> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/application-security/application-security-posture-management-aspm/unified-application-security-policies/ide-workflow.md).

# IDE workflow

The Cortex Cloud IDE Extensions (Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs) apply Unified Application Security Policies during local scans within the developer environment. IDE extensions are scan-time policy consumers. IDE extensions do not support creating, editing, viewing, or deleting policies. All policy management operations are performed exclusively through the Console workflow or the API workflow.

**How IDE extensions interact with policies**

IDE extensions connect to the Cortex Cloud platform to retrieve the active detection rules and policy configurations. When a developer runs a scan in the IDE:

* The IDE extension executes the scan using the same scanning engine as the Cortex CLI
* Findings are evaluated against the active Unified Application Security Policies
* Policy-matched findings are displayed inline in the IDE editor with severity indicators and remediation guidance
* If configured, scan results are uploaded to the Cortex Cloud platform for unified posture visibility.

**IDE extension policy capabilities and limitations**

| Operation                    | Supported                                                                              |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| View policy-matched findings | ✓ Findings that match active policies are displayed inline with policy indicators      |
| Create policies              | ✗ Policy creation is available only through the Cortex Cloud console or the public API |
| Edit policies                | ✗ Policy editing is available only through the Cortex Cloud console or the public API  |
| Delete policies              | ✗ Policy deletion is available only through the Cortex Cloud console or the public API |
| Block PR from IDE            | ✗ PR blocking is enforced by the platform during PR scans, not by the IDE extension    |

**Reference**

For more information about the Cortex Cloud IDE extensions, refer to [IDE](broken://spaces/8Z0RLJ1BFF5TQL8VtUeK/pages/bIa0k28nbMocYktnzsZ4).


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