A VS Code extension that persists per-workspace extension enable and disable state to a versioned config file

VS Code has 1,152 reactions on a 2017 issue asking to configure which extensions are enabled or disabled per workspace via a file in .vscode rather than only via the GUI. The vendor's repeated answer is 'use the Disable (Workspace) toggle in the Extensions panel' but that state is stored in global user data, not in the workspace folder itself. This means the configuration is lost when a project moves machines and cannot be shared or version-controlled. Teams with monorepos need to enable database tooling extensions for the backend folder and disable them for the frontend folder. No extension in the marketplace reads a .vscode/extensions.state.json file to apply workspace-local enable/disable at startup. The product is a VS Code extension that reads a declarative file listing which extensions to enable and disable for that workspace, applies it on activation, and keeps the file in sync when the user changes extension state via the GUI.

Product Idea from this Signal

A CLI tool and editor extension that adds settings inheritance, per-workspace extension enablement, and a gitignored personal override layer to VS Code

5.1k ▲

VS Code offers user settings and workspace settings but no way to layer them: teams cannot share a base config that individuals extend locally, and there is no committable file to declare which extensions are enabled or disabled per workspace. Three GitHub issues spanning 8-9 years (15909, 40233, 40239) with a combined 5070 reactions show developers want an extends-style inheritance for settings.json, a .vscode/settings.local.json that is gitignored by default for personal overrides, and a .vscode/extensions-enabled.json that is committed to the repo so extension activation state is reproducible across machines. The extension ships a small CLI companion for scaffolding the config tree in monorepos.

vscodedeveloper-toolssettingsteam-workflowmonorepodx

Competitive163 leadsView Opportunity →

Score Breakdown

GitHub

1,588

Social Proof 1 sources

Feature Request: Enable/disable extensions from config file

michaeljota · 12/15/2017

1,588

Gap Assessment

Wide OpenNo dedicated solution exists

Vendor says use the GUI and global state; 9 years of comments show the GUI does not persist to the workspace folder. No marketplace extension implements file-based workspace extension state. Clean slot.

Virality Score

1,588

across 0 platforms

Details

Signalissue

Ecosystemdev_tool_cli

Sources1

Platforms0

Updatedunknown

Trend→ stable

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Related signals

All signals →

1.8KA VS Code extension that adds settings.json inheritance so one config file can extend another 1.6KA VS Code extension that layers a gitignored user-local settings file on top of shared workspace settings