.

uses the AXSG source-generated runtime/designer host
gives the best parity for AXSG-specific features when the runtime output is present
fails fast if the required AXSG runtime output is missing

`avalonia`

Use this when you explicitly want the Avalonia/XamlX previewer path.

bypasses AXSG source-generated startup selection
useful for comparison/debugging or non-AXSG preview workflows

Editor defaults applied by the extension

For both xaml and axaml, the extension also contributes defaults for:

semantic highlighting enabled
string quick suggestions enabled
inlay hints enabled with onUnlessPressed

Those are configuration defaults contributed by the extension, not hard-coded editor behavior.

Example configurations

Recommended general setup

{
  "axsg.preview.compilerMode": "auto",
  "axsg.preview.buildBeforeLaunch": true,
  "axsg.inlayHints.bindingTypeHints.enabled": true
}

Force source-generated preview

{
  "axsg.preview.compilerMode": "sourceGenerated"
}

Library XAML with explicit preview host

{
  "axsg.preview.hostProject": "samples/ControlCatalog/ControlCatalog.Desktop/ControlCatalog.Desktop.csproj",
  "axsg.preview.targetFramework": "net10.0"
}

Custom language server

{
  "axsg.languageServer.mode": "custom",
  "axsg.languageServer.command": "/path/to/axsg-lsp",
  "axsg.languageServer.args": [
    "--stdio"
  ]
}