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Cargo Features IDE Plugin (VS Code + IntelliJ)

A real-time IDE extension that parses Cargo.toml, queries a local or cached registry index, and displays available features as inline autocomplete suggestions and hover tooltips directly in the editor when developers type dependency names or edit Cargo.toml. No context-switching required—features appear alongside version suggestions in the native IDE UI.

PLUGIN

10 weeks • 70% confidence

Value Proposition

Eliminates manual docs lookup by embedding feature discovery into the editor's native workflow. Faster than alt-tabbing to crates.io, more discoverable than CLI tools, and works offline after initial sync. Reduces friction from 2-3 minute lookup per dependency to 5-second inline suggestion.

Target Audience

Rust developers using VS Code or IntelliJ IDEA who add/modify dependencies multiple times per week

Key Features

  • Inline autocomplete showing feature names and descriptions as you type dependency names
  • Hover tooltips displaying feature combinations, dependencies, and compatibility notes
  • Quick-action buttons to add/remove features directly from Cargo.toml with syntax validation
  • And more, with full implementation detail...

Tech Stack

TypeScript (VS Code extension SDK) Kotlin (IntelliJ plugin SDK) SQLite (local cache) crates.io registry API
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Original Problem

Rust developers waste time manually discovering available features in crate dependencies

Rust developers adding dependencies to Cargo.toml must manually read source code or documentation to discover what optional features are available in a crate, creating friction in the development workflow. Current IDE tooling like Dependi provides version suggestions but completely lacks feature discovery, forcing developers to context-switch away from their editor to research dependencies.

Score: 17.5%