ABR VS Code Update Snooze

Stop VS Code update prompts from interrupting you randomly throughout the day. Schedule them for a time you choose — you'll get a quiet status bar notification instead of a surprise popup.

The problem

On managed corporate Macs, VS Code auto-updates trigger an Admin By Request (or similar privilege escalation) popup that completely halts your work. This is especially bad when you're presenting or typing!

How it works

Install the extension and it immediately disables VS Code's automatic update mechanism. From then on, it silently checks for updates on your schedule. If an update is found, the zzZ button in your status bar changes to zzZ ! — you'll see it when you're ready. When you're ready to update, do it through your normal method (download from code.visualstudio.com). After you install and restart VS Code, the zzZ ! clears automatically.

Setup

Install the extension and you're done. No configuration required — it defaults to checking every Friday at 12:00 PM.

To change your schedule, click the zzZ button and select Change Schedule.

The zzZ status bar button

A zzZ button sits in the bottom-right of your VS Code status bar at all times.

• zzZ — no update pending. Click to run a manual check or change your schedule.
• zzZ ! — update available. Click for options:
  • Open Download Page — opens code.visualstudio.com/download in your browser.
  • Dismiss — clears the notification until the next scheduled check (or until a newer version is released).
  • Change Schedule — adjust when the check runs.

After you install the update and restart VS Code, zzZ ! clears on its own — no action needed.

⚠️ Limitation: VS Code must be open

The scheduler runs inside VS Code. If VS Code is closed at your scheduled time, the check won't fire that session. Use the zzZ button or run Update Snooze: Check for VS Code Update Now from the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P) to check manually.

License

MIT