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VSCode Extension Release Automation

This document outlines the automated release system for the VSCode extension (apps/vscode-extension) that enables seamless publishing to both the Visual Studio Marketplace and Open VSX Registry.

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Implementation Overview

The automation consists of two main components:

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1. GitHub Workflow

The workflow is defined in .github/workflows/vscode-extension-release.yml: Triggers:
  • Automatically after the “Changeset NPM Release” workflow completes
  • Manual dispatch for testing/emergency releases
Conditions:
  • Only runs when the commit message contains “chore: version packages” (indicating a version bump)
  • Only runs when the VSCode extension’s package.json version was actually changed
Process:
  1. Version Check: Validates that this is a version bump commit and that the VSCode extension version specifically changed
  2. Release: Builds, packages, publishes to both marketplaces, and creates GitHub release

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2. Composite Action

The composite action is located at tooling/github/vscode-extension/github-release/action.yml: Steps:
  1. Setup Environment: Uses the shared setup action
  2. Build Extension: Runs bun run build to compile the extension
  3. Package Extension: Creates VSIX file using bunx vsce package
  4. Publish to Visual Studio Marketplace: Publishes using bunx vsce publish
  5. Publish to Open VSX Registry: Publishes using bunx ovsx publish
  6. Extract Changelog: Reads version-specific changes from CHANGELOG.md
  7. Create GitHub Release: Creates release with tag vscode-v{version} and attaches VSIX file

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Setup Requirements

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Required GitHub Secrets

Add the following secrets to your GitHub repository:
  • VSCE_PAT: Personal Access Token for Visual Studio Marketplace
    • Generate at: https://dev.azure.com/
    • Requires “Marketplace (publish)” scope
    • Should be associated with the publisher account (“unhook”)
  • OVSX_PAT: Personal Access Token for Open VSX Registry

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Open VSX Registry Setup

Before publishing to Open VSX, you need to:
  1. Create an Eclipse account at eclipse.org (use same GitHub account as open-vsx.org)
  2. Sign the Publisher Agreement at open-vsx.org
  3. Create an access token in your Open VSX settings
  4. Namespace creation is handled automatically by the workflow
The automation will automatically create the namespace (publisher) if it doesn’t exist during the first publish.

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VSCode Extension Configuration

The automation expects:
  • Extension built with Bun (already configured)
  • Extension publisher set to “unhook” in package.json (already set)
  • Changelog maintained in apps/vscode-extension/CHANGELOG.md with version sections like:
## 0.0.3
- Feature description
- Bug fix description

## 0.0.2
- Previous version changes

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Workflow Integration

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Automatic Process

  1. Version Bump PR: Changesets workflow creates PR with version bumps
  2. PR Merge: When PR is merged to main, Changeset NPM Release workflow runs
  3. VSCode Release: If VSCode extension version changed, the VSCode Extension Release workflow automatically triggers
  4. Dual Marketplace Publication: Extension is built, packaged, and published to both Visual Studio Marketplace and Open VSX Registry
  5. GitHub Release: Release created with VSIX file attachment

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Manual Fallback

If automation fails, manual release steps: 
# Navigate to extension directory
cd apps/vscode-extension

# Build extension
bun run build

# Package extension
bun run vsce

# Publish to Visual Studio Marketplace
bunx vsce publish

# Publish to Open VSX Registry (requires OVSX_PAT environment variable)
bun run ovsx

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Marketplace Coverage

Publishing to both marketplaces ensures broad compatibility:
  • Visual Studio Marketplace: Used by Microsoft VS Code
  • Open VSX Registry: Used by VS Code alternatives like:
    • VSCodium
    • Gitpod
    • Eclipse Theia
    • Code-OSS distributions

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Monitoring

The workflow provides clear logging for each step:
  • Build status and output
  • Package creation
  • Visual Studio Marketplace publishing result
  • Open VSX Registry publishing result
  • GitHub release creation
Failed steps will be clearly indicated in the GitHub Actions logs.

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Security Considerations

  • Both VSCE_PAT and OVSX_PAT are securely stored as GitHub secrets
  • Tokens have minimal required permissions (marketplace publish only)
  • Extension files are built from source during workflow execution
  • All steps logged for audit trail

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File Structure

.github/workflows/
└── vscode-extension-release.yml

tooling/github/vscode-extension/
└── github-release/
    └── action.yml
The workflow only triggers when the VSCode extension version specifically changes. GitHub releases use the tag format vscode-v{version} to distinguish from CLI releases.

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Best Practices

  • VSIX files are automatically attached to GitHub releases for manual distribution
  • The automation follows the same patterns as the existing CLI release workflow for consistency
  • Version management is handled by the Changesets workflow - no manual version bumping required
  • Dual marketplace publishing ensures maximum compatibility across VS Code distributions