vscode

name: VSCode description: Avoid common VSCode mistakes — settings conflicts, debugger setup, and extension clashes. metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"💻","os":["linux","darwin","win32"]}}

Settings Precedence

• User → Workspace → Folder — later overrides earlier
• .vscode/settings.json per project — overrides user settings
• "editor.formatOnSave" in workspace overrides user — can be confusing
• Multi-root workspaces need per-folder settings — or root .code-workspace file
• Some settings only work in user — "terminal.integrated.shell" is user-only

Formatter Conflicts

• Multiple formatters for same language — set "[language]": {"editor.defaultFormatter": "id"}
• Prettier vs ESLint both formatting — disable one: "prettier.enable": false in ESLint projects
• Format on save runs wrong formatter — explicit defaultFormatter required
• .editorconfig overrides some settings — can conflict with extension settings

Debugger Setup

• launch.json needed for most debugging — can't just press F5
• "cwd" relative to workspace root — not launch.json location
• "program" path wrong — use ${workspaceFolder}/path/to/file
• Node.js: "skipFiles" to avoid stepping into node_modules
• Compound configurations for multi-process — "compounds" array in launch.json

Extensions

• Extension host crash — disable recently installed, enable one by one
• "Cannot find module" after install — restart VS Code completely
• Extension settings not applying — check if workspace setting overrides
• Conflicting extensions — keybinding conflicts, duplicate features

Terminal

• Wrong shell on new terminal — set "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.*"
• Environment variables missing — terminal inherits from launch method, not .bashrc
• Path not updated after install — restart VS Code, not just terminal
• Shell integration issues — "terminal.integrated.shellIntegration.enabled": false to disable

Remote Development

• SSH: ~/.ssh/config Host must match — "remote.SSH.configFile" to use different config
• Containers: .devcontainer/devcontainer.json required — won't auto-detect Dockerfile
• WSL: extensions install separately — WSL extensions stay in WSL
• Port forwarding: auto but not always — check Ports panel

Workspace Trust

• Restricted mode disables some features — debugging, tasks, some extensions
• Trust prompt on first open — "Trust Folder" to enable everything
• Per-folder trust in multi-root — can trust some folders, not others

Common Fixes

• IntelliSense not working — check language server status in Output panel
• "Cannot find module" in TypeScript — restart TS server: Cmd+Shift+P → "TypeScript: Restart TS Server"
• Git not detecting changes — check if inside subfolder, .git must be at root or configured
• Settings not saving — check write permissions on settings.json