Agent skill

smith-ide

IDE path variable mappings for VS Code, Cursor, Kiro, and JetBrains. Use when writing or editing IDE config files or using path variables. Covers variable translation between conceptual and IDE-specific syntax.

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Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/tianjianjiang/smith/tree/main/smith-ide

SKILL.md

IDE Path Variable Mappings

  • Scope: Maps conceptual path variables to IDE-specific syntax
  • Load if: Writing/editing IDE config files (.vscode/, .kiro/, .cursor/) OR using IDE path variables
  • Prerequisites: @smith-principles/SKILL.md, @smith-standards/SKILL.md, @smith-style/SKILL.md

CRITICAL: Variable Translation (Primacy Zone)

Always use conceptual variables in documentation, translate to IDE-specific syntax in configs:

  • $WORKSPACE_ROOT → ${workspaceFolder} (VS Code) or $PROJECT_DIR$ (JetBrains)
  • $HOME → ${userHome} (VS Code) or $USER_HOME$ (JetBrains)

Overview

Maps conceptual path variables to IDE-specific syntax. For variable definitions and usage, see @smith-style/SKILL.md#path-references.

Conceptual Variables

Defined in: @smith-style/SKILL.md#path-references

For path variable definitions ($WORKSPACE_ROOT, $REPO_ROOT, $HOME) and usage patterns, see @smith-style/SKILL.md#path-references.

IDE Syntax Mappings

VS Code-Based IDEs (VS Code, Cursor, Kiro)

Syntax: ${variableName}

Common Variables:

  • ${workspaceFolder} — Workspace root directory
  • ${userHome} — User home directory
  • ${env:VAR} — Environment variable
  • ${config:key} — Settings value

Mappings:

  • $WORKSPACE_ROOT → ${workspaceFolder}
  • $REPO_ROOT → ${env:REPO_ROOT} or ${workspaceFolder}/../../../../
  • $HOME → ${userHome}

Multi-root workspaces: Use ${workspaceFolder:folderName} for specific folders

Configuration:

  • VS Code/Cursor: .vscode/settings.json
  • Kiro: .kiro/settings/mcp.json (workspace) or ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json (global)

Note: Kiro is VS Code-based (Code OSS fork) and inherits VS Code configuration system.

JetBrains IDEs (PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA)

Syntax: $MACRO_NAME$

Common Macros:

  • $PROJECT_DIR$ — Project root directory
  • $USER_HOME$ — User home directory

Mappings:

  • $WORKSPACE_ROOT → $PROJECT_DIR$
  • $REPO_ROOT → $PROJECT_DIR$/../../../../ (or custom path variable)
  • $HOME → $USER_HOME$

Configuration: File → Settings → Appearance & Behavior → Path Variables

Best Practices

  1. Documentation: Always use conceptual variables ($WORKSPACE_ROOT, $REPO_ROOT, $HOME)
  2. IDE Configs: Translate to IDE-specific syntax using above mappings
  3. Cross-IDE Compatibility: Prefer environment variables when possible
  4. Security: Use variable references for sensitive values, never hardcode

Reference

ACTION (Recency Zone)

When writing IDE configs:

  1. Use conceptual variables in docs ($WORKSPACE_ROOT)
  2. Translate to IDE syntax in config files
  3. Prefer environment variables for cross-IDE compatibility

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