Visual Studio Code Extensions Toolkit

A practical, privacy-safe reference and automation toolkit for Visual Studio Code extension installation, backup, restore, inventory, local storage, VSIX packages, Extension API development, security, and troubleshooting.

The repository includes a portable JSON inventory of the extension set plus matching PowerShell and Bash tools. No real Windows username, employee ID, workstation path, hostname, internal IP, token, or other machine-specific personal data is stored in the portable inventory.

Repository layout

VisualStudioCode/
├── README.md
├── extensions.json
├── scripts/
│   ├── Get-VSCodeExtensions.ps1
│   ├── get-vscode-extensions.sh
│   ├── Export-VSCodeExtensions.ps1
│   ├── export-vscode-extensions.sh
│   ├── Install-VSCodeExtensions.ps1
│   └── install-vscode-extensions.sh
└── examples/
    └── minimal-extension/
        ├── package.json
        └── extension.js

Portable extension inventory

extensions.json contains 83 extension IDs and their recorded versions.

It intentionally keeps only portable information:

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "installDefault": "latest",
  "extensions": [
    {
      "id": "publisher.extension",
      "version": "1.0.0"
    }
  ]
}

The raw VS Code extensions.json from a workstation should not be committed because it can contain local filesystem paths, UUIDs, installation timestamps, and other machine-specific metadata.

---

Install the complete extension set

Windows - PowerShell

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Motaibi1989/VisualStudioCode.git
cd VisualStudioCode
.\scripts\Install-VSCodeExtensions.ps1

The default mode installs the latest Marketplace version and skips extensions already installed.

Install the recorded versions instead:

.\scripts\Install-VSCodeExtensions.ps1 -Pinned

Force reinstall/check every extension:

.\scripts\Install-VSCodeExtensions.ps1 -Force

Windows - install from anywhere without cloning

$base = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Motaibi1989/VisualStudioCode/main"
$temp = Join-Path $env:TEMP "vscode-extension-toolkit"

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $temp | Out-Null

Invoke-WebRequest "$base/extensions.json" `
    -OutFile "$temp/extensions.json"

Invoke-WebRequest "$base/scripts/Install-VSCodeExtensions.ps1" `
    -OutFile "$temp/Install-VSCodeExtensions.ps1"

& "$temp/Install-VSCodeExtensions.ps1" `
    -Config "$temp/extensions.json"

Linux / macOS - Bash

git clone https://github.com/Motaibi1989/VisualStudioCode.git
cd VisualStudioCode
bash scripts/install-vscode-extensions.sh

Install the recorded versions:

bash scripts/install-vscode-extensions.sh extensions.json pinned

Linux / macOS - install from anywhere without cloning

BASE="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Motaibi1989/VisualStudioCode/main"
TMP="$(mktemp -d)"

curl -fsSL "$BASE/extensions.json" \
  -o "$TMP/extensions.json"

curl -fsSL "$BASE/scripts/install-vscode-extensions.sh" \
  -o "$TMP/install-vscode-extensions.sh"

bash "$TMP/install-vscode-extensions.sh" "$TMP/extensions.json"

The Bash installer requires python3 to parse JSON.

---

Export your current extension set

Use these scripts after adding or removing extensions so extensions.json can be refreshed without exposing personal paths.

PowerShell

.\scripts\Export-VSCodeExtensions.ps1

Custom output file:

.\scripts\Export-VSCodeExtensions.ps1 -Output .\my-extensions.json

Bash

bash scripts/export-vscode-extensions.sh

Custom output file:

bash scripts/export-vscode-extensions.sh ./my-extensions.json

Both exporters use:

code --list-extensions --show-versions

and create a sanitized portable JSON file containing only extension IDs and versions.

---

List installed extensions

VS Code CLI

code --list-extensions

With versions:

code --list-extensions --show-versions

PowerShell inventory

.\scripts\Get-VSCodeExtensions.ps1

This inspects extension manifests under the local extension folders and can show fields such as name, ID, version, publisher, entry point, commands, and path.

Bash inventory

bash scripts/get-vscode-extensions.sh

---

Extension locations

VS Code installs user extensions in a per-user directory.

Platform	Default path
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions
macOS	~/.vscode/extensions
Linux	~/.vscode/extensions

Windows PowerShell:

Set-Location "$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode\extensions"

Bash:

cd "$HOME/.vscode/extensions"

Generic Windows expanded form:

C:\Users\<USERNAME>\.vscode\extensions

Never hard-code a real username or employee/account identifier in public documentation.

---

What is inside the extensions folder?

Typical layout:

.vscode/extensions/
├── publisher.extension-name-version/
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── README.md
│   ├── CHANGELOG.md
│   ├── extension.js / dist / out
│   └── other extension files
├── .obsolete
└── extensions.json

package.json is the extension manifest and can define:

name
publisher
version
engines.vscode
main / browser
activationEvents
contributes.commands
contributes.menus
contributes.views
contributes.configuration
contributes.keybindings
contributes.languages
contributes.themes
contributes.debuggers

.obsolete is used by VS Code during extension update/removal housekeeping. Avoid manually deleting VS Code-managed metadata while the application is running.

---

Install and remove individual extensions

PowerShell or Bash:

code --install-extension publisher.extension

Specific version:

code --install-extension publisher.extension@1.0.0

Uninstall:

code --uninstall-extension publisher.extension

---

VSIX / offline installation

Install a local VSIX package:

code --install-extension myextension.vsix

Or in VS Code:

Ctrl+Shift+X
Extensions menu
Install from VSIX...

VSIX packages are useful for offline machines, internal extensions, development builds, and controlled deployments.

---

Extension management filters

Useful filters in the Extensions view:

@installed
@enabled
@disabled
@builtin
@deprecated
@recommended
@updates
@workspaceUnsupported
@category:themes
@category:formatters
@category:linters
@category:snippets

Example:

@installed @category:themes

---

Custom extension directory

VS Code can use another extension folder:

code --extensions-dir "/path/to/vscode/extensions"

Windows example using a generic drive:

code --extensions-dir "D:\VSCode\Extensions"

For normal synchronization between computers, Settings Sync or this repository's portable JSON approach is generally cleaner than copying the entire .vscode/extensions directory.

---

Minimal extension development

A minimal extension can contain:

my-extension/
├── package.json
└── extension.js

Example JavaScript:

const vscode = require('vscode');

function activate(context) {
    const command = vscode.commands.registerCommand(
        'myTools.showProjectInfo',
        () => {
            const editor = vscode.window.activeTextEditor;

            if (!editor) {
                vscode.window.showWarningMessage('No file is currently open.');
                return;
            }

            vscode.window.showInformationMessage(
                `File: ${editor.document.fileName} | Language: ${editor.document.languageId}`
            );
        }
    );

    context.subscriptions.push(command);
}

function deactivate() {}

module.exports = { activate, deactivate };

The repository includes a working minimal example under examples/minimal-extension/.

---

Extension API capabilities

Area	API / capability	Example
Commands	vscode.commands	Custom commands
Editor	vscode.window.activeTextEditor	Read/change active files
Workspace	vscode.workspace	Workspace configuration
Files	vscode.workspace.fs	File operations
Terminal	createTerminal()	Command workflows
Diagnostics	Language API	Errors/warnings
Status bar	createStatusBarItem()	Tool status
Tree views	Tree Data Provider	Custom sidebar
Webviews	Webview API	HTML/CSS/JS UI
Tasks	vscode.tasks	Build/deployment tasks
Debugging	Debug API	Debug workflows
Languages	Language APIs	Completion/hover/formatting
Secrets	context.secrets	Secure secret storage
Themes	Contribution points	Color/icon themes

---

Security and privacy

Treat extensions as executable software.

Do not commit values such as:

C:\Users\<REAL_USERNAME>\...
employee/account IDs
computer names
internal domains
internal IP addresses
email addresses
access tokens
API keys
passwords
secrets
raw workstation configuration containing local metadata

Prefer portable forms:

%USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions
$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode\extensions
$HOME/.vscode/extensions
C:\Users\<USERNAME>\.vscode\extensions
<HOSTNAME>
<DOMAIN>
<IP_ADDRESS>

Before installing an extension, review the publisher and source. Remove unused extensions and keep active extensions updated.

---

Troubleshooting

Check the active extension set:

code --list-extensions --show-versions

If an extension does not load:

View → Output
Log (Extension Host)
Developer: Show Running Extensions
Developer: Reload Window

Prefer uninstalling through the CLI instead of deleting extension directories manually:

code --uninstall-extension publisher.extension

---

Official references

• Extension Marketplace: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/extensions/extension-marketplace
• Extension API: https://code.visualstudio.com/api
• Extension samples: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-extension-samples
• Extension manifest: https://code.visualstudio.com/api/references/extension-manifest
• Contribution points: https://code.visualstudio.com/api/references/contribution-points
• VS Code API: https://code.visualstudio.com/api/references/vscode-api
• Extension security: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/extensions/extension-runtime-security

Goal

Provide a reusable VS Code extension management and development toolkit that works across machines and operating systems while keeping workstation-specific and personal information out of the public repository.