# IDE compatibility and troubleshooting
Resolve installation, sign-in, preview, System, insertion, download, and CDN issues in supported IDEs.

The extension supports Visual Studio Code, Cursor, and Windsurf with a minimum VS Code API of `1.85.0`.

## IDE differences

| Behavior                   | Visual Studio Code             | Cursor and Windsurf                       |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- |
| Extension installation     | VS Code Marketplace or `.vsix` | IDE marketplace availability or `.vsix`   |
| Getting Started            | Opens the native walkthrough   | Falls back to the LottieFiles sidebar     |
| Sidebar, preview, commands | Supported                      | Supported through VS Code-compatible APIs |

Test project-specific workflows in the actual IDE used by the team, especially file drops, authentication return, custom editors, and generated-file actions.

## Installation and first run

- **No Activity Bar icon** - reload the IDE window and confirm the extension is enabled.
- **Getting Started does not open** - use **LottieFiles: Open Sidebar** from the Command Palette.
- **A JSON file opens in the wrong editor** - use **Preview Animation** explicitly or change `lottiefiles.directPreviewJson`.

## Sign-in and Workspace

- **Browser sign-in completes but the sidebar stays signed out** - return to the original IDE window and reopen the account action.
- **Workspace is empty** - confirm the selected account, workspace, and project permission.
- **The expected file update is missing** - reopen or refresh the Workspace location.
- **Upload is rejected** - check file type, size, JSON validity, and plan limits.

## System tab

- **System is not visible** - the Motion System rollout may not be enabled in the installed extension version or for the current account.
- **No systems are listed** - select the intended workspace in Workspace and confirm that it owns a Motion System.
- **A section is missing** - the system may not contain supported primitives in that published revision.
- **Insert does nothing** - open a text editor and place the cursor before clicking Insert.

## Preview and developer tools

- **Lottie JSON does not preview** - fix syntax errors and confirm it is animation data rather than general JSON.
- **A `.lottie` feature disappears in JSON** - keep the `.lottie` output for multi-animation, themes, tokens, or state machines.
- **Live preview stops updating** - restore valid JSON, then save or reload the preview.
- **Generated types are incomplete** - current output covers state-machine IDs and marker names only.

## Downloads and CDN

- **Optimized output is locked or missing** - optimized variants depend on plan, availability, and whether optimization improves the file.
- **Animated SVG does not include recolor changes** - export uses the original animation source.
- **CDN actions are missing** - the workspace can disable CDN links.
- **Utilities Snippets shows a placeholder** - enable CDN on a Workspace file or replace the source with a project path.

## Logs and diagnostics

Use the extension's **Show Logs** action after an error. Include the extension version, IDE and version, file format, and exact action when reporting a problem. Do not attach private animation files or access tokens to a public issue.

## Related

- [Commands and settings](/en/integrations/vscode/07_reference/commands-and-settings)
- [Installation](/en/integrations/vscode/01_quickstart/installation)