vscode-cpp-unreal

C++ IntelliSense for Unreal Engine 5 projects in VS Code, powered by clangd.

How it works

• A thin TypeScript extension drives UnrealBuildTool to generate compile_commands.json, watches build files for changes, and manages the clangd language server lifecycle.
• A bundled .clangd template ships sensible UE5 defaults: MSVC flag fixups, common diagnostic suppressions, and inlay hints tuned for engine code.
• The extension uses stock clangd — install it from LLVM, no custom build required.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 (v1 only)
• Unreal Engine 5.x (installed via Epic Games Launcher or source build)
• Visual Studio 2022 (MSVC toolchain) — required by UnrealBuildTool
• VS Code 1.85+
• clangd 17+ — install via winget install LLVM.LLVM or download from LLVM releases

Quick start

1. Install clangd (see Requirements above).
2. Install this extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
3. Open a .uproject folder in VS Code.
4. The extension auto-discovers your UE installation, runs UBT to generate compile_commands.json, deploys a default .clangd to the workspace, and starts clangd.
5. First-open indexes the engine — this takes several minutes and is cached by clangd in .cache/clangd/ for subsequent opens.

Features

• Go to definition / Find references across the full UE codebase
• Code completion, signature help, hover documentation
• Diagnostics with sensible UE-specific suppressions out of the box
• Inlay hints (parameter names, deduced types)
• Rename across modules
• Auto-regeneration of compile_commands.json when .Build.cs / .Target.cs / .uproject / .uplugin files change
• Status bar showing indexing progress and server state
• Commands: Restart Server, Regenerate Compile Commands, Clear clangd Index, Show Index Status, Run UHT, Switch Build Target

Building from source

See docs/building.md.

Architecture

See docs/architecture.md.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

Apache-2.0 — see LICENSE.