ErrorLogger

Never lose a terminal error again.

ErrorLogger is a VS Code extension that automatically captures, parses, and stores errors from the integrated terminal. When new logs push an error out of view, it is still waiting in a searchable local history.

Features

• Monitors every VS Code integrated terminal, including terminals that already exist when the extension activates
• Captures complete error blocks (message + stack) instead of one line at a time
• Parses JavaScript, TypeScript, Node.js, React/Vite/Webpack, Python, and Java output
• Groups duplicate errors and tracks occurrence count, first seen, and last seen
• Sidebar with recent errors, timeline, and terminals
• Dashboard, analytics, search, JSON/CSV export
• Click an error to open the file and jump to the reported line
• All data stays on your machine — no telemetry by default

Screenshots

Sidebar, dashboard, and error detail screenshots can be added here after the first Extension Development Host run.

Installation

1. Clone this repository.
2. Run npm install.
3. Run npm run watch.
4. Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host.

A packaged .vsix can be produced with:

npm run package

Usage

Open any integrated terminal and run your usual commands. ErrorLogger attaches automatically.

When an error appears:

1. Open the ErrorLogger activity bar icon.
2. Browse Recent Errors, or run ErrorLogger: Search Errors.
3. Open the file at the captured location, or inspect the full stack in the detail view.

You do not need to start capture manually.

Supported Languages

Commands

Settings

Privacy

All captured terminal data stays on your machine.

ErrorLogger never sends terminal output, error text, or file paths to a remote service. There is no telemetry by default. The SQLite database is stored in VS Code workspace storage (falling back to global storage when no workspace is open).

Architecture

VS Code terminals
        │
        ▼
TerminalManager  →  TerminalRegistry
        │
        ▼
Shell Integration listener
  window.onDidStartTerminalShellExecution
  execution.read()          ← incremental stream, called immediately
        │
        ▼
OutputBuffer (capped)
        │
        ▼
ErrorDetector + ErrorBlockCollector
        │
        ▼
ParserRegistry
        │
        ▼
ErrorService (fingerprint + SQLite + UI refresh)

Terminal output capture

ErrorLogger uses the stable Terminal Shell Integration API introduced in VS Code 1.93:

• vscode.window.terminals — attach to existing terminals on activation
• vscode.window.onDidOpenTerminal / onDidCloseTerminal — lifecycle
• vscode.window.onDidChangeTerminalShellIntegration — integration became ready
• vscode.window.onDidStartTerminalShellExecution — a command started
• TerminalShellExecution.read() — async iterable of output for that command
• vscode.window.onDidEndTerminalShellExecution — flush a pending error block

This is the supported replacement for the old proposed onDidWriteTerminalData API, which was never stabilized for performance reasons.

read() is called synchronously inside the start event. If it is delayed, VS Code drops data that was already written.

Long-running commands such as npm run dev keep the stream open, so Vite/webpack errors that appear later are still captured.

Known limitations

Capture requires VS Code shell integration. It is enabled by default for bash, zsh, fish, and PowerShell.

• Output already sitting in the terminal before ErrorLogger activates cannot be recovered.
• Shells without integration (some cmd.exe setups, certain remote hosts, disabled setting) cannot stream output to extensions. ErrorLogger still tracks the terminal and waits for integration.
• Streams include ANSI/OSC sequences; ErrorLogger strips them before parsing.
• execution.read() can hang until process end for some multi-line injected commands. User-typed commands and long-running dev servers are the supported path.

Storage

SQLite is used for local persistence. The implementation uses sql.js (SQLite compiled to WebAssembly) instead of better-sqlite3.

better-sqlite3 is a native Node addon. VS Code extensions run on Electron's Node ABI, which does not match a normal npm install binary and cannot be packaged reliably for the Marketplace. sql.js avoids native compilation, works on every platform the extension host supports, and still speaks SQL with the schema below.

Database file: errorlogger.sqlite under context.storageUri (workspace) or context.globalStorageUri.

Development

npm install
npm run watch

Then launch Run Extension from the debug panel (F5).

Minimum VS Code engine: 1.93.0 (shell integration API).

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. Please:

1. Keep terminal capture on the stable shell integration APIs.
2. Add parser tests for new error formats.
3. Do not introduce network calls or telemetry.
4. Run npm test and npm run lint before opening a PR.