Live Edit Watcher

Live Edit Watcher helps you follow file changes in real time inside VS Code. It opens the most relevant file that changed, highlights the updated region, and keeps a sidebar timeline so you can follow the flow without hunting through tabs.

When to use it

Live Edit Watcher is useful when files in your workspace are created or updated by another process, such as:

• coding agents;
• automation scripts;
• content generators;
• tools that rewrite workspace files.

What it does

• automatically opens the most relevant new or changed file;
• highlights the updated region in the editor;
• can reveal changes progressively to make them easier to follow;
• can keep following continuous writes without creating unnecessary noise;
• stores recent events in the Live Edit Timeline sidebar for quick navigation.

Installation

To install the packaged version locally:

code --install-extension live-edit-watcher-1.0.2.vsix --force

After installation, reload the VS Code window.

Quick start

1. Open a workspace in VS Code.
2. Keep the extension enabled or run Live Edit Watcher: Start.
3. Create or modify a text file inside the project.
4. Watch the file open automatically.
5. Follow the highlight and visual reveal for the changed region.
6. Use the Live Edit Timeline view in Explorer to revisit recent events.

Main commands

• Live Edit Watcher: Start
• Live Edit Watcher: Stop
• Live Edit Watcher: Toggle
• Live Edit Watcher: Open Last Changed File
• Live Edit Watcher: Clear Timeline
• Live Edit Watcher: Mark Session Active
• Live Edit Watcher: Clear Session

Recommended settings

The defaults already work well for most workflows. If you want to tune the experience:

• liveEditWatcher.preview: keep false to preserve opened tabs as visual history;
• liveEditWatcher.preserveFocus: enable it if you want to observe changes without stealing focus;
• liveEditWatcher.debounceMs: increase it if your workflow produces too many rapid events;
• liveEditWatcher.visualPlaybackDurationMs: increase it for a slower, more watchable reveal;
• liveEditWatcher.ignoredGlobs: add folders or artifacts that should never auto-open;
• liveEditWatcher.allowedExtensions: limit observation to the file types that matter to you.

Example workflow

1. You run an agent or script that updates files in the workspace.
2. Live Edit Watcher detects the most relevant file.
3. VS Code opens that file automatically.
4. The changed region is highlighted and revealed visually.
5. If writing continues, the extension keeps following the changes without restarting everything on every micro-event.

Documentation

Start with guides/00-index.md.

Special note

A big shout-out to Vinicius Orru, a great programmer and admirer of cybersecurity. May every line of code keep being written with curiosity, rigor, and the healthy technical skepticism that makes systems better when they are understood from the inside out.