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Installing the Bob+ Extension

The Bob+ extension brings the Building Blocks Marketplace directly into IBM Bob — letting you browse, install, and manage curated Skills and Modes without leaving your IDE.

Before you begin

Make sure you have a project folder open in IBM Bob before installing assets from the Marketplace.

What's Covered

Step What You'll Do
Step 1 — Download the VSIX Get the extension package from GitHub
Step 2 — Install in IBM Bob Install the .vsix via the Extensions panel
Step 3 — Open Bob+ Access the Marketplace from the Activity Bar
Step 4 — Install Skills and Modes Browse and install assets into your workspace

Step 1 — Download the VSIX

  1. Go to the building-blocks extension page on GitHub.
  2. Download the latest .vsix file listed under Assets (e.g. bob-plus-assets-1.0.0.vsix).
  3. Save the file locally — you will use it in Step 2.

Step 1 — Download the VSIX from GitHub

Step 2 — Install in IBM Bob

  1. Open IBM Bob.

  2. Open the Extensions panel using either option:

    • Click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar, or press Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux)
    • Go to View → Extensions from the menu bar

    Open Extensions from the View menu

    Extensions panel in the Activity Bar

  3. Click the three-dots menu (···) in the top right of the Extensions panel.

  4. Select Install from VSIX…

    Select Install from VSIX

  5. Choose the downloaded .vsix file and click Open.

    Select the downloaded .vsix file

  6. Reload the window when prompted:

    • Click Reload if a notification appears, or
    • Press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux), type Developer: Reload Window, and press Enter

    Developer: Reload Window in the Command Palette

You only need to install the extension once.

Step 3 — Open Bob+

  1. Click the B+ icon in the Activity Bar on the left.

    B+ icon in the Activity Bar

  2. Bob+ opens showing Modes and Skills, grouped by domain.

    Bob+ sidebar showing Modes and Skills

  3. Browse the items and click Install on anything you want to use — see Step 4 below.

No GitHub token required — uses the public GitHub API.

Step 4 — Install Skills and Modes

  1. Click Install on any Mode or Skill card.
  2. A progress notification shows download status.
  3. Skills land in .bob/skills/ and modes merge into .bob/custom_modes.yaml.

Install and Uninstall buttons on skill cards

All assets are installed into your current workspace .bob/ folder. To remove an asset, click the Uninstall button on its card.

Next Steps

You're all set — start building with the Building Blocks Marketplace for IBM Bob+.

Use the search bar in Bob+ to find Skills and Modes by name or domain.

  • Browse available assets on the Skills page
  • Explore Bob Modes to tailor Bob's behaviour for your domain

Updating the Extension

When a new version is released:

  1. Download the new .vsix from the building-blocks extension page.
  2. Repeat Step 2 — install the new .vsix over the existing one.
  3. Reload the window when prompted.

Your installed Skills and Modes in .bob/ are not affected by extension updates.