Getting Started

This guide assumes no prior experience — just VS Code installed and a kamailio.cfg file you want to edit.

Install

Works the same on Linux, macOS, and Windows — every release ships native builds for all three (x86_64 and arm64), and the platform extension packages bundle the server, so your editor picks the right one automatically.

Option A — from your editor's marketplace

VSCodium / Cursor / Gitpod (and other Open VSX editors): press Ctrl+Shift+X, search for kamailio, click Install on "Kamailio Routing Script" — done; the platform builds bundle everything.

Standard VS Code ships with Microsoft's marketplace, where this extension is not distributed — use Option B (one command, installs the extension for you) or Option C.

Option B — one command in a terminal

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NormB/kamailio-lsp/main/install.ps1 | iex

Linux / macOS:

Open a terminal (in VS Code: Terminal → New Terminal), paste this line, and press Enter:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NormB/kamailio-lsp/main/install.sh | sh

That's it. The script downloads the right build for your machine, installs the server to ~/.local/bin, and adds the extension to VS Code. It prints what it did; if something is missing (for example the code command), it prints exactly what to do instead.

Option C — by hand, step by step

1. Open https://github.com/NormB/kamailio-lsp/releases/latest in a browser.

2. Download two files from the Assets list:

   • kamailio-lsp-…-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz (or aarch64 on ARM)
   • kamailio-lsp-ext-….vsix

3. Install the server — Linux/macOS in a terminal (Windows: just unzip kamailio-lsp-…-windows.zip anywhere, e.g. %LOCALAPPDATA%\kamailio-lsp):

   tar xzf kamailio-lsp-*-linux-gnu.tar.gz    # or *-darwin.tar.gz
   mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
   install -m755 kamailio-lsp ~/.local/bin/

4. Install the extension — in VS Code:

   1. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (the Extensions panel opens).
   2. Click the ⋯ button in the panel's top-right corner.
   3. Choose Install from VSIX…
   4. Pick the kamailio-lsp-ext-….vsix file you downloaded.

First use

Open a folder containing a kamailio.cfg (File → Open Folder…) and click the file. You should immediately see syntax colors. If VS Code asks "Do you trust the authors of the files in this folder?" — answer honestly: in an untrusted folder the extension still colors, completes, and navigates, but it will not run the Kamailio checker on the file (that is a safety feature, because checking a config executes parts of it).

See your mistakes as you type (diagnostics)

This needs Kamailio itself installed on the same machine.

1. Press Ctrl+, (Settings), type kamailio in the search box.
2. In Kamailio Lsp: Kamailio Path enter the full path of your kamailio binary, e.g. /usr/sbin/kamailio.
3. Open your kamailio.cfg and save it (Ctrl+S).

Mistakes now get red squiggles at the exact spot — hover one to read the message. Misspell a parameter (say fr_tmer instead of tm's fr_timer) and the squiggle lands on that modparam line saying Can't set module parameter — the real Kamailio parser talking (its log names the offender: parameter <fr_tmer> of type <2:int> not found in module <tm>). Squiggles refresh every time you save.

Autocomplete

• Type loadmodule " — a list of every module appears. Keep typing to filter, press Enter to accept.
• Type modparam("tm", " — the list shows only tm's parameters, each with its documentation.
• Inside a route, type the first letters of a function (t_re… → t_relay) — functions of the modules you loaded, plus core functions, appear with their signatures.
• Type $ — pseudo-variables ($ru, $si, …) with descriptions.
• If a list ever disappears, press Ctrl+Space to bring it back.

For the richest documentation in these popups, also set Kamailio Lsp: Kamailio Src (in the same Settings page) to a folder containing the Kamailio source code matching your version, and Kamailio Lsp: Kamailio Wiki to a clone of the kamailio-wiki repository (core parameters, functions, and pseudo-variables).

Reading and moving around

• Hover the mouse over any function, parameter, or $variable to read what it does.
• Ctrl+Click on a route name inside route(name) to jump to where that route is defined.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+O to see every route in the file and jump between them.

When something doesn't work

Symptom	Fix
No colors	The file must be named kamailio.cfg (or start with a #!KAMAILIO first line).
No red squiggles	Set Kamailio Path (step above), save the file, and make sure you trusted the folder.
Squiggles on a correct file	The checker uses your Kamailio version — a config written for another version can legitimately fail.
Completion has no documentation	Set Kamailio Src to a Kamailio source folder.
Still stuck	View → Output, pick Kamailio LSP in the dropdown — the server explains what it is doing (e.g. "ready (254 documented modules)").