Squish code down to one line in a single keystroke. Select a JSON block anywhere — in a log, a .ts file, a test fixture — press Ctrl+JM, and it's minified in place. Format and validate are one keystroke away too.
Features
Command
Windows / Linux
Mac
What it does
Squishy: Minify JSON
Ctrl+J then M
Cmd+J then M
Squishes to one line — removes all whitespace and comments
Squishy: Format JSON
Ctrl+J then F
Cmd+J then F
Un-squishes back to readable, indented JSON
Squishy: Validate JSON
Ctrl+J then V
Cmd+J then V
Lists every error with line/column and jumps to the first one
Selection or whole file — with text selected, only the selection is changed; otherwise the whole file.
Works in any file type — minify a JSON snippet inside JavaScript, TypeScript, Markdown, logs…
Nothing gets lost — large numbers like 12345678901234567890 stay exact (no JSON.parse rounding); key order and string escapes are kept.
Safe — invalid JSON is never rewritten; you get the error location instead.
Large files — formatting builds the result in one pass. Large JSON operations run in the background with a cancellable progress notification, and discard results if the document changes before they finish.
Also in the right-click menu → Squishy and the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P → Squishy).
Status bar shows ✓ JSON / ✗ JSON (n) for the active JSON file — click to validate.
Shortcuts are chords: press Ctrl+J, release, then press the letter. While the cursor is in an editor, this replaces VS Code's default Ctrl+J (Toggle Panel) — use Ctrl+` or View → Appearance → Panel instead, or rebind in Keyboard Shortcuts (search squishy).
Settings
Setting
Default
Description
squishy.indentSize
2
Spaces per indent level when formatting
squishy.useTabs
false
Indent with tabs
squishy.validateOnType
false
Show Squishy errors in the Problems panel while typing
squishy.allowComments
false
Accept // and /* */ in .json files (always allowed in .jsonc)
Roadmap
Squishy currently handles JSON and JSONC. More languages (JS, CSS, HTML, XML, YAML…) may come later.
Release Notes
0.0.3
Fix the packaged extension logo to use the updated artwork.
0.0.2
Fix slow formatting of large, single-line JSON by assembling formatting edits in one pass.
Run large JSON operations in a cancellable background worker and preserve edits made while processing.
Validate without constructing an in-memory copy of the JSON value tree.
0.0.1
Initial release of Squishy: Minify, Format and Validate JSON / JSONC (whole file or selection), Ctrl+J chord shortcuts, status bar indicator, settings for indent / tabs / comments.
