EpiDev - Provider Agnostic AI Harness IDE (Powered by VS Code)

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

Hello!

During my EpiUsers presentation at insights, I demoed a number of tools which have been shared here on EpiUsers. Welcome to the next in the series!

This is “EpiDev” - a VS Code Extension that provides a provider-agnostic AI Harness IDE. Currently tested/supported: Copilot Chat, OpenAI Codex, Anthropic Claude, Cline (Local LLM)

It is currently in pre-release status, and the project goal is a community-driven IDE, providing a human interface to develop within Epicor alongside an agentic interface by means of an MCP. When the product matures, the developer should not have to leave the IDE except to deploy their completed solution.

I’ve been quietly building the framework behind the scenes (some EpiUsers have assisted with the development on Discord!) - a release is coming as soon as the product matures.

For now - A sneak preview, and if you would like early access and an opportunity to help steer the development of the project by means of providing direct feedback - details at the bottom of the post.

Currently supported in the pre-release:

• Multi Environment
• Cross Environment (Prompt the AI to copy something from one env. to another)
• Multi Company
• BPM (r/w)
  • Widgets + Graph + Custom Code
• EFx (r/w)
  • Custom Code, Code Completion, “Analyze” Epicor-side validation
• BAQ (r)
  • Analyzer
  • Run

Other items are present in the tree, but unsupported at this time (pre-ALPHA status)

At current state, the AI can analyze any potential issues with EF Classic → EF Core migration in 2026.100.x in a few minutes, and fix them for you in a few more. More to come!

https://www.patreon.com/GabrielFranco

[zachg (Zach Griffeth)]

We think very similarly, though I like your solution much better!! I made an “agentic studio” of sorts that interacts with everything and builds its own knowledge from learned lessons during execution.

Plus recently integrated our AI chat with ERP context.

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

Beautiful! I really like your BAQ editor concept. I’m certainly having an interesting time bouncing the design thought for that around in my head!

[Evan_Purdy]

If yall work together the tokens will go further

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

With the base built it gets easier to add stuff!

Extended Properties UI - with matching agentic R/W ability. If you have the UI open and the agent changes something underneath it, it refreshes to reflect the new change.

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

Here is the basic support available at this time (read only and/or read/write to AI/Human, at least at raw JSON/XML level)

Added support for the following Agentic/Human domains (Read or Read/Write actionable by AI as well as Developer, depending on feature):

• AppStudio (r/w)
  • Raw JSON user interface provided, TODO: First Class GUI

• Report Styles (r/w)

• RDD (r/w)

• System Tasks (r)

  • System Task Parameters (r/w)
  • 

• UD Tables (r/w)

[hkeric.wci (Haso Keric)]

Nice work @GabeFranco – Wish AI was around when I had your age. Even with AI… I lack the willpower nowadays for side-projects. Maybe the draw.io extension can give you some more ideas

Perhaps you can bring all of App Studio into VS Code for us… Its really just loading the url’s into tabs.

Inspired by draw.io extension GitHub - hediet/vscode-drawio: This unofficial extension integrates Draw.io (also known as diagrams.net) into VS Code. · GitHub the extension simply launches a WebView with the jsonc for editing, simple – downloads some metadata using EpAuth this that using Joses VS Code Extension and Josh/Joses npm packages… Once its stable we shall revisit for now its dead and broken and I lost it on a Docker image on a laptop that wasnt mine.

[zachg (Zach Griffeth)]

This would be a great addon @GabeFranco!

[knash (Ken Nash)]

@hkeric.wci

was around when I had your age.

Your age? you sound like you are old…

[klincecum (Kevin Lincecum)]

@knash

you sound like you are old…

We feel old.

[aosemwengie1 (Alisa Osemwengie)]

[dylanb (Dylan Benner)]

Don’t let my boss see these posts, he thinks I am great and I would like to keep it that way

Cheers

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

Lots of features adding in!

Server Log browser with AI parsing is nifty. Ask it a plain language question “Describe the errors” and awayyyyy we go!

@MarkBetts Had a very cool idea for a use case for this! The MCP could be left running in the background, and you can use your own AI’s Scheduled Tasks to fire off a daily or weekly log scan and report on the findings. I know that I personally don’t have time to review it periodically… and it’s a lot to parse..

[jbooker (Josh Booker)]

@dylanb

he thinks I am great

try it and he’ll think you’re 10x.

@GabeFranco is it tested on gov-cloud, i forget?

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

It connects and functions well on gov-cloud, yes! The various features are all in the process of being built out and refined, I have not gotten IdP/SSO smoothed out just yet, so basic auth only for the moment.

At the current alpha stage I would of course recommend only Pilot/Non-Production connection only.

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

Hi Everyone!

Here’s an EpiUsers special - a 2 week test of the Beta version of EpiDev Pro!

EpiDev serves as an MCP bridge connecting the AI of your choice to Epicor via VS Code. GitHub Chat, OpenAI ChatGPT Codex, Anthropic Claude Code, Cline Local LLM tested and supported for MCP use. Bring-your-own-provider. The MCP allows your AI to understand Epicor and it’s logic, and connect directly to analyze/modify/create/delete.

Examples of supported prompts:

“Scan my system for any potential EF Core or MARS issues across all BPM, EFx, and BAQ aBPM code. generate a report, including a plan to fix in place, prompt the user to authorize the fix and implement if authorized”

“Create a BAQ showing me the top 10 customers by realized sales revenue in 2025”

“Utilize the previously created BAQ in a dashboard”

“Add the previously created dashboard to the menu in Sales Management - General Operations”

“Create a solution with the previous baq, app studio app, and menu”

“Create a BPM to email me when my stock levels of part 100-AXYS go below minimum on hand”

At this point, a majority of Epicor Developer-focused features are supported read/write, including:

• BAQ
  • Export to CSV, Excel
  • View in Grid, sort/etc.
  • MCP to create/modify a BAQ
• SQL to BAQ
  • UI and MCP
• BPM
  • UI and MCP
• AppStudio
  • MCP
• App Server Log
  • UI and MCP
• Email Log
  • UI and MCP
• EFx
  • UI and MCP
  • Code Completion
  • EF Core / MARS compatibility scanning and automated repair / testing
  • EFx development / modification
• User Personalizations
  • UI (with context-sensitive diff) and MCP
• RDD
  • MCP
• Report Styles
  • UI and MCP
• SSRS
  • MCP
• Menus
  • MCP
• Solutions
  • MCP
• Field Security
  • UI and MCP
• Security Groups
  • UI and MCP
• User Account Security
  • UI and MCP
• User Tracing
  • UI and MCP
• System Agents
  • MCP
• System Tasks
  • UI and MCP
• Server Files
  • UI and MCP
  • Server Log Browser / MCP Search
• Global Alerts
  • UI and MCP
• Classic Customizations
  • MCP
• Extended Properties
  • UI and MCP
• License Usage
  • UI and MCP
• Activity Tracking
  • UI and MCP
• Named Searches
  • MCP

You can find EpiDev in the Official VS Code Extension Marketplace!

Unlock Key:

epi_OIyo5UT--KNlgcmNe-Yhrysw0s-CFxiFtRQ

Example of MCP describing a function loaded into the UI:

Asking AI to describe a BPM:

[mbayley (Michael Bayley)]

I tried to install the extension with the access code. It says it’s invalid

[spaceage (Chris)]

I had the same issue. Within the extension, go to EpiDev > Account. Click Get Access > Community. Enter an email address and a valid code will be sent.

[GabeFranco (Gabriel Franco)]

Sorry, I don’t have a nice install guide nor the install process fully fleshed out yet.

I believe to get the initial sign in panel to display at the login you need to restart vs code after installing the extension (not just restart the extension host) - that should bring up the login panel where the code can be entered. The code above is for pro vs. the email sends out community edition. I’ll see if I can post an updated build later with a smoother first sign in.

Edit: actually I think the forum ate some characters of the key the first time I posted it. Edited the post