🛠️ NestJS DevTools

Supercharge your NestJS workflow inside VS Code. Quickly insert smart logger statements and navigate every file in your NestJS project at lightning speed.

Built for fast navigation in large NestJS codebases — never touch the file tree again.

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✨ Features

🐛 Logger Helper

Insert this.logger.debug(), .log(), .warn(), .error(), or .verbose() statements with a single chord. The log message automatically includes the enclosing class name, so you always know where it came from.

It's also smart about where the log goes. If you select a variable on a line that's part of a multi-line statement (a chained findOne({...}) call, a multi-line if, a ternary, …), the logger is inserted after the statement actually ends — never in the middle of it. The extension walks forward from your selection, tracking {/} balance, and places the log on the first safe line.

Example — inside UserService.findOne():

const user = await this.userRepository.findOne({
  where: { email },
  select: { id: true, email: true },
});
// select "user", press Cmd+L Cmd+D
this.logger.debug("🔍 UserService ~ user", user);

Auto-declare the logger

If the enclosing class doesn't already have a private readonly logger property, the extension asks:

No logger found in UserService. Add it automatically?

Saying Yes will:

1. Add Logger to the existing @nestjs/common import — or create the import if @nestjs/common isn't imported.
2. Insert private readonly logger = new Logger(UserService.name); right after the class's opening brace.
3. Then insert the requested log statement after the current statement ends.

Logger methods & emojis

Logger Method	Emoji	Shortcut (mac)	Shortcut (win/linux)
debug	🔍	Cmd+L Cmd+D	Ctrl+L Ctrl+D
log	📝	Cmd+L Cmd+L	Ctrl+L Ctrl+L
warn	⚠️	Cmd+L Cmd+W	Ctrl+L Ctrl+W
error	❌	Cmd+L Cmd+E	Ctrl+L Ctrl+E
verbose	🔊	Cmd+L Cmd+V	Ctrl+L Ctrl+V

The inserted line respects the indentation of your code and is placed safely where it won't break syntax.

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🧭 Module File Searcher

Navigate between files inside a NestJS module without ever touching the file tree.

🔎 Search from the current file

1. From any file inside a module (even deep in auth/dto/), press Cmd+L Cmd+K (mac) / Ctrl+L Ctrl+K (win/linux).
2. A picker appears listing every .ts file in that module folder and its subdirectories.
3. Files are grouped into categories: Core NestJS (Service, Controller, Module, Guard, …), Entities, DTOs, Enums, Interfaces, and Other.
4. Each row shows the file name, its type label, and a shortcut letter you can type to jump straight to it — no Enter required.
5. Category separators show live counts (e.g. DTOs (3)).

📦 Browse all modules

1. Press Cmd+L Cmd+M (mac) / Ctrl+L Ctrl+M (win/linux) — or click the $(extensions) Modules entry in the status bar.
2. A picker lists every *.module.ts file in your workspace, sorted alphabetically by module name.
3. Choose one to drill into its file list.

🧩 Nested module navigation

Modules that contain other modules (e.g. a blog module with a nested comment module) are handled cleanly instead of dumping everything into one flat list:

• Nested modules appear as their own selectable entries at the top of the picker, each showing its file count and a go-to-file action button to open the *.module.ts file directly.
• Selecting one drills straight into that module's own file list.
• A Back entry (showing the parent module's name) appears once you're nested, so you can step back up to the parent module without restarting the whole search.
• A breadcrumb title at the top of the picker shows your current path (e.g. blog › comment), so you always know where you are.

⚡ Quick access

• Status bar item ($(extensions) Modules) on the left side of the status bar — one click opens the module browser. No keybinding or Command Palette needed.
• CodeLens appears above @Module(...) in every .module.ts file, rendered as $(package) N nested modules, $(file) M files (the nested-modules segment is omitted when zero). Clicking it jumps straight into that module's file list. Counts are cached per module directory and refreshed automatically when files are created or deleted anywhere in the workspace.

🔍 Search all modules

Press Cmd+L Cmd+A (mac) / Ctrl+L Ctrl+A (win/linux) to fuzzy-search every file across every module in the workspace at once, instead of just the current one. Files are grouped under per-module separators sorted alphabetically by module name. Useful when you know the file name but not which module it lives in.

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🗂️ Recognized file types

Every .ts file in a module folder is shown, grouped by category. Each type has a one- or two-letter shortcut you can type to jump straight to it:

Category	Type	Suffix	Shortcut	ThemeIcon
Core NestJS	Service	.service.ts	s	gear
	Controller	.controller.ts	c	symbol-method
	Module	.module.ts	m	package
	Guard	.guard.ts	g	shield
	Gateway	.gateway.ts	gw	radio-tower
	Interceptor	.interceptor.ts	i	filter
	Pipe	.pipe.ts	p	symbol-ruler
	Filter	.filter.ts	f	filter
	Resolver	.resolver.ts	r	type-hierarchy
	Decorator	.decorator.ts	d	symbol-color
Entities	Entity	.entity.ts	e	database
DTOs	DTO	.dto.ts	dt	symbol-structure
Enums	Enum	.enum.ts	en	symbol-enum
Interfaces	Interface	.interface.ts	if	symbol-interface
Other	Repository	.repository.ts	rp	archive
	Middleware	.middleware.ts	mw	layers
	Strategy	.strategy.ts	st	compass
	Test	.spec.ts	t	beaker
Other Files	(anything else)	(any .ts)	—	file

Plural suffixes are also recognized for the Core NestJS types above (e.g. .guards.ts, .pipes.ts, .interceptors.ts), so multi-export barrels are grouped correctly.

Any file that doesn't match a known suffix is shown under an Other Files category with a generic file icon.

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⚙️ Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

nestjs-devtools.customTypes

Add custom NestJS file types to the module browser. Custom types merge with the built-in types at runtime; entries that duplicate a built-in suffix or are missing required fields are silently ignored.

Type: array (default: [])

Each item is an object with the following required fields:

Field	Type	Description
suffix	string	File suffix without extension (e.g. "handler" for .handler.ts)
typeLabel	string	Display label shown in the picker (e.g. "Handler")
shortcut	string	Shortcut letter(s) to jump to this file type (e.g. "h")
category	string	Category group shown as a separator (e.g. "Other" or your own name)

Example settings.json:

{
  "nestjs-devtools.customTypes": [
    {
      "suffix": "handler",
      "typeLabel": "Handler",
      "shortcut": "h",
      "category": "Other"
    },
    {
      "suffix": "validator",
      "typeLabel": "Validator",
      "shortcut": "v",
      "category": "Other"
    }
  ]
}

Changes apply immediately — no need to reload the extension.

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⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

All shortcuts can be customised via Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (search for nestjs-log-helper).

Command ID	macOS	Windows/Linux
nestjs-log-helper.insertDebugLog	Cmd+L Cmd+D	Ctrl+L Ctrl+D
nestjs-log-helper.insertLogLog	Cmd+L Cmd+L	Ctrl+L Ctrl+L
nestjs-log-helper.insertWarnLog	Cmd+L Cmd+W	Ctrl+L Ctrl+W
nestjs-log-helper.insertErrorLog	Cmd+L Cmd+E	Ctrl+L Ctrl+E
nestjs-log-helper.insertVerboseLog	Cmd+L Cmd+V	Ctrl+L Ctrl+V
nestjs-log-helper.searchModuleFiles	Cmd+L Cmd+K	Ctrl+L Ctrl+K
nestjs-log-helper.moduleSearcher	Cmd+L Cmd+M	Ctrl+L Ctrl+M
nestjs-log-helper.searchAllModules	Cmd+L Cmd+A	Ctrl+L Ctrl+A

The Insert Log command is also available in the editor context menu when text is selected, and Search Files in Current Module is always available in the editor context menu.

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📦 Installation

From the VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code.
2. Go to the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X).
3. Search for NestJS DevTools.
4. Click Install.

From a .vsix file

1. Build a .vsix with vsce package.
2. In VS Code, open the Extensions view, click the … menu, and choose Install from VSIX….
3. Select the built .vsix file.

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🧑‍💻 Usage

Logger Helper

1. Place the cursor on a variable or expression (or select it).
2. Press one of the logger chord shortcuts in the table above.
3. The log is inserted right after the current statement ends, never breaking existing code blocks.
4. If the enclosing class has no logger property, you'll be prompted to add one automatically.

Module File Searcher

From the current file

1. Open any TypeScript file inside a module.
2. Press Cmd+L Cmd+K (mac) / Ctrl+L Ctrl+K (win/linux).
3. A quick pick shows all .ts files in the same module, grouped by category.
4. Type the shortcut letter of the file you want (e.g. c for Controller, dt for DTO) to open it instantly — no Enter needed.

From the module picker

1. Press Cmd+L Cmd+M (mac) / Ctrl+L Ctrl+M (win/linux) — or click the $(extensions) Modules entry in the status bar.
2. Select a module from the list.
3. Browse its files, or select a nested module to drill in further. Use Back to step out again.

Across the whole workspace

1. Press Cmd+L Cmd+A (mac) / Ctrl+L Ctrl+A (win/linux).
2. Type any part of a file name to fuzzy-search across every module in the project at once.

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🛠️ Development

Want to contribute or run the extension locally?

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/pouryazardosht/nestjs-devtools.git
   cd nestjs-devtools

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Open the folder in VS Code.

4. Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host.

5. Test the features in the new window.

Project structure

The code is structured cleanly:

src/
├── extension.ts                    # Entry point: command registration, status bar, CodeLens, file watcher
├── constants.ts                    # LOGGER_METHODS, NEST_TYPES, getEffectiveNestTypes()
├── statusBar.ts                    # Status bar item factory
├── commands/
│   ├── insertLogger.ts             # Logger statement insertion + auto-declaration logic
│   ├── moduleSearcher.ts           # Browse all modules + nested module navigation
│   ├── searchModuleFiles.ts        # Search files in current module + findAllModuleFiles()
│   └── searchAllModules.ts         # Project-wide fuzzy search across all modules
├── providers/
│   └── moduleCodeLensProvider.ts   # CodeLens above @Module() with cache + refresh
└── utils/
    ├── getEnclosingClassName.ts    # Upward brace-depth scan for enclosing class name
    ├── loggerDeclaration.ts        # Detect/add Logger import and class logger property
    └── quickPickHelpers.ts         # ThemeIcons, grouping, breadcrumb, shortcut typing

Build scripts

Script	Purpose
npm run compile	Webpack build (development)
npm run watch	Webpack in watch mode
npm run package	Production build with hidden source maps (for .vsix)
npm run lint	ESLint on src/
npm run test	Run extension tests via vscode-test

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue to discuss your idea before submitting a pull request.

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📄 License

MIT – see the LICENSE file for details.

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Happy debugging! 🚀🐛