microsoft / microsoft/vscode-mssql

[Feature Request]: Make IntelliSense metadata refresh easier to discover

Open
#21,853 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Area - Language Service Bug
Dominant language
TypeScript
Stars
1.9k
Forks
610
Avg merge
2d 3h
Merged PRs (30d)
97

Description

Feature Description

Please make it easier to discover and trigger IntelliSense / metadata cache refresh after schema changes such as creating new tables, procedures, or columns.

The MSSQL extension does already have a command palette option to refresh IntelliSense cache, but it is not very discoverable. Users who hit stale metadata often end up thinking they need to disconnect, reconnect, or restart VS Code.

Problem and Motivation

When schema changes are made, IntelliSense can continue using stale metadata until the cache is refreshed.

There is already a manual command available, which is helpful, but it is easy to miss unless the user already knows it exists and searches for it explicitly in the command palette.

A more discoverable entry point would make recovery much easier. Examples could include:
- a query editor action
- a status bar action
- an IntelliSense error quick fix or prompt
- a clearer connection between stale-object errors and the refresh command

This is related to the general ADS/vscode-mssql parity gap around schema drift and stale IntelliSense metadata, but this request is specifically about discoverability of the existing manual refresh workflow.

Related references:
- Azure Data Studio parity note: metadata / IntelliSense cache refresh after creating new objects
- https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-mssql/issues/21704
- https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-mssql/issues/311

Related Area

- Query editor
- Other (please describe below)

If you selected "Other", please describe the area

Language service / IntelliSense metadata cache refresh UX

Confirmation

- I have searched existing feature requests and couldn't find a match

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

Research direction

Start by locating the existing IntelliSense metadata cache refresh command and then inspect the query editor and language-service entry points mentioned in the issue. Compare possible discovery paths, such as an editor action, status bar action, or stale-object prompt, and define which one exposes the existing refresh workflow. Done means users can find and trigger the refresh without relying on an exact command-palette search.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
databases, developer-experience
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
42/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.