No single Workday tool covers both Extend and Studio. Extend apps are built on the Developer Site (App Builder) or locally with wdcli. Studio integrations are built in Workday Studio, an Eclipse-based IDE on your computer. Here is how the main options split the work.
The options
- Workday Studio (Workday). This is the place for Studio assemblies, XSLT and running integrations. It doesn't use AI on its own. Its editing, build, deploy, launch and debug are the source of truth.
- VS Code (or Cursor or Antigravity) + Workday Developer Agent Extension + wdcli. This gives Extend source editing and AI generation in your IDE, and the extension shares its session with wdcli. (Developer Agent overview; WDCLI commands)
- Claude Code. A strong general agent in your terminal that can use the same Developer Agent tooling. You run the commands and own the loop.
- kiweely. A desktop app (Mac; Windows 11 from Microsoft Store) with one conversation for both. It builds, validates, deploys and browser-tests Extend apps in your Development tenant. For Studio it adds a small plugin to your installed Workday Studio and drives Studio's own build, test, deploy, run and debug. It writes the assembly and the XSLT, and Studio does the real work. It asks before any deploy or change. Free for one person, with no card and no trial. On Mac, from 1.0.19, first-time Studio setup is one step, Workday custom agents are a project type, and several conversations can work on one app at the same time.
Which to choose
- Studio-heavy, few Extend apps: use Workday Studio. Add kiweely if you want the AI to run the build, test and debug loop in Studio for you.
- Extend-heavy, in an IDE all day: use VS Code with Developer Agent and wdcli.
- Both, across several clients' tenants: use kiweely, with credentials scoped per client and conversation. Keep Studio installed, because kiweely uses it.
FAQ
Does kiweely replace Workday Studio? No. kiweely drives the Workday Studio installed on your computer through a small plugin. Studio does the editing, building, testing, deploying and debugging. It needs a tenant, not a Workday developer account.
Can it work with XSLT in Studio integrations? Yes. kiweely writes and edits the assembly and the XSLT, then builds and tests them in your Workday Studio.
Does it work on Windows? Yes. It runs on Windows 11 64-bit from Microsoft Store, including the Studio work. It also runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Is it a Workday product? No. kiweely is independent (OnoeX LLC). Workday Studio and Workday Extend are trademarks of Workday, Inc.
Related guides
- workday-studio-vs-eib-vs-cloud-connect
- debug-workday-studio-integration
- workday-studio-aunit-testing
Sources
- Workday: Developer Agent Overview: https://developer.workday.com/documentation/GUID-f1ddebc6-077a-4441-a023-3c857db88053-enHYPHENus/DeveloperAgentOverview (checked 2026-10-21)
- Workday: Reference: WDCLI for Extend Apps Commands: https://developer.workday.com/documentation/GUID-16d9d3f3-ba63-4022-8a84-ad78bd5189ca-enHYPHENus/ReferenceWorkdayDeveloperCLIWDCLIforExtendAppsCommands (checked 2026-10-21)