Copy Workspace

Easily add external files and folders to your VS Code workspace — choose to copy them in or add as a reference.

✨ Features

Copy to workspace — Clones the selected file/folder into your workspace root directory
Add as reference — Adds folders as a multi-root workspace entry, or opens files without copying
Conflict handling — If a file/folder already exists, choose to overwrite, rename, or skip
Auto-create workspace — If no workspace is open, creates a new folder, opens it immediately, then copies your files automatically
Custom workspace name — Choose your own name for the new workspace, or let it auto-generate
Custom rename on conflict — Type your own name when renaming, or let it auto-generate a suffix
Progress indicator — A spinner in the status bar shows each file being copied in real time

Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
Type "Add File/Folder to Workspace"
Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to add
A prompt appears — choose:
- 📋 Copy to workspace — makes a local copy in your project
- 🔗 Add as reference — links to the original location (no copy)

Right-click anywhere in the Explorer sidebar → "Add File/Folder to Workspace (Copy or Reference)"

Action	Files	Folders
Copy	Copies file into workspace root	Copies entire folder into workspace root
Reference	Opens the file (no copy)	Adds folder as a workspace root (multi-root)

When copying a file or folder that already exists in the workspace, you can choose:

If you run the command with no folder open, the extension will:

Ask you to name the new workspace folder (or auto-generate one, depending on your settings)
Open it immediately as a proper workspace
Copy your files automatically once the workspace loads — you'll see the progress in the status bar

While copying, a spinner appears in the VS Code status bar (bottom left) showing:

⟳ Workspace Copy Prompt: Copying "my-file.ts" (2/5)…

When done it shows Done — 5 items copied. for a moment, then disappears.

Open Cmd+, and search "Workspace Copy Prompt" to configure:

Setting	Description	Options	Default
`workspaceCopyPrompt.defaultWorkspacePath`	Where new workspace folders are created	Any valid path (e.g. `~/Projects`)	`~/Documents`
`workspaceCopyPrompt.workspaceNameMode`	Whether to ask for a name when creating a new workspace	`ask`, `auto`	`ask`
`workspaceCopyPrompt.renameMode`	Whether to ask for a name when renaming a conflicting file	`ask`, `auto`	`ask`

workspaceNameMode

ask — shows an input box pre-filled with a suggested name; edit it or press Enter to accept
auto — silently creates the folder with a name like workspace-2026-06-13-abc123

renameMode

ask — shows an input box pre-filled with a suggested name; edit it or press Enter to accept
auto — silently appends a random suffix (e.g. file-3a2f.txt) without prompting