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Joël Deffner edited this page Aug 11, 2026 · 4 revisions

Paradox Modding Toolkit

Mod development for Crusader Kings III, Victoria 3 and Europa Universalis V, in VS Code, end to end.

The extension bundles a language server with a real Paradox-script parser, so you get completion that knows what scope you are in, hover docs merged from the game's own script_docs dumps, instant diagnostics for the silent-failure class of bugs (unbalanced braces, missing BOM, folder-name traps), deep tiger integration, an event simulator, a pixel-accurate visual GUI editor, DDS texture tooling, and a set of activity-bar views (mod inventory, localization coverage, overrides and conflicts, an interactive event graph).

Everything the toolkit "knows" is derived from the game itself: your script_docs dumps, the vanilla files, Paradox's own _*.info format docs, a small verified schema table. So it stays current across patches instead of rotting.

Two more things worth knowing up front:

  • It is not tied to VS Code. The language server is standard LSP over --stdio and runs from neovim, Zed, Helix or your own application. See Outside VS Code.
  • It ships a Claude / agent skill for CK3 modding you can drop into any AI agent that reads SKILL.md files (see Claude Skill). That is a separate headline feature, not part of the extension runtime.

Beta notice

This is version 0.3.0 (beta). It is already useful day to day, but it is a young project: features, commands, settings and defaults will still move, and you will hit rough edges. That also means your feedback lands directly on the roadmap.

Concrete bug reports (what you did, what happened, what you expected) are the most useful thing you can send.

Coming from the old CK3 Modding Toolkit? The extension changed its identity in 0.3.0 and the old listing does not update into this one. Read Upgrading first, it is a five-minute migration.

Where to go next

Getting the extension running

  • Feature Overview - the visual tour: every major feature with a screenshot.
  • Getting Started - install the extension, open your mod folder, run Setup, and dump your own game data.
  • Supported Games - what CK3, Victoria 3 and EU5 each get, how the game is detected, and where each one writes its dumps.
  • Editor Features - the day-to-day guided tour: completion, hover, navigation, diagnostics, tiger, and the workflow commands.
  • Sidebar Views - the Project dashboard and the activity-bar views (mod overview, problems, localization coverage, overrides, event graph, GUI widget tree).
  • GUI Editor - the visual .gui designer: select, drag, inspect, and write your file surgically.
  • DDS and Images - preview .dds textures inline, convert PNG/JPEG/WebP to DDS, and the measured image-size guidelines.

Reference

  • Configuration - every setting, grouped, plus the default keybindings, the full # px:ignore inline-suppression documentation and the diagnostic-code list.
  • Multi Mod and Translation - working on many mods at once, submods and compatibility patches, translating another mod, and the optional per-mod workspace files.
  • Outside VS Code - running the language server standalone from neovim, Zed, Helix, or embedding it in your own application.
  • Upgrading - migrating from the old JDeffner.ck3-modding-toolkit listing.

Project

  • Claude Skill - the bundled AI-agent skill: what it teaches, how to install it, and how to use it.
  • Credits - the upstream projects, data sets and communities this stands on.
Using the extension
Reference
Project

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