Dev Starter

Dev Starter scans your workspace for Node.js apps and helps you install and run them from one button in the VS Code title bar.

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Many projects now keep a frontend and backend inside one workspace folder. Dev Starter is built for that flow.

It can:

Search subfolders for every package.json
Detect likely frontend and backend apps
Install dependencies when node_modules is missing
Start the best script from each app's package.json
Run frontend, backend, or both in separate terminals
Suggest low-priority helper scripts when it finds seed, db:*, prisma, migrate, or studio scripts

Open a workspace that contains one or more Node.js projects.
Click the Dev Starter icon in the editor title bar.
Pick what you want to run:
- frontend + backend
- frontend
- backend
- a single detected project
- optional helper scripts like db:seed when they are available
Dev Starter opens a short terminal name like frontend or backend, runs install if needed, and then starts the chosen script.

Dev Starter looks for:

package.json files across the workspace
lockfiles to detect npm, yarn, or pnpm
common frontend dependencies such as react, next, vue, and vite
common backend dependencies such as express, fastify, nestjs, and database packages
common scripts such as dev, start, serve, and preview
helper scripts that include seed, db, prisma, migrate, or studio

Package managers: npm, yarn, pnpm
Scripts: dev, start, serve, preview
Workspace style: single app, frontend/backend split, and multi-folder Node.js workspaces

Open this project in VS Code.
Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host.
Open a workspace that contains frontend and backend folders with their own package.json.
Click the Dev Starter icon and test the picker flow.

Built for developers who want setup and startup to feel automatic.