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Getting StartedVS Code Setup

VS Code Setup

Get real-time network configuration validation directly in your editor. The SentriFlow VS Code extension highlights compliance issues as you type, with detailed tooltips and one-click rule management.

Prerequisites: Visual Studio Code 1.80 or later.

Install the Extension

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (macOS) to open Extensions
  3. Search for “SentriFlow”
  4. Click Install

Alternatively, install via command line:

code --install-extension sentriflow.sentriflow-vscode

Or install directly from the VS Code Marketplace .

Open a Configuration File

Open any network device configuration file. SentriFlow automatically activates for these file types:

ExtensionDescription
.conf, .cfgGeneric configuration files
.iosCisco IOS configurations
.junosJuniper JunOS configurations
startup-config, running-configCisco config filenames

For other file types, use the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run “SentriFlow: Set as Network Config” to enable validation.

SentriFlow automatically detects the vendor (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, etc.) from the configuration content. You can override this by clicking the vendor name in the status bar.

View Diagnostics

After opening a configuration file, SentriFlow scans it automatically. Issues appear in two places:

1. Editor Squiggles

Validation issues are underlined directly in the editor:

  • Red underline = Error (high severity)
  • Yellow underline = Warning (medium severity)
  • Blue underline = Information (low severity)

2. Problems Panel

Press Ctrl+Shift+M (or Cmd+Shift+M on macOS) to open the Problems panel. Each diagnostic shows:

[NET-AUTH-001] (authentication) SSH timeout not configured
  router.conf [45, 1]
  • Rule ID: NET-AUTH-001 - unique identifier for the rule
  • Category: authentication - compliance category
  • Message: Description of the issue
  • Location: File name, line number, and column

Understand Hover Tooltips

Hover over any underlined issue to see detailed information:

  • Severity icon: Visual indicator (red/yellow/blue)
  • Rule ID and category: Quick identification
  • Tags: Security, operational, or compliance tags with optional scores
  • Description: Full explanation of the violation
  • Remediation: Specific guidance on how to fix the issue

Apply Quick Fixes (Coming Soon)

Automatic quick fixes are planned for a future release. Currently, use the remediation guidance in hover tooltips to manually fix issues.

For now, the recommended workflow is:

  1. Hover over the diagnostic to see remediation guidance
  2. Follow the suggested fix in the tooltip
  3. Save the file to re-scan and verify the fix

Configure Basic Settings

Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+,) and search for “sentriflow” to customize:

SettingDescriptionDefault
sentriflow.defaultVendorVendor for parsing (auto or specific vendor)auto
sentriflow.showVendorInStatusBarShow detected vendor in status bartrue
sentriflow.enableDefaultRulesEnable built-in best-practice rulestrue

Click the SentriFlow icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar) to access three panels:

Rules Panel

Browse all validation rules organized hierarchically:

SENTRIFLOW RULES
├── sf-default (261 rules)
│   ├── cisco-ios (45 rules)
│   │   ├── NET-TRUNK-001 [warning]
│   │   └── NET-ACCESS-001 [error]
│   └── juniper-junos (38 rules)
└── By Tag
    ├── vlan-hopping (2 rules) [security]
    └── access-control (3 rules) [security]

Key actions:

  • Toggle rules: Click the toggle icon to enable/disable any rule, vendor, or pack
  • View details: Right-click and select “View Details” for full rule information
  • Copy Rule ID: Right-click to copy the rule ID for documentation or settings

IP Addresses Panel

Automatically extracts all IP addresses and subnets from the current file:

IP ADDRESSES
├── IPv4 Addresses (5)
│   ├── 10.0.0.1
│   └── 192.168.1.1
├── IPv4 Subnets (3)
│   └── 10.0.0.0/24
└── IPv6 Addresses (2)
    └── 2001:db8::1

Click any address to copy it to your clipboard. Use the toolbar buttons to copy all addresses or filter by category.

Settings Panel

Visual interface for all configuration options without editing JSON files.

Status Bar

The status bar shows three items (left side):

ItemDescriptionClick Action
SENTRIFLOWScan status with error/warning countsTrigger manual scan
VendorDetected or configured vendor (e.g., “cisco-ios”)Change vendor
RulesActive rule countOpen Rules panel

Hover over any status bar item for detailed information and quick action links.

Common Commands

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and type “SentriFlow” to see all commands:

CommandDescription
Scan ConfigurationManually trigger a validation scan
Scan Selected TextValidate only selected text
Select VendorOverride automatic vendor detection
Disable Rule…Fuzzy search to disable any rule
Enable Disabled Rule…Re-enable a previously disabled rule
Show All Disabled ItemsView summary of disabled rules
Toggle Debug LoggingEnable verbose output for troubleshooting

Disabling Rules

When a rule does not apply to your environment, disable it using one of these methods:

  1. Click the SentriFlow icon in the Activity Bar
  2. Find the rule in the Rules panel
  3. Click the toggle icon or right-click and select “Disable”

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Activating

  1. Verify the file has a supported extension (.conf, .cfg, .ios, .junos)
  2. Use “SentriFlow: Set as Network Config” command for other file types
  3. Check the Output panel (View > Output) and select “SentriFlow Linter”

Wrong Vendor Detected

  1. Click the vendor name in the status bar
  2. Select the correct vendor from the list
  3. Or set sentriflow.defaultVendor in settings to override globally

No Diagnostics Appearing

  1. Run “SentriFlow: Scan Configuration” to trigger a manual scan
  2. Enable “SentriFlow: Toggle Debug Logging” and check the Output panel
  3. Verify sentriflow.enableDefaultRules is true in settings

Next Steps

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