Smart Profiles

Automatically select a VS Code profile when you open a project, using Git remote hosts, folder patterns, project files, or standalone file extensions.

For example, show your GitHub tools in GitHub projects and your self-hosted forge's tools in work projects. New repositories that match your rules need no individual setup.

Demonstration

Recorded in VS Code with the real extension and fictional repositories. Changing one repository's remote selects GitHub, then Work Git; an unmatched host keeps Work Git active. Different profile colors make the switches visible. You choose each profile's extensions and Activity Bar layout yourself.

View a static preview.

Getting started

1. Create the profiles you want through File > Preferences > Profiles.
2. In each profile, choose the extensions and Activity Bar icons you want.
3. Install Smart Profiles and select Apply Extension to all Profiles from its extension management menu.
4. Add rules to your user settings through Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON).

There are no built-in host mappings or profile names. This example uses a public host and a fictional self-hosted instance; replace the names with your own:

{
  "gitHostProfiles.rules": [
    {
      "profile": "GitHub",
      "remoteHosts": ["github.com"]
    },
    {
      "profile": "Work Git",
      "remoteHosts": ["forge.example.org"]
    }
  ]
}

The profile names must exactly match existing profiles. The extension does not create profiles, install other extensions, or authenticate with your Git host. Profile switching can restart extensions or reopen the current workspace.

Match folders by pattern

Folder rules can cover whole groups of current and future repositories:

{
  "gitHostProfiles.rules": [
    {
      "profile": "GitHub",
      "folders": ["~/Documents/gits/gh-*/**"]
    },
    {
      "profile": "Work Git",
      "folders": ["~/Documents/gits/gl-*/**"]
    }
  ]
}

Folders are matched against their absolute paths. Use forward slashes even on Windows. A leading ~ expands to your home directory.

Matching is case-insensitive on Windows and macOS, and case-sensitive on Linux. Braces, brackets, and other regex syntax are literal characters in folder and host patterns.

Project files and standalone files

Use files to require project markers. Every file pattern in a rule must find at least one file; patterns are relative to the repository or workspace folder. These use VS Code file glob syntax. The extension searches filenames without reading their contents and excludes .git and node_modules directories.

{
  "gitHostProfiles.rules": [
    {
      "profile": "TypeScript",
      "files": ["package.json", "src/**/*.ts"]
    },
    {
      "profile": "Python",
      "fileExtensions": ["py", ".pyi"]
    }
  ]
}

Standalone file rules apply only when no workspace folder is open and a saved local file is active. Suffixes are case-insensitive; .d.ts is supported. Keep standalone file rules separate from folder, host, and project-file rules.

How selection works

• Rules run in array order. The first matching rule wins for each repository or workspace folder.
• Host and folder arrays offer alternatives within that condition. Different conditions in one rule must all match. Every project-file pattern is required.
• Every selected fetch and push destination must match a host rule. A repository with conflicting or unknown destinations stays unchanged unless another rule, such as an explicit folder rule, matches it.
• Within each workspace root folder, only the outermost discovered repositories influence selection. Nested repositories and submodules are ignored unless opened as their own workspace root folder. A dependency's hosting location therefore does not affect its parent project's profile.
• Independent top-level repositories and workspace folders must all select the same profile. A disagreement or an unmatched target keeps the current profile. This also applies to saved multi-root workspaces.
• With no match, the current profile stays selected.
• Rules are reevaluated after repository, remote, workspace, rule, or relevant filename changes. Standalone files are checked when the active editor changes.
• Manual profile choices are respected while the matching inputs stay the same. Use Apply Profile Rules Now to reapply the rules.

Hosts are compared locally from URLs such as HTTPS, SSH, and scp-style Git remotes. Custom ports do not affect host matching. SSH aliases are matched as written in the remote; SSH configuration and Git URL rewrites are not expanded. Local filesystem remotes and unrecognized transports have no known host.

Use gitHostProfiles.remoteNames to restrict which remotes count:

{
  "gitHostProfiles.remoteNames": ["origin"]
}

An empty list, the default, considers every remote. Restricting the list deliberately ignores other destinations.

Commands and settings

Commands are available through the Command Palette under Smart Profiles:

The status bar item opens the explanation. Pause takes precedence over the Apply command; resume switching first.

These settings apply across profiles and cannot be supplied by workspace or repository settings. They are excluded from Settings Sync by default. Keep your private hosts, paths, and profile names in your user settings, outside this repository. Settings Sync preferences can override the exclusion.

Invalid rules stop selection and show a warning. Use the explanation command after correcting them.

Local installation and updates

Build the reviewed source with Node.js 24 or newer:

npm ci
npm test
npm run package

Choose Extensions: Install from VSIX... and select the file under artifacts/.

Disable auto-update for this extension in its extension management menu. VS Code can update a sideloaded extension if a Marketplace item later uses the same publisher and extension ID. A local VSIX is not, by itself, a guarantee against future automatic updates.

The publisher ID is HenrideBoutray, and the extension ID is HenrideBoutray.vscode-git-host-profiles. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the publication checklist.

Privacy and compatibility

The extension has no third-party runtime dependencies, telemetry, network requests, shell commands, or credential requirements. It uses the built-in Git extension's repository information. Decision logs omit remote URLs and paths; stored decision markers are hashes.

VS Code extensions still run with VS Code's permissions. Reviewing this source and controlling updates remain necessary trust decisions.

Automatic selection runs only in trusted local desktop workspaces. Remote SSH, WSL, containers, and virtual workspaces are not supported in this version.

VS Code does not provide a complete public profile-management API. The small compatibility adapter reads profile names from VS Code's local catalog and uses its profile-opening commands. It never writes that catalog. Changes to VS Code's storage layout or commands may require an extension update. When the adapter cannot find a profile or supported command, it reports the problem instead of creating profiles or invoking an external program.

Development

Read the implementation walkthrough for architecture diagrams, a worked example, and a file-by-file and function-by-function tour.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for tests, packaging, and the publication checklist.

Inspiration and license

Inspired by VSCode Profile Automatic Switcher and its rule-based approach to folders, project files, and file extensions. This is an independent implementation; no source code was copied.

Licensed under GPL-3.0-only.