GitOps Tools for ArgoCD

A powerful Visual Studio Code extension that brings ArgoCD GitOps workflows directly into your editor. Manage applications, clusters, repositories, and templates without leaving VS Code.

Read latest documentation here

Overview

This extension provides comprehensive ArgoCD management capabilities within VS Code, allowing you to:

Deploy and manage Kubernetes applications using GitOps principles
Monitor application health and sync status in real-time
Create and manage reusable application templates
Automatically detect and deploy ArgoCD applications from YAML files
Manage clusters and Git repositories
Streamline your GitOps workflow without context switching

Key Features

Smart YAML Detection

The extension automatically detects ArgoCD Application and ApplicationSet resources in your YAML files:

CodeLens Integration: Inline action buttons appear automatically above ArgoCD resources
- Create Application - Deploy directly to your ArgoCD server
- Convert to Template - Save as reusable template
- Validate YAML - Check syntax and resource structure
Context Menu Actions: Right-click on any .yaml or .yml file
- Create ArgoCD Application
- Convert to ArgoCD Template
- Validate ArgoCD YAML
Workspace Scanning: Find all ArgoCD resources across your entire workspace with one command

Template Management

Build a library of reusable application configurations:

Create Templates from existing applications or YAML files
Organize Templates with names and descriptions
Deploy Quickly by creating new applications from templates
Share Templates by exporting to YAML
Built-in Templates for common patterns (Helm, Kustomize, Directory apps)

Application Management

Complete lifecycle management for your ArgoCD applications:

View Applications with health and sync status indicators
Sync Applications manually or configure auto-sync
Refresh Applications to check for new changes
View Details including manifests and deployment history
Delete Applications with confirmation prompts
Expand Resources to see deployed Kubernetes objects

Repository & Cluster Management

Manage your GitOps infrastructure:

Add Repositories (Git, Helm, OCI) with various authentication methods
View Repositories with connection status
Add Clusters from kubeconfig files
Monitor Clusters with health and connectivity status
Create Applications directly from repositories

Real-Time Updates

Stay informed with live status updates:

Auto-Refresh views at configurable intervals (default: 30 seconds)
Visual Indicators for health status:
- Healthy
- Progressing
- Degraded
- Suspended
- Missing
Sync Status Icons:
- Synced
- OutOfSync
- Unknown

Prerequisites

ArgoCD CLI

This extension requires the ArgoCD CLI to be installed on your system.

Getting Started

Install the Extension

Search for "GitOps Tools for ArgoCD" in the VS Code Extensions Marketplace
Or install from .vsix file: code --install-extension argocd-gitops-0.0.x.vsix

Configure ArgoCD Connection

Multi-Connection Support

The extension supports managing multiple ArgoCD server connections. You can add, switch, edit, and delete connections easily.

Adding Your First Connection

Option A: Using Command Palette

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS)
Type "ArgoCD: Add Connection"
Enter connection details:
- Connection Name: A friendly name (e.g., "Production", "Staging", "Local")
- Server URL: Your ArgoCD server (e.g., https://argocd.example.com)
- Authentication Method: Choose Username/Password, API Token, or SSO
- Credentials: Provide username/password or API token based on auth method
- TLS Settings: Skip TLS verification for self-signed certificates (development only)

Option B: Using Activity Bar

Click the ArgoCD icon (☁️) in the Activity Bar
Click "Add Connection" button
Follow the prompts to configure your connection

Managing Connections

Once you have multiple connections configured, you can:

Switch Connection: Ctrl+Shift+P → "ArgoCD: Switch Connection" - Choose which server to work with
List Connections: View all configured connections with their status
Edit Connection: Rename a connection
Delete Connection: Remove a connection permanently

Connection Storage

Connections are stored in: ~/.vscode/extensions/argocd-gitops-*/globalStorage/connections.json
Credentials are stored securely in VS Code's secret storage
Only one connection is active at a time
The active connection is automatically selected when the extension loads

Authentication Methods

The extension supports three authentication methods:

Username & Password

Simple authentication using ArgoCD credentials
Credentials are stored securely in VS Code's secret storage
Automatic login via ArgoCD CLI

API Token

More secure for CI/CD and automation
Generate token from ArgoCD UI: Settings → Accounts → Generate Token
Token is encrypted and stored securely

SSO (Single Sign-On)

Enterprise SSO authentication
Opens browser for authentication
Supports various SSO providers (OIDC, SAML, etc.)

Usage

Working with YAML Files

Open any YAML file containing ArgoCD Application or ApplicationSet
CodeLens appears automatically with action buttons
Click actions to create applications or save as templates

Example:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: my-app
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default
  source:
    repoURL: https://github.com/example/repo.git
    path: apps/my-app
    targetRevision: HEAD
  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: production

When you open this file, you'll see three CodeLens buttons above it.

Creating Applications

Method 1: From YAML File

Open YAML file → Click "Create Application" CodeLens
Or right-click YAML file → "Create ArgoCD Application"

Method 2: From Template

Open Templates view → Right-click template → "Create Application from Template"

Method 3: From Repository

Open Repositories view → Right-click repository → "Create Application from Repository"

Method 4: From Scratch

Open Applications view → Click "+" button → Fill in the form

Managing Templates

Enable Templates View:

Settings → Search "argocd.showTemplates" → Enable
Or the extension will prompt you when creating first template

Create Template:

From YAML: Right-click YAML file → "Convert to ArgoCD Template"
From Application: Right-click application → "Create Template from Application"
From Scratch: Templates view → Click "+" button

Use Template:

Templates view → Right-click template → "Create Application from Template"
Customize name, namespace, and other parameters

Scanning Workspace

Find all ArgoCD YAML files in your workspace:

Press Ctrl+Shift+P
Type "ArgoCD: Scan Workspace for ArgoCD YAML Files"
Select from discovered resources

Commands

All commands are available in the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

Configuration

ArgoCD: Configure Connection - Set up ArgoCD server connection
ArgoCD: Show Output - View extension logs

Clusters

ArgoCD: Refresh Clusters - Reload clusters list
ArgoCD: Add Cluster - Register new Kubernetes cluster

Repositories

ArgoCD: Refresh Repositories - Reload repositories list
ArgoCD: Add Repository - Connect new Git/Helm/OCI repository

Applications

ArgoCD: Refresh Applications - Reload applications list
ArgoCD: Add Application - Create new application
ArgoCD: Add ApplicationSet - Create new ApplicationSet
ArgoCD: Sync Application - Synchronize application with Git
ArgoCD: Refresh Application - Check for changes
ArgoCD: View Application Details - Open manifest YAML
ArgoCD: View Application History - Browse deployment history
ArgoCD: Delete Application - Remove application

Templates

ArgoCD: Refresh Templates - Reload templates list
ArgoCD: Add Template - Create new template
ArgoCD: Create Application from Template - Deploy from template

YAML Files

ArgoCD: Create ArgoCD Application from YAML - Deploy YAML file
ArgoCD: Convert to ArgoCD Template - Save YAML as template
ArgoCD: Validate ArgoCD YAML - Check YAML syntax
ArgoCD: Scan Workspace for ArgoCD YAML Files - Find all ArgoCD files

File Explorer (Right-click on files/folders)

On Folders:

Create ArgoCD Application from Folder

On YAML Files (.yaml, .yml):

Create ArgoCD Application
Convert to ArgoCD Template
Validate ArgoCD YAML

ArgoCD Tree Views (Right-click on items)

Applications:

Sync Application
Refresh Application
View Application Details
View Application History
Edit Application
Delete Application
Create Template from Application

Repositories:

Copy Repository URL
Create Application from Repository
Delete Repository

Templates:

Edit Template
Copy Template
Copy Template YAML
Create Application from Template
Delete Template

Settings

Configure the extension in VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,):

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`argocd.showClusters`	boolean	`true`	Show Clusters view in sidebar
`argocd.showRepositories`	boolean	`true`	Show Repositories view
`argocd.showApplications`	boolean	`true`	Show Applications view
`argocd.showTemplates`	boolean	`false`	Show Templates view
`argocd.refreshInterval`	number	`30`	Auto-refresh interval (seconds, 0 to disable)
`argocd.timeoutSeconds`	number	`60`	CLI command timeout (seconds)
`argocd.logLevel`	string	`info`	Output log level (debug, info, warn, error)

Troubleshooting

ArgoCD CLI Not Found

Problem: Extension shows "ArgoCD CLI not found"

Solution:

Install ArgoCD CLI (see Prerequisites)
Verify installation: argocd version
Ensure CLI is in your PATH
Restart VS Code

Connection Failed

Problem: "Failed to connect to ArgoCD server"

Solutions:

Verify server URL is correct and accessible
Check your credentials (username/password or token)
For self-signed certificates, enable "Skip TLS Verification"
Check firewall settings
Verify ArgoCD server is running: curl -k https://your-argocd-server

Templates Not Showing

Problem: Created template doesn't appear in Templates view

Solution:

Enable Templates view: Settings → argocd.showTemplates → true
Or click "Enable Templates View" when prompted after creating template
Refresh templates view (click refresh icon)

No Resources Found

Problem: "No clusters/repositories/applications found"

Solutions:

Verify you have necessary ArgoCD permissions
Check ArgoCD RBAC policies
Ensure you're logged into the correct ArgoCD instance
View logs: ArgoCD: Show Output in Command Palette

Debug Logging

Enable detailed logging:

{
  "argocd.logLevel": "debug"
}

View logs:

View → Output (Ctrl+Shift+U)
Select "ArgoCD" from dropdown

License

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

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Acknowledgments

ArgoCD - The GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes
GitOps Tools for Flux - Inspiration for this extension
VS Code Extension API - Powerful extension framework

Resources

Issues & Feedback

Found a bug or have a feature request?

Clusters Management

View Clusters: List all clusters connected to your ArgoCD server
Add Clusters: Add new clusters using kubeconfig files
Cluster Details: View cluster server information, version, and connection status
Health Monitoring: Real-time cluster health and connectivity status

Repositories Management

Repository Listing: View all repositories connected to ArgoCD
Multi-Type Support: Support for Git, Helm, and OCI repositories
Add Repositories: Add new repositories with various authentication methods
Authentication Options: Support for public repos, username/password, and SSH keys

Applications Management

Applications: List, create, and manage ArgoCD applications
ApplicationSets: View and manage ApplicationSets (where supported)
Application Details: View health status, sync status, project info, and more
Resource Tree: Expand applications to view deployed Kubernetes resources
Context Actions: Right-click context menu for application operations

Templates Management (Optional)

Template Storage: Store and reuse application configurations
Create from Application: Convert existing applications into reusable templates
Create from Scratch: Build new templates with a basic application structure
Template Operations: Edit, copy, and delete templates
Quick Deployment: Create new applications from templates with customization
YAML Export: Copy template YAML to clipboard for external use
Disabled by Default: Enable via settings (argocd.showTemplates)

Application Operations

Sync Applications: Manual sync with progress indication
Refresh Applications: Refresh application state from Git
View Details: Open application manifests in YAML format
View History: Browse application deployment history
Edit Applications: View manifests (with links to ArgoCD UI for editing)
Delete Applications: Remove applications with confirmation

YAML File Detection & Creation

Automatic Detection: CodeLens automatically appears in YAML files containing ArgoCD Applications or ApplicationSets
One-Click Creation: Click the CodeLens to create applications directly from YAML files
Convert to Template: Save any YAML file as a reusable template with one click
Context Menu Integration: Right-click on YAML files in Explorer to create applications or templates
Workspace Scanning: Scan entire workspace for ArgoCD YAML files
YAML Validation: Validate YAML syntax and detect ArgoCD resources
Multi-Document Support: Handle YAML files with multiple ArgoCD resources
Smart Filtering: Only shows options for files with valid ArgoCD apiVersion and kind

Auto-Refresh

Configurable Interval: Set auto-refresh interval (default: 30 seconds)
Real-time Updates: Automatic refresh of tree views when configured
Smart Refresh: Only refresh when connected to ArgoCD server

Made with ❤️ for the GitOps community | Report Issues | Contribute

GitOps Tools for ArgoCD

Harsh Paliwal

GitOps Tools for ArgoCD

Read latest documentation here

Overview

Key Features

Smart YAML Detection

Template Management

Application Management

Repository & Cluster Management

Real-Time Updates

Prerequisites

ArgoCD CLI

Getting Started

Install the Extension

Configure ArgoCD Connection

Multi-Connection Support

Adding Your First Connection

Managing Connections

Connection Storage

Authentication Methods

Username & Password

API Token

SSO (Single Sign-On)

Usage

Working with YAML Files

Creating Applications

Method 1: From YAML File

Method 2: From Template

Method 3: From Repository

Method 4: From Scratch

Managing Templates

Scanning Workspace

Commands

Configuration

Clusters

Repositories

Applications

Templates

YAML Files

Context Menu Actions

File Explorer (Right-click on files/folders)

ArgoCD Tree Views (Right-click on items)

Settings

Troubleshooting

ArgoCD CLI Not Found

Connection Failed

Templates Not Showing

No Resources Found

Debug Logging

License

Contributing

Acknowledgments

Resources

Issues & Feedback

Clusters Management

Repositories Management

Applications Management

Templates Management (Optional)

Application Operations

YAML File Detection & Creation

Auto-Refresh