A VS Code sidebar extension for researchers who maintain separate .bib BibTeX files across multiple projects. Bib Indexer scans all bibliography files on your hard drive and keeps all entries in a database. While editing a bib file, it shows you related existing entries and lets you quickly merge field data between versions. It also allows searching through all existing entries and adding search results to the current bib file with one click.

Features

Search across all your bibliographies

Full-text search across every indexed .bib file. Supports quoted phrases for exact matching and multi-term queries. Results are ranked by relevance and grouped by paper identity, so different versions of the same entry appear together.

Automatic duplicate detection

When your cursor is on a BibTeX entry, the sidebar shows matching entries from other files. Matches are found via DOI (exact match) or fuzzy title + author similarity.

Field-level comparison

Each match card highlights the differences between your current entry and the matched one:

• New fields (green) — the match has fields your entry is missing. Click the arrow to insert them.
• Different values — an inline diff shows what changed, with additions highlighted.
• Identical fields — shown plainly for reference.

Smart merging

When the same paper appears in multiple files, compatible entries are merged into a single "super card" showing the union of all fields. You can copy or insert the merged result directly — no manual consolidation needed.

One-click copy and insert

• Copy entry — copies the full BibTeX to your clipboard.
• Insert entry — adds the entry into your current .bib file at the right location.
• Insert field — adds a single missing field to your current entry, respecting indentation and canonical field order.

File management

Add folders or individual .bib files to the index from the sidebar. The extension watches for changes and reindexes incrementally — only modified files are re-parsed.

Getting started

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Click the Bib Indexer icon in the activity bar
3. Use the Manage files link to add folders or files to scan
4. Place your cursor on a BibTeX entry to see matches, or use the search box to find entries across all files