January 13, 2026
Graphs, gripes & GitHub gaffes
Show HN: Nogic – VS Code extension that visualizes your codebase as a graph
Your code, as a map: wow vibes, broken links, and a fight over closed source
TLDR: Nogic maps your code like Google Maps inside VS Code, but a broken GitHub rollout and closed-source fears stole the spotlight. Excited fans meet security hardliners: cool idea, rough launch, trust issues. Fix the links, slow the demo, and maybe open up—then the crowd might stay.
Show HN: Nogic is a VS Code add-on promising to turn your messy code into a clickable map. Think Google Maps for files, classes, and function calls—complete with custom boards, auto-updating views, and quick search. It’s in beta, supports JavaScript/TypeScript and Python, and asks users to report issues on GitHub. The audience went from clapping to side-eye in seconds. everlier loved the idea of summarizing clusters and a “LoD” (level of detail) system for huge projects, calling it the missing zoomed-out view builders crave. Others? Furious that the GitHub links are broken and that the extension is closed source.
That’s where the drama explodes. pentaphobe said they “will always skip closed source editor extensions,” citing today’s supply chain hacks (bad stuff sneaking in via packages). fpauser doubled down: “not for me.” wek couldn’t even reach the pages, and Aspos roasted the demo: the looping gif zooms faster than a TikTok recipe—please slow it down! So now the thread is split: map my code, please vs. no trust without open source. It’s a classic tech soap opera: brilliant idea, wobbly launch, and a privacy-and-security fight overshadowing the wow factor. If the team fixes the links and opens things up, Nogic could go from “neat demo” to daily must-have—but the crowd is watching, popcorn in hand
Key Points
- •Nogic is a VS Code extension that visualizes codebase structures with interactive diagrams.
- •Features include unified hierarchical graphs, boards, class diagrams, call graphs, search, and auto-sync.
- •Supported languages: TypeScript/JavaScript (classes, functions, imports, call graphs) and Python (classes, methods, decorators, module imports).
- •Users interact via the Command Palette and Explorer; tips include double-click to open files and click to expand methods.
- •The extension is in beta; issues can be reported on GitHub.