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Connect Looker to VS Code

Give VS Code governed access to Looker’s 30 tools through Runlayer, with identity, policy, scanning, and audit on every call.

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Set up

Add Looker 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 Looker in Runlayer

    Add Looker 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, Looker’s 30 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 Looker

    Each user signs in to Looker with OAuth. Runlayer keeps the tokens out of the client’s configuration.

  4. 4

    Use Looker from VS Code

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

Tools

30 Looker tools in VS Code

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

  • Dev mode

    Allows toggling the Looker IDE session between Development Mode and Production Mode.

  • Generate embed URL

    Generates a signed, private embed URL for specific Looker content, allowing users to access it directly.

  • Get connection databases

    Retrieves a list of databases available through a specified Looker connection.

  • Get connection schemas

    Retrieves a list of database schemas available through a specified Looker connection.

  • Get connection table columns

    Retrieves a list of columns for one or more specified tables within a given database schema and connection.

  • Get connection tables

    Retrieves a list of tables available within a specified database schema through a Looker connection.

  • Get connections

    Retrieves a list of all database connections configured in the Looker system.

  • Get dashboards

    Searches for saved dashboards in a Looker instance.

See all 30 Looker 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 Looker 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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