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Threat Composer VS Code Extension

View and edit Threat Composer files (.tc.json) directly within Visual Studio Code using the AWS Toolkit extension.

Overview

The Threat Composer VS Code extension provides a native editing experience for threat models within your development environment. This integration allows you to:

  • Create, view, and edit .tc.json files directly in VS Code
  • Work with threat models alongside your code
  • Leverage VS Code's powerful editor features
  • Maintain threat models in version control with your codebase

Installation

The Threat Composer functionality is included in the AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code extension.

Install from VS Code Marketplace

  1. Open Visual Studio Code
  2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac)
  3. Search for "AWS Toolkit"
  4. Click Install on the AWS Toolkit extension

Install from Command Line

code --install-extension AmazonWebServices.aws-toolkit-vscode

Usage

Opening Threat Composer Files

Once installed, .tc.json files will automatically open in the Threat Composer editor:

  1. Open any .tc.json file in VS Code
  2. The Threat Composer custom editor will launch automatically
  3. If it doesn't open automatically, right-click the file and select Open With > Threat Composer

Creating New Threat Models

  1. Create a new file with the .tc.json extension
  2. The Threat Composer editor will open with an empty threat model
  3. Start building your threat model using the visual interface

Editing Threat Models

The VS Code extension provides the same full-featured interface as the web application:

  • Application Info: Define your system description
  • Architecture: Document system architecture with diagrams
  • Data Flow: Map data flows and trust boundaries
  • Assumptions: Capture design and security assumptions
  • Threats: Identify and document threats using threat grammar
  • Mitigations: Define mitigation strategies
  • Insights: Review threat model quality metrics

File Association

The extension automatically associates with .tc.json files. You can also:

  • Set Threat Composer as the default editor for .tc.json files
  • Use "Open With" to choose between Threat Composer and text editor views
  • Edit the raw JSON when needed by opening with the default text editor

Features

Full Threat Composer Functionality

All features from the web application are available:

  • Threat statement composition with grammar support
  • Visual architecture and data flow diagrams
  • Threat and mitigation linking
  • Assumption tracking
  • Insights dashboard
  • Export to Markdown, DOCX, and PDF

VS Code Integration

  • Native File Handling: Works with VS Code's file system
  • Version Control: Seamlessly integrates with Git and other VCS
  • Workspace Support: Manage multiple threat models in your workspace
  • Side-by-Side Editing: View threat models alongside code
  • Search: Find threat models using VS Code's file search

Offline Capability

  • Works completely offline
  • No external dependencies required
  • All data stored locally in .tc.json files

Source Code

The Threat Composer VS Code extension is part of the AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code:

Documentation

For detailed documentation on using the Threat Composer extension:

Compatibility

  • VS Code Version: 1.70.0 or higher
  • Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • File Format: Threat Composer v1 schema (.tc.json)

Tips and Best Practices

Version Control

  • Commit .tc.json files to your repository
  • Review threat model changes in pull requests
  • Track threat model evolution over time
  • Use branches for experimental threat modeling

Workspace Organization

project/
├── src/
├── docs/
│   └── threat-models/
│       ├── api-gateway.tc.json
│       ├── database.tc.json
│       └── authentication.tc.json
└── README.md

Collaboration

  • Share .tc.json files with team members
  • Use VS Code Live Share for collaborative threat modeling
  • Export to Markdown for documentation
  • Include threat models in code reviews

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

  1. Ensure AWS Toolkit extension is installed and enabled
  2. Reload VS Code window (Ctrl+Shift+P > "Reload Window")
  3. Check VS Code version compatibility
  4. Review VS Code extension logs

File Not Opening in Threat Composer

  1. Verify file has .tc.json extension
  2. Right-click file > "Open With" > "Threat Composer"
  3. Check file is valid JSON format
  4. Ensure file follows Threat Composer schema

Performance Issues

  • Large threat models may take time to load
  • Consider splitting very large models into multiple files
  • Close unused editor tabs
  • Increase VS Code memory limit if needed

Support

For issues and questions:

Related Resources