What is lancedb-explorer?

LanceDB Explorer is a VS Code extension that lets you browse LanceDB databases and tables without leaving your editor. LanceDB is a type of database built for storing vectors, the kind of data used in AI search and similarity matching, along with regular columns of data. This extension gives you a visual way to look inside those databases instead of writing code to inspect them. Once installed, you open a local LanceDB database from the sidebar and see its tables listed in a tree view. Clicking a table opens its data in a paginated grid, so you can page through rows instead of loading everything at once. The grid shows column type hints, row numbers, and tooltips when you hover over a cell so you can read its full content even if it is cut off in the display. You can edit values directly. Clicking a pencil icon opens a modal where you change a cell, including editing JSON for columns that hold lists or vectors, and the extension checks that your new value matches the column's expected type before saving. Cells can be cleared to null with one click on columns that allow it, and rows can be deleted from the row-number column, with a confirmation step since deletion cannot be undone. Other features include pinning rows so they stay visible while you scroll or sort, sorting by column in a way that queries the actual database rather than just reordering what's on screen, and filtering by column text, number, or boolean values that also updates the row count. Columns can be pinned to the left edge too, so key columns stay visible while scrolling through wide tables. The interface automatically matches your VS Code theme, including dark and high contrast modes. To develop the extension locally you run npm install and npm run watch, then press F5 in VS Code to launch a test instance with the extension loaded. It requires Node.js version 18 or higher because of the LanceDB native bindings, and it is released under the Apache-2.0 license.