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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

  • Generate at: https://open-vsx.org/user-settings/tokens
  • Requires publishing permissions
  • Should be associated with your Open VSX account

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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

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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

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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