Django ORM Lens

See your entire Django schema — in your editor, in your terminal, and from your AI agent.

Every app. Every model. Every field. Every relationship. Grouped, navigable, and one keystroke away from a live ER diagram.

🎯 Pick your path

Django ORM Lens ships as three distributions on one core — pick the one that matches your workflow. Each takes under 60 seconds.

Editor user (VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf / VSCodium / code-server / Gitpod): install the extension → open any Django project → sidebar tree + ER diagram appear.

code --install-extension frowningdev.django-orm-lens          # VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf
codium --install-extension frowningdev.django-orm-lens        # VSCodium, code-server (via Open VSX)

Terminal / CI user: install from PyPI → run django-orm-lens in any directory that contains Django apps.

pip install django-orm-lens
django-orm-lens               # welcome + commands
django-orm-lens scan          # scan cwd for apps and models

AI coding agent user (Cursor / Aider / Continue / Zed): install with MCP extras → add one JSON block to your client config.

pip install "django-orm-lens[mcp]"

Then the MCP config snippet in the Integrations section below. Point DJANGO_ORM_LENS_ROOT at your Django project's absolute path.

📊 Traction

Updated 2026-07-20. GitHub stars / forks + total downloads (via pepy.tech) auto-refresh live; weekly count and VS Code / PyPI versions update on release.

If the tool saves you a grep next time you touch a strange Django project — star helps others find it.

⚡ Install

VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf (VS Code Marketplace):

code --install-extension frowningdev.django-orm-lens

VSCodium / code-server / Gitpod / any OSS Code fork (Open VSX):

codium --install-extension frowningdev.django-orm-lens

Or search Django ORM Lens in the Extensions view — same publisher frowningdev on both registries.

Terminal & AI coding agents:

pip install django-orm-lens              # CLI only
pip install "django-orm-lens[mcp]"       # + MCP server for AI agents

Requires Python 3.9+. Zero runtime dependencies for the CLI.

Docker (v0.6+):

docker run --rm -v "$PWD:/workspace" ghcr.io/frowningdev/django-orm-lens scan --path .

Multi-arch (amd64 + arm64). No Python required on the host. Good for CI and one-off audits.

🎯 The problem

Works offline. Works on a broken venv. Works on someone else's laptop. Works in CI.

You open a Django project. It has 20 apps. You need to answer a simple question:

"Which app owns the Order model, and how is it connected to User?"

Today, that means: Ctrl+P, "models", scroll through 30 hits, open five files, Ctrl+F for class Order, read through 400 lines of ForeignKey('otherapp.Something') strings, try to remember what you learned two files ago.

Half a day gone. Every time. On every project.

✨ With Django ORM Lens

📚 A tree of everything

Every app → every model → every field → every Meta option. Grouped by application, sorted alphabetically, expandable.

Icons distinguish CharField from ForeignKey from ManyToManyField at a glance.

🕸️ A live ER diagram

One command opens a Mermaid entity-relationship diagram of your entire schema. Watch it redraw as you edit. Export to SVG.

ForeignKey, OneToOneField, and ManyToManyField become proper cardinality arrows.

🔎 Hover for relations

Hover over ForeignKey('app.Model') in any Python file → a card pops up with the target model's fields, relations, and a "Jump to" link. No Ctrl+F, no file dialog.

🧭 Jump-to-definition

Click any field in the tree → cursor lands on the exact line. Filter the tree by app or model name. Split models/ packages are fully supported.

⚡ Zero configuration

No DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE. No runserver. Parses models.py statically. Works with a broken venv, a missing dependency, or on someone else's laptop.

🎨 Native VS Code UI

Dark theme. Light theme. Your theme. Follows your icon theme, your font, your key bindings. Nothing garish, nothing branded.

📸 What it looks like

Also included in the extension:

🕸️ Live ER diagram — Mermaid cardinality arrows, edge labels (CASCADE, through Model, as related_name), theme-aware, one-click SVG export
🔎 Hover cards — over any ForeignKey('app.Model') or ManyToManyField(...), with a one-click jump link
🧭 CodeLens — above every class Model line: field count, relation count, and an Open ER diagram action
🎨 Named themes — auto / default / dark / forest / neutral for the diagram webview

🤖 For terminals and AI coding agents

The same parser that powers the VS Code extension ships as a standalone Python package — with an optional MCP (Model Context Protocol) server so any MCP-compatible AI agent can navigate your Django schema without importing Django or booting your app.

CLI

django-orm-lens scan -f json                # every app, every model, every field
django-orm-lens describe blog.Post          # one model in Markdown
django-orm-lens hover blog.Post             # compact hover card
django-orm-lens list | fzf                  # flat app.Model — pipes anywhere
django-orm-lens er > schema.mmd             # Mermaid ER diagram
django-orm-lens diff before.json after.json # what a PR changes structurally
django-orm-lens nplusone --path .           # static N+1 detector (v0.6+)
django-orm-lens migration-risk --path .     # flag risky migration ops (v0.6+)

Every command accepts --path <dir> and --exclude <glob>. nplusone / migration-risk / diff exit code 1 on findings — drop them into CI to block PRs on regressions.

MCP server

Tool	Purpose
`list_apps`	Every Django app in the workspace with model counts
`list_models`	Flat `app.Model` list, optional app filter
`describe_model`	Full field / relation / Meta detail for one model
`find_relations`	Inbound + outbound relations for one model
`er_diagram`	Mermaid `erDiagram` for the whole workspace

# Start it directly
django-orm-lens-mcp

# Or via the CLI subcommand
django-orm-lens mcp

Set DJANGO_ORM_LENS_ROOT=/abs/path/to/project to point it anywhere.

🔌 Integrations

Client	How to enable	Status
VS Code	`code --install-extension frowningdev.django-orm-lens`	✅
Cursor	same VSIX + optional MCP entry in `~/.cursor/mcp.json`	✅
Windsurf / VSCodium / any Code fork	install the VSIX from the Marketplace or GitHub Releases	✅
Aider	add `django-orm-lens-mcp` to your `mcp.json`	✅ (via MCP)
Continue.dev	register the MCP server in `~/.continue/config.json`	✅ (via MCP)
Zed	register the MCP server in Zed settings	✅ (via MCP)
Any MCP-compatible client	point `command` at `django-orm-lens-mcp`, set `DJANGO_ORM_LENS_ROOT`	✅
Discoverable via MCP Registry	official Model Context Protocol server directory	✅
Plain terminal / CI	`pip install django-orm-lens && django-orm-lens scan`	✅

Example: Cursor / any MCP client

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "django-orm-lens": {
      "command": "django-orm-lens-mcp",
      "env": { "DJANGO_ORM_LENS_ROOT": "/abs/path/to/your/project" }
    }
  }
}

🚀 Get started (30 seconds)

In VS Code:

code --install-extension frowningdev.django-orm-lens
Open a folder with a manage.py or models.py
Click the Django ORM Lens icon in the activity bar
Expand apps → models → fields
Click the type-hierarchy icon at the top of the panel → ER diagram opens beside your code

In a terminal:

pip install django-orm-lens
cd my-django-project
django-orm-lens scan -f table

As an AI agent tool:

pip install "django-orm-lens[mcp]"

…then register django-orm-lens-mcp in your agent's MCP config (see the Integrations table above).

No settings screen. No sign-in. No telemetry.

🎯 Who this is for

Django developers joining a codebase with 10+ apps and getting lost in models.py sprawl.
Contract / freelance engineers who need to grasp an unfamiliar Django project in the first hour, not the first week.
Teams onboarding new hires who want a one-glance schema view without spinning up documentation infrastructure.
AI-agent power users (Cursor / Aider / Zed / Continue / any MCP-compatible client) who need the agent to answer schema questions accurately — without giving it database credentials or booting Django.
CI pipelines that verify schema shape (e.g. "did we accidentally break a related_name?") without importing the project.
Solo indie devs on a broken venv or someone else's laptop — no runserver, no manage.py migrate, still works.

🗺️ Market position

Django ORM Lens sits at the intersection of editor tooling and AI-agent tooling — a slot no existing package covers:

Segment	Existing option	What it costs you
Boot-and-graph	`django-extensions graph_models`	Requires Graphviz + Django settings + a working DB URL
Web-based viewer	`django-schema-graph`	Requires a running Django server; hosts one more thing to break
Admin panel	Django Admin	Requires runserver + auth + database — great for data, not for architecture
Editor plugin	PyCharm's Django Structure	Locked to PyCharm; no CLI, no AI-agent story
MCP server	(none until now)	AI agents guess your schema from source, imperfectly

Django ORM Lens is the only tool that ships three surfaces from one parser: a VS Code extension (any Code fork), a zero-dep CLI (terminals + CI), and an MCP server (AI agents). All static. All free. All MIT.

🤔 How is this different?

	Django ORM Lens	`django-extensions graph_models`	`django-schema-graph`	Django Admin	PyCharm Django Structure
Works without a bootable Django project	✅	❌	❌	❌	⚠️
Zero-install (no graphviz, no server)	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌ (needs PyCharm)
Works in VS Code / Cursor / any Code fork	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Sidebar tree inside the editor	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅
Live ER diagram	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Hover cards on `ForeignKey`	✅	❌	❌	❌	⚠️
CodeLens on model classes	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Split `models/` package support	✅	⚠️	⚠️	✅	✅
CLI for terminal / CI	✅	⚠️	❌	❌	❌
MCP server for AI agents	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Discoverable in the MCP Registry	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Free & open-source (MIT)	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌ (paid IDE)
Django version support	4.0 – 5.2	latest	3.2 – 4.1 (stale since 2023)	latest	latest

django-schema-graph has not been updated since 2023-05 and does not test Django 5.x.

⚙️ Configuration

The defaults are opinionated and sensible. If you need to tweak:

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "djangoOrmLens.excludeGlobs": [
    "**/migrations/**",
    "**/node_modules/**",
    "**/venv/**",
    "**/.venv/**",
    "**/env/**"
  ],
  "djangoOrmLens.autoRefresh": true
}

Setting	Type	Default	What it does
`djangoOrmLens.excludeGlobs`	`string[]`	See above	Glob patterns to skip when scanning
`djangoOrmLens.autoRefresh`	`boolean`	`true`	Rescan on `models.py` changes

🧭 Commands

Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and type "Django ORM Lens":

Command	What it does
`Django ORM Lens: Refresh`	Force-rescan the workspace
`Django ORM Lens: Show ER Diagram`	Open the Mermaid ER diagram side-by-side
`Django ORM Lens: Filter Models`	Filter the tree by app / model / field name
`Django ORM Lens: Clear Filter`	Restore the full tree
`Django ORM Lens: Jump to Model`	Programmatic — triggered by tree clicks and hover cards

🗺️ Roadmap

Shipped

Sidebar tree grouped by app
Live Mermaid ER diagram
Hover cards over ForeignKey('app.Model')
Filter tree by name
Split models/ package support
Export ER diagram as SVG
Python CLI + MCP server for terminals and AI agents
Welcome view for empty workspaces
Path-safe jump-to-definition and sanitized hover markdown
v0.3.0 — CodeLens above each model class (N fields · N relations · Open ER diagram)
v0.3.0 — Edge labels on the diagram (CASCADE, SET_NULL, PROTECT, related_name)
v0.3.0 — Named color themes (auto / default / dark / forest / neutral)
v0.3.1 — through_model on M2M edges (contributed by @kingrubic)
v0.3.1 — Listed in the official MCP Registry + Glama.ai
v0.6.0 — CLI nplusone — static N+1 detector (FK/M2M access inside loops without select_related/prefetch_related)
v0.6.0 — CLI migration-risk — flags 7 classes of production hazards in migrations/*.py
v0.6.0 — CLI diff — compare two schema JSON dumps for PR review
v0.6.0 — ER-diagram minimap color-codes nodes by Django app
v0.6.0 — README translations: 🇷🇺 Russian, 🇪🇸 Spanish, 🇨🇳 Chinese
v0.6.0 — Docker image on GHCR: docker run ghcr.io/frowningdev/django-orm-lens
v0.7.0 — settings.AUTH_USER_MODEL resolves everywhere: n+1 reverse-relations, signal senders, Mermaid ER, VS Code webview, inbound-relation panel, React ER
v0.7.0 — AST-based field parser: ForeignKey(on_delete=CASCADE, to='User') resolves regardless of kwarg order (Python + TS parity)
v0.7.0 — Public shared helpers: find_user_model, resolve_related_tail, find_model, iter_workspace_py_files (Python) + findUserModel, resolveRelatedTail (TS)
v0.7.0 — --verbose no longer walks the tree twice; WorkspaceIndex.scanned_files carries the count
v0.7.3 — PEP-526 type annotations on fields (jti: CharField[str] = models.CharField(...)) now parse — reported by @jsabater (#25) with a clean Django Ninja 1.6 repro
v0.7.4 — PEP-695 generic class headers (Python 3.12+): class Container[T](https://github.com/FROWNINGdev/django-orm-lens/blob/main/models.Model): now parses
v0.7.5 — Aliased models module (from django.db import models as m) and third-party field packages (jsonfield.JSONField) now detected
v0.7.6 — Tab-indented model bodies now parse (editors defaulting to tabs no longer show empty models)

Next

ORM query autocomplete inside .filter() / .exclude() / .annotate() (#3)
App / model toggle checkboxes to declutter huge schemas
Migration dependency graph
pre-commit hook wrapping migration-risk + nplusone

Later

Third-party field support (django-mptt, django-taggit, django-model-utils)
JetBrains / PyCharm plugin (if there is demand)

Vote by 👍-ing the corresponding issue.

❓ FAQ

🆘 Support

🐛 Bug reports — GitHub Issues (please include a minimal models.py snippet)
💡 Feature requests / ideas — GitHub Discussions
📝 Marketplace reviews — rate the extension (the fastest signal that keeps this project moving)
🐍 PyPI page — pypi.org/project/django-orm-lens
💚 Sponsor — github.com/sponsors/FROWNINGdev

📜 License

Made for developers who care about their codebase.

Marketplace · PyPI · GitHub · Issues · Discussions · Sponsor

Django ORM Lens

README

Django ORM Lens

See your entire Django schema — in your editor, in your terminal, and from your AI agent.

🎯 Pick your path

📊 Traction

⚡ Install

🎯 The problem

✨ With Django ORM Lens

📚 A tree of everything

🕸️ A live ER diagram

🔎 Hover for relations

🧭 Jump-to-definition

⚡ Zero configuration

🎨 Native VS Code UI

📸 What it looks like

🤖 For terminals and AI coding agents

CLI

MCP server

🔌 Integrations

Example: Cursor / any MCP client

🚀 Get started (30 seconds)

🎯 Who this is for

🗺️ Market position

🤔 How is this different?

⚙️ Configuration

🧭 Commands

🗺️ Roadmap

❓ FAQ

🆘 Support

📜 License

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