Native LyX for VS Code

Edit workspace .lyx files in the real installed LyX application, displayed inside a VS Code editor tab. Native menus, toolbars, equation editing and dialogs remain native. Save through LyX to the original document. The connected editor adds no toolbar.

Linux x64 preview, tested initially on Ubuntu 24.04. Local desktop VS Code only. Windows, macOS, web, WSL/SSH and remote/container workspaces are unsupported. This independent integration is not an official LyX or Microsoft product.

Source and support: GitHub repository, report an issue.

Setup

Install LyX, standalone Node 18+, TigerVNC, Openbox, websockify and supporting tools on the machine running VS Code. Ubuntu 24.04 package names:

sudo apt install --no-install-recommends lyx nodejs tigervnc-standalone-server openbox websockify wmctrl xauth dbus-x11 fonts-dejavu-core texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-recommended

Install the Linux x64 VSIX using Extensions: Install from VSIX…. Run Native LyX: Check Dependencies. Open a trusted local workspace and click a .lyx file. If another editor owns the association, choose Reopen Editor With… → Native LyX and configure it as the default for *.lyx (nativeLyx.editor).

The extension discovers installed executables on PATH. Set nativeLyxRelease executable paths explicitly for multiple LyX versions or a shell-only Node installation. lyxPath selects your installed LyX; no LyX binary is bundled. Width, height, DPI, autosave interval, session limit and persistent storage root are configurable in Settings. No dependencies are installed during activation.

Editing and session lifetime

Click inside LyX before typing. Use native Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y and Ctrl+M for save, undo, redo and math. Personal VS Code keybindings may take precedence; native menus are available. VS Code Save All, autosave, dirty dots and close prompts do not represent native buffers.

Each canonical file has a retained native process/private desktop. Tab closure, Code reload or connection loss disconnects the viewer and preserves live native buffers. Reopen the same file to reconnect. Native LyX: Retained Sessions lists them. Save/close work in LyX before Native LyX: End Session, whose confirmation explicitly permits discarding remaining buffers. Retained sessions consume memory until resolved, even after disabling/uninstalling this extension.

Native crashes require Native LyX: Recover Session and a deliberate choice in LyX's autosave recovery dialog. Recovery of the last successful autosave was demonstrated; newer edits and host-reboot recovery are not guaranteed. Disk revisions observed by the watcher are available through Native LyX: Open Saved File Snapshots. Keep ordinary backups. Native external-change prompts require an explicit reload/overwrite decision; no automatic merge is provided.

Preview limitations

• Plain-text clipboard bridging only. Rich objects, images, drag/drop and primary-selection interoperability across separate sessions are unsupported.
• Use one workspace document per VS Code tab. Native File Open/Save As can switch the buffer; a title/IPC identity guard pauses input and offers restoration. Save As does not rebind/rename the VS Code tab. The check is not instantaneous.
• Native profiles are separate from ordinary desktop LyX preferences. Dialogs must fit within the editor group. Canvas viewing has limited accessibility.
• Snapshots cannot capture every rapid external write or unsaved native edit. They are retained without automatic deletion; monitor storage usage.
• Desktop transport stays local: private VNC Unix socket, loopback bridge and a random connection token. This does not isolate native LyX from your user account.

To restore previous opening behavior, save/end native sessions, disable/uninstall the extension and configure *.lyx back to your previous editor. Persistent profiles/snapshots are intentionally retained; do not delete them while running. The bundled src/cli.cjs provides ownership-aware session control after uninstall.

User guides: installation and removal, configuration, limitations, and recovery.

Build and package

Use Node 22+ and npm for the locked build tools:

npm ci --ignore-scripts
npm run build
npm run package

The package command creates a Linux x64 pre-release .vsix locally. Install it through Extensions: Install from VSIX…. Generated packages are ignored by Git. Building a package does not publish it or establish interactive validation.

MPL-2.0 source and noVNC 1.7.0 source/licenses are included in the VSIX. See LICENSE and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.