DEV Community: Mohamed Ibrahim

OXP – Write one WASM extension, run natively in VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim

Mohamed Ibrahim — Sat, 16 May 2026 08:13:30 +0000

Hi Folks,

I’m the solo developer behind OXP (Open Extension Protocol).

I built this out of pure frustration.

Like many of you, I was tired of the fragmentation in the IDE tooling space. Building an extension meant maintaining separate codebases in TypeScript, Java/Kotlin, and Lua. Worse, in editors like VS Code, we are forced to rely on iframes and webviews for UI, which feel sluggish and disconnected from the native editor experience.

OXP is my attempt to fix this. It’s an open-source protocol and host layer that lets you write an extension once (using React and WebAssembly) and run it natively across major code editors.

How it works under the hood:

WASM Sandboxing: Extensions are bundled as a single .oxp file and run securely via WASI Preview 2. This isolates the extension and forces explicit permission requests for network or file access.

Zero-Latency IPC Bridge: Instead of running a webview, OXP translates your extension's actions directly into native IDE commands. It hooks directly into the native VS Code API, and for JetBrains, it uses JCEF to render as a native OS window.

MCP Routing: I also built in a system-level router for the Model Context Protocol (MCP). If you use AI tools like Cursor or Copilot, you can configure your database or local context once via OXP, and it instantly wires that context across all detected IDEs on your machine.

The Current State:

My goal is to make this a community-driven standard. If you are interested in tooling, WASM, or just want to tell me why my IPC bridge implementation is flawed, I would deeply appreciate your feedback.

I’ve optimized the repo so you can spin up a "Hello World" cross-editor extension locally in about two minutes.

I’ll be here all day to answer questions, explain the architecture, or take your brutal feedback. Thanks for looking!

Repo: https://oxp.sh/docs
Docs: https://github.com/oxprotocol/OXP

I spent months fighting VS Code webviews, so I built an open source universal extension protocol

Mohamed Ibrahim — Thu, 14 May 2026 00:49:59 +0000

Hey Folks,

This project started because I simply wanted to build a new IDE to fix my own workflow bottlenecks. But I immediately hit a brick wall trying to build the tooling for it. I spent months, days, and nights trying to hack and fix VS Code extension webviews just to get a decent UI to render.

I realized I was fighting a 33 year old architectural problem: extension vendor lock in. If you want your dev tool to reach people today, you have to write Electron/TypeScript for VS Code/Cursor, and Kotlin/JVM for JetBrains.

So I stopped building the IDE, and I built the fix instead.

Meet OXP (Open eXtensions Protocol).
OXP is an open source universal standard that lets you write your extension once in React/WASM and run it natively across every major editor.

How I fixed the Webview problem:
This isn't a slow iframe hack. OXP uses a secure WebAssembly sandbox and a zero-latency IPC bridge. Your React code triggers an action, and OXP translates it to native IDE commands.

In VS Code, it binds directly to the native extension API.

In JetBrains, it uses JCEF to render as a native floating OS window.
You get blazing fast native speed from a single codebase.

**The Accidental MCP Fix:

While building this universal host layer, I realized OXP perfectly solves the current Model Context Protocol (MCP) configuration hell.

Instead of manually editing configurations for Cursor, Copilot, and JetBrains individually, OXP acts as a system level MCP router. If you run oxp install @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres, the OXP daemon instantly wires that database context into the AI configurations of every detected IDE on your machine.

I'm opening up the infrastructure today. The CLI is live, and you can test it on your machine right now.

Initialize your environment: npm i -g @oxprotocol/cli
Architecture and Docs: https://oxp.sh

I'll be in the comments all day to talk about the WASM bridge, IPC latency, fighting with JCEF, and why extension silos need to die.

Most developers use AI… but very few know how to think with AI.

Mohamed Ibrahim — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 20:44:23 +0000

That gap is becoming one of the biggest skill differences in our industry:

Some devs copy/paste AI answers.
Others use AI as a real engineering tool, to explore ideas, break down problems, and build smarter.

That second group is growing fast.
And that’s exactly why we have PIYE Studio.

PIYE Studio helps developers learn the skills behind modern engineering:

✨ How to structure prompts like an engineer
✨ How to break down ideas into clear, buildable steps
✨ How to think through architecture with clarity
✨ How to use AI as a learning companion, not a shortcut

It’s not about replacing your skills — it’s about upgrading them.

I’m excited to finally share a preview.
Here’s what PIYE Studio looks like in action 🔽

If this aligns with how you want to learn and build, we would genuinely love your feedback ❤️

Try PIYE: piye.dev

🌱 Learning to Build With AI Is Powerful, But Sometimes Can Be Overwhelming

Mohamed Ibrahim — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:03:36 +0000

`AI tools today are incredible.
They can generate code, explain concepts, and help you move faster than ever before.

But while building real projects with AI, I kept noticing something subtle:
• I was getting results without understanding.
• I was moving fast but learning slowly.
• The AI was helping but the process felt unstructured.
• And even when things worked, I didn’t feel like I built them.

It wasn’t a flaw in AI, it was a gap in how we use it.

🧩 The Quiet Problem Developers Face:

AI can write code brilliantly.
But learning how to build planning, structuring, reasoning is a different skill.

When you’re trying to grow as a developer, you need:
• clear steps
• reasoning behind decisions
• explanations, not just answers
• guidance through architecture
• a sense of direction
• consistency

And that’s why many developers tell me:

“AI helps me code but I still don’t feel confident. Yet guilty or the AI is doing it for me”

🔥 The Question That Led Me to Build PIYE

I asked myself:

“What if AI could guide me like a mentor, not just assist me like a tool?”

Not replacing learning.
Not replacing creativity.
But supporting it.

Something that could:
• help me plan before I code
• explain what’s happening in my project
• break complex ideas into steps
• give structure when everything feels scattered
• help me grow, not depend

That idea turned into PIYE, an AI mentor built for learning and building together.

🛠️ What PIYE Focuses On

PIYE Mentor, Guidance With Clarity:

PIYE doesn’t overwhelm you with long answers.
It guides you with:
• step-by-step feature breakdowns
• explanations in simple language
• architecture discussions
• help understanding your own codebase
• long-term project context that builds over time

More like a calm, patient senior dev.

PIYE Studio, Learn the Thinking, Not Just the Code:

Studio helps you develop core skills:
• how to prompt effectively
• how to think like an engineer
• how to turn ideas into features
• how to break down projects without feeling lost

It’s about building confidence, not shortcuts.

I’d Love to Hear From You

If you’re a beginner, junior dev, or self-taught:

What part of building with AI feels the most unclear?
• planning features?
• understanding generated code?
• prompting?
• debugging?
• architecture?

Your feedback genuinely shapes PIYE’s future.

🙏 If You’re Curious

Here’s the project:
👉 https://www.piye.dev

But more importantly, I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.

Thanks for reading ❤️
Building with AI is still new for all of us, your perspective truly matters.
`

🚀 How I Built PIYE — an AI Mentor for Developers Who Want Guidance, Not Just Answers

Mohamed Ibrahim — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 17:24:41 +0000

For the past few years, AI tools have become incredibly powerful. With one prompt, you can get code, explanations, or entire features written for you.

But something was missing for me.

I didn’t want an assistant that just spits out answers.
I wanted a mentor — something that helps me learn, improve, plan, and build real projects with structure and guidance.

That’s why I built PIYE → https://piye.dev
A personal AI mentor designed for developers at every level.

⭐ Why PIYE Exists

I’m a developer. And like many, I struggled with:
• Knowing what to build next
• Getting stuck on architecture decisions
• Learning best practices through real code, not textbooks
• Keeping track of progress and understanding how everything fits together
• Avoiding the “AI black box” feeling where answers appear… but you don’t grow

Most AI tools accelerate you --
PIYE teaches you.

Instead of giving shortcuts, PIYE gives clarity, structure, and real project guidance.

What PIYE Does

PIYE Mentor — Your Personal Senior Engineer

This is the heart of PIYE.

You can ask it:
• How do I design this feature?
• Why does this code behave this way?
• Is this architecture good?
• What’s the next step in my project?

It doesn’t reply with generic answers.
It teaches, explains, and gives perspective — like a real senior engineer would.

Feature Planning

Describe the feature you want to build, and PIYE breaks it down into:
• Architecture
• Steps
• Edge cases
• Code examples
• Best practices
• Common mistakes

Instead of “here’s the code,” you get real engineering guidance.

Project Journey

The most unique part of PIYE.

Every project has:
• A roadmap
• Steps
• Decisions
• Microtasks
• Progress tracking
• Sessions with your AI mentor
• Notes, reflections, follow-ups

PIYE remembers everything.
It stays with you throughout the project — building, learning, and iterating with you.

Developers finally get a structured, interactive learning-by-building experience.

PIYE Studio — Learn Prompting the Right Way

Instead of guessing prompts or copying Twitter threads, PIYE Studio teaches you how to:
• Write effective prompts
• Think like an engineer using AI
• Iterate your ideas
• Practice and improve

This is extremely important today — prompt skills matter more than ever.

Who PIYE Is For
• Beginners who want a safe place to learn
• Junior developers who need guidance like a mentor
• Mid-level developers who want structure and speed
• Seniors who want a thinking partner, not a code generator
• Self-taught developers building their own projects
• Anyone learning AI + programming together

Why Not Just Ask ChatGPT?

Great question — and a simple answer:

PIYE isn’t built to replace AI tools.
It’s built to complement them.

PIYE focuses on:
• Project structure
• Real-life engineering thinking
• Learning through building
• Continuous progress
• Saved sessions and decisions
• Your personal growth as a developer

It’s not just “here is the code.”
It’s “here is how you think like a developer.”

🟡 What’s Next for PIYE?

This is only the beginning.

I’m actively improving:
• The Journey system
• Mentor intelligence
• Real-time collaboration features
• Community knowledge
• Better roadmap generation
• More “learning by doing” tools

PIYE will continue growing with the community.

🙏 Why I’m Sharing This

I’ve never shared my work publicly before.
But building PIYE has been one of the most meaningful projects of my life.

If you want to try it, here it is:

👉 https://piye.dev

If you have feedback, ideas, or thoughts — I’d love to hear them.

Follow me for more

I’ll be sharing:
• Behind-the-scenes of building PIYE
• AI engineering tips
• Prompting strategies
• Deep dives into real software projects
• Lessons learned building an AI mentor platform

Thank you for reading 🙏