VS Code Extensions Manager

A simple utility to help manage your VS Code extensions by exporting a list of installed extensions and selectively removing them.

Overview

This project provides a script to manage your VS Code extensions:

vscode-extensions-manager.sh - A unified tool that handles both exporting and removing extensions with various options.

Files

• vscode-extensions-manager.sh: All-in-one script for exporting and removing extensions with command-line options
• check_dependencies.sh: Helper script that contains common dependency checks for jq and VS Code CLI
• vscode-extensions-to-be-removed.json: A list of extensions to be considered for removal
• vscode-extensions-*.json: Timestamped backups of your extension lists
• README.md: This documentation file with instructions and troubleshooting tips

Usage

./vscode-extensions-manager.sh [options] [operation]

Operations

• export: Export all installed extensions to a JSON file
• remove: Interactively remove extensions from the JSON file
• clean: Export and then remove in one operation

Options

• -h, --help: Show help message
• -f, --file FILE: Use a specific file (default: vscode-extensions-to-be-removed.json)
• -y, --yes: Answer yes to all prompts (dangerous!)
• -v, --verbose: Show more detailed output

Examples

# Export extensions to a timestamped file
./vscode-extensions-manager.sh export

# Remove extensions interactively
./vscode-extensions-manager.sh remove

# Export and then remove in one step
./vscode-extensions-manager.sh clean

# Use a custom file
./vscode-extensions-manager.sh --file my-extensions.json remove

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code (code command must be in your PATH)
• jq (JSON processor) - Required for parsing JSON data

The script automatically checks for these dependencies and will display helpful error messages if they're missing.

Setting up the VS Code CLI

To make the code command available in your terminal:

1. Open VS Code
2. Press F1 or Ctrl+Shift+P to open the command palette
3. Type "shell command" and select "Install 'code' command in PATH"
4. Restart your terminal

Installing jq

If jq is not installed on your system:

• Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install jq
• Fedora/RHEL: sudo dnf install jq
• macOS: brew install jq
• Windows: Use Chocolatey: choco install jq or download from stedolan.github.io/jq

Installation

1. Clone this repository
2. Make the scripts executable:

chmod +x vscode-extensions-manager.sh check_dependencies.sh

Tips

• Keep your latest extension exports as backups before major system changes
• Edit the vscode-extensions-to-be-removed.json file to customize which extensions you want to remove
• Use the -y flag with caution as it will remove extensions without prompting
• You can skip any extension by answering 'n' to its prompt when not using -y

Troubleshooting

• "jq is not installed": The scripts will check for jq and notify you if it's missing. See the Requirements section for installation instructions.
• "VS Code CLI is not installed or not in PATH": Make sure VS Code is installed and the code command is available from your terminal. Follow the instructions in the "Setting up the VS Code CLI" section above.
• Permission denied errors: If you encounter permission errors when running the scripts, make sure they are executable using chmod +x *.sh.
• Empty extension list: If no extensions are listed, make sure VS Code is properly installed and the code command works in your terminal.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read the Contributing Guide for more information.

Code of Conduct

Please read the Code of Conduct to understand the community expectations.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Jean-Philippe Maquestiaux (maquejp)

Safety Features

• Dependency Checks: Automatically verifies jq and VS Code are properly installed
• Interactive Prompts: Confirms each extension removal to prevent accidental deletions
• Timestamped Backups: Creates dated backups of your extension lists
• Detailed Error Messages: Provides clear instructions when issues are encountered
• Command Line Options: Flexible usage with various options for automation