Skip to main content
Book a demo

Connect Snowflake to VS Code

Give VS Code governed access to Snowflake’s 8 tools through Runlayer, with identity, policy, scanning, and audit on every call.

Book a demo VS Code setup guide

Set up

Add Snowflake 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 Snowflake in Runlayer

    Add Snowflake 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, Snowflake’s 8 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 Snowflake

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

  4. 4

    Use Snowflake from VS Code

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

Tools

8 Snowflake tools in VS Code

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

  • Describe semantic view

    Describe a semantic view.

  • Get semantic view ddl

    Get the DDL for a semantic view.

  • List semantic views

    List all semantic views in the account, database, or schema.

  • Query semantic view

    Writes and runs a statement to query a semantic view using DIMENSIONS, METRICS, and/or FACTS.

  • Run Snowflake query

    Run a SQL query in Snowflake.

  • Show semantic dimensions

    Show all semantic dimensions in the account, database, or schema.

  • Show semantic metrics

    Show all semantic metrics in the account, database, or schema.

  • Write semantic view query tool

    Writes a query statement to query a semantic view using DIMENSIONS, METRICS, and/or FACTS.

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 Snowflake 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

Connect more

Find another combination