Critical Templates
Deterministic scaffolding for VS Code and AI agents
A free, open-source VS Code extension that generates workspace files from team-owned .critical-templates manifests. It gives developers and AI coding agents the same deterministic way to create components, routes, docs, workflows, and other project files while respecting the structure defined by the team.
Built with modern tools
VS Code Extension API
Native commands, Activity Bar views, prompts, workspace trust checks, and file generation flows integrate directly with the editor.
TypeScript
The extension, CLI, manifest parsing, rendering pipeline, and tests are built with typed contracts.
Template Engines
Handlebars, Liquid, Mustache, and raw templates support flexible project scaffolds owned by each repository.
Codex-Oriented AI Docs
The setup command installs project-local guidance, skills, and a CLI so AI agents can use the same generation rules as humans.
What makes it special
Repository-Owned Conventions
Templates live inside .critical-templates, so naming, paths, optional files, and prompts travel with the codebase.
Human and Agent Workflow
Developers can generate files from the VS Code UI, while Codex and other agents can use the documented CLI for deterministic automation.
Safe Generation Model
Path containment, conflict policies, optional files, managed AI docs, and rollback behavior reduce the risk of accidental project damage.