nodefit for VS Code

Every dependency narrows the set of Node.js releases your project can run on: its engines.node range, and, for a native module, the Node releases it ships prebuilt binaries for on your platform. nodefit intersects them all, tells you which release fits, and names the packages that clash, before npm install falls back to node-gyp and fails with a page of compiler errors.

An example

You open a project that depends on better-sqlite3@^9 and sharp, on a machine running a newer Node than that better-sqlite3 release was built for. npm install would find no prebuilt binary for your Node's ABI, start node-gyp, and fail unless Python and a C++ toolchain are installed.

With nodefit:

the status bar shows an error next to Node 23.11, with a tooltip naming the Node you run, the release nodefit recommends and every release that fits;
the better-sqlite3 entry in package.json gets a diagnostic: no prebuilt binary for this Node on this platform, so the install would compile from source;
a notification names the problem, with a button for its fix, Pin Node 22 (writes .nvmrc, or the pin file the project already uses) or Switch to Node 22 (runs your version manager's command, e.g. nvm use 22, in a terminal), and Show report.

The report lists every package, the Node releases each one allows, which ones are native modules and how they get their binaries (platform packages like sharp's @img/*, bundled prebuilds, prebuild-install, node-pre-gyp, or source only).

Features

Diagnostics, hovers and quick fixes on package.json dependencies.
Status bar with the Node release the project fits; click it for the report.
Notifications for new errors and warnings, once per session each, with buttons that apply the fix.
Lockfile aware: reads package-lock.json, npm-shrinkwrap.json, bun.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml and yarn.lock, so transitive native modules count too.
Pin files: .nvmrc, .node-version, .tool-versions, mise.toml, Volta and engines. Editing any of them re-runs the check.
No install: the language server is bundled and runs on VS Code's own Node; it reads the npm registry and nodejs.org, and caches what it fetches.

Commands

Command	What it does
`nodefit: Show Report`	The full report for the project, as a Markdown preview
`nodefit: Check a Package…`	Can a package (`sharp`, `better-sqlite3@^11`, `bcrypt@5.1.1`) install and run here, and on which Node releases?
`nodefit: Pin Node Version…`	Writes the recommended (or a chosen) version into the project's pin file
`nodefit: Re-check the Project`	Re-reads the project and runs the check again
`nodefit: Show Output`	The language server's log

Settings

Setting	Default
`nodefit.notifications`	`problems-only`	`problems-only`: errors and warnings. `all`: also say once when everything fits. `off`: none; the status bar and diagnostics remain.
`nodefit.includeDevDependencies`	`true`	Count devDependencies too. Turn off when your tooling runs on a different Node than the app.
`nodefit.trace.server`	`off`	Log the language server traffic to the nodefit output (`messages`, `verbose`).

The `nodefit` CLI

The extension runs the same engine as the @pypilot-dev/nodefit npm package. Outside VS Code, or in CI:

npx @pypilot-dev/nodefit doctor              # the same report, in the terminal
npx @pypilot-dev/nodefit check sharp         # one package
npx @pypilot-dev/nodefit pin                 # pin the recommended Node

Known limitations

In a multi-root workspace, nodefit checks the first folder that has a package.json at its root.
Requires VS Code 1.85 or later.

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later, like the nodefit engine it bundles. Source: pypilot-dev/nodefit.

nodefit

Abdullah Masood-005