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Connect Glean to VS Code

Give VS Code governed access to Glean’s 16 tools through Runlayer, with identity, policy, scanning, and audit on every call.

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Set up

Add Glean to VS Code in four steps

Admins approve the server once. Everyone in VS Code then gets it through the same governed connection.

  1. 1

    Approve Glean in Runlayer

    Add Glean from the catalog and choose who can use it and which of its tools are allowed.

  2. 2

    Connect VS Code to Runlayer

    Runlayer’s CLI installs the Runlayer Plugin natively in VS Code; users can also add it over MCP. With direct tool listing turned on for your deployment, Glean’s 16 tools show up in VS Code’s own tool list (VS Code 1.103 or newer).

    VS Code setup guide
  3. 3

    Sign in to Glean

    Sign in the way Glean requires. Runlayer holds the credentials so they stay out of the client’s configuration.

  4. 4

    Use Glean from VS Code

    Glean’s approved tools appear in VS Code. Every call is checked against policy and recorded.

Tools

16 Glean tools in VS Code

Runlayer policy decides which of these VS Code users can call.

  • Brave actions web search

    Searches the web for up-to-date external information from the web.

  • Chat

    AI-powered tool for company knowledge.

  • Code search

    Searches company code and configuration (top matches only).

  • Create image

    Generate a new image from a natural-language prompt using Glean's image generation models, save it as an IMAGE artifact in the user's Library, and return links to view or download it.

  • Edit image

    Modify an existing IMAGE artifact using a natural-language instruction.

  • Employee search

    Finds company employees and their information.

  • Gmail search

    Searches Gmail inbox (Google Workspace) for emails, conversations, and attachments.

  • Meeting lookup

    Searches company calendar meetings and extracts transcripts.

See all 16 Glean tools

Control

What Runlayer can see and stop in VS Code

Some controls apply to every client at the gateway. Others depend on what VS Code exposes to Runlayer.

  • Gateway policy (available)

    Every Glean call from VS Code passes through Runlayer, where your policies can allow, alert, mask, or block it.

  • Audit trail (available)

    Each call is recorded with the user, VS Code as the client, the tool, and the policy and scanner decisions.

  • Client hooks (available)

    Capture supported prompts, reasoning, local and MCP tool calls, responses, and scanner decisions in real time.

  • Stop a call before it runs (available)

    Runlayer can deny a tool call before VS Code runs it.

  • Block output after it runs (available)

    Runlayer can block a tool’s output before VS Code’s model sees it.

  • Redact output in place (available)

    Runlayer can mask sensitive parts of a tool’s output in VS Code and pass the rest through.

Frequently asked questions

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