Mekong Tunnel — VS Code Extension
Expose your local dev server to the internet with one click, directly from VS Code. Powered by the Mekong Tunnel CLI.
Requirements
Live Server works without any install. Only tunneling (public URL) requires the mekong binary.
If the extension says mekong CLI not installed, run one of these commands in a terminal on your own computer, then click Re-check in the extension panel:
macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://mekongtunnel.dev/install.sh | sh
Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://mekongtunnel.dev/install.ps1 | iex
Both scripts auto-detect your OS and architecture, install the binary, and add it to your PATH. No VS Code reload is needed.
Features
- Account panel — login with one click, see your email and plan, use your reserved subdomain automatically
- Start Tunnel — expose any local port to a public
proxy.mekongtunnel.dev URL by default
- HTML Live Server — built-in live reload server for HTML and Markdown files, no binary needed
- Markdown preview — open any
.md file with Live Server and see it rendered as styled HTML with live reload
- Auto port detection — reads
package.json to detect your framework's default port
- Dev server check — warns you if your dev server isn't running before starting a tunnel
- Activity log — real-time log of tunnel and live server events inside the panel
- Right-click support — open any
.html or .md file directly with Live Server from the Explorer
Login (reserved subdomain)
The sidebar panel shows your login status at the top:
- Not logged in — click Login. A terminal opens inside VS Code and runs
mekong login, which opens the browser device flow. Once you approve, the panel updates automatically.
- Logged in — shows your email, plan badge, and a Logout button. Every tunnel you start uses your reserved subdomain from now on.
You can also run mekong login in any terminal — the extension picks it up automatically.
Usage
Click the Mekong Tunnel icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar). The panel lets you:
- See your login status and account info
- Set a port or click ⚡ Detect to auto-detect from
package.json
- Set an optional tunnel expiry
- Start / Stop the tunnel
- Copy or open the public URL
- Start / Stop the HTML Live Server
- View the activity log
Command Palette
Open with Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux):
| Command |
Description |
Mekong: Start Tunnel |
Start tunnel on detected or configured port |
Mekong: Stop Tunnel |
Stop the running tunnel |
Mekong: Copy Public URL |
Copy tunnel URL to clipboard |
Mekong: Open Public URL in Browser |
Open tunnel URL in browser |
Mekong: Start Live Server |
Start the built-in HTML live server |
Mekong: Stop Live Server |
Stop the live server |
Right-click in Explorer
Right-click any .html, .md file, or folder → Open with Live Server (Mekong)
Starts the live server rooted at that file's directory and opens it in your browser automatically.
Markdown Live Preview
Open any .md file with the Live Server and it renders as a clean, GitHub-dark styled HTML page — with live reload whenever you save.
How to use:
- Right-click a
.md file in the Explorer → Open with Mekong Live Server
- Or open the Live Server tab in the sidebar panel and click Open with Live Server
Markdown Preview Mode behavior:
- Full markdown rendering: headings, bold/italic, code blocks with syntax highlighting classes, tables, blockquotes, lists, images, links
- File watcher triggers a re-render on every save
- Tunneling is disabled in Markdown mode — the panel hides the tunnel button and shows a note
- Trying to tunnel the same port from the Tunnel tab is blocked with an error message
- If a folder has no
index.html, the live server falls back to README.md automatically
Auto Port Detection
The extension reads your package.json and maps known frameworks to their default ports:
| Framework |
Default Port |
| Next.js, Nuxt, React (CRA), Remix, Express, Fastify, Hono |
3000 |
| Vite, SvelteKit, Svelte |
5173 |
| Angular |
4200 |
| Astro |
4321 |
| Gatsby |
8000 |
Status Bar
| Item |
State |
Description |
$(radio-tower) mekong |
Idle |
Click to start tunnel |
$(sync~spin) mekong: connecting... |
Starting |
Waiting for tunnel URL |
$(radio-tower) https://abc.proxy.mekongtunnel.dev |
Running |
Click to copy URL |
$(error) mekong: error |
Error |
Click to restart |
$(broadcast) Live Server |
Live idle |
Click to start live server |
$(broadcast) Live :5500 |
Live running |
Click to open in browser |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
mekong.apiToken |
— |
API token (overrides saved login) |
mekong.port |
— |
Fixed local port (overrides auto-detect) |
mekong.autoStart |
false |
Auto-start tunnel when workspace opens |
mekong.expire |
— |
Tunnel expiry: 1h, 6h, 24h, 2d, 1w |
mekong.binaryPath |
— |
Custom path to mekong binary (leave empty for auto-detect) |
mekong.showQr |
false |
Show QR code in output panel |
mekong.liveServerPort |
5500 |
Base port for the built-in Live Server |
Changelog
v1.5.10
- Fix wrong domains — replaced all
angkorsearch.dev references with mekongtunnel.dev in API calls, settings description, and README
v1.5.9
- Fix wrong API domain — token-info was fetching from wrong domain; corrected to
api.mekongtunnel.dev
v1.5.8
- README update — changelog and documentation refreshed
v1.5.7
- Fix "Open Live Server in Browser" command — now starts the Live Server automatically if it isn't running yet, instead of showing "Live Server is not running"
v1.5.6
- README update — documentation updated with full feature list, login flow, and changelog history
v1.5.5
- Markdown-only project detection — Live Server automatically sets Markdown mode when the workspace root contains
.md files but no index.html; no manual toggle needed
- Markdown sidebar nav — rendered
.md pages now include a sidebar listing all sibling Markdown files in the same directory, with the active file highlighted; README.md and index.md are sorted to the top
- Active editor auto-root — starting Live Server from the command palette now roots to the active editor's directory when it's an
.html or .md file, so the served URL matches the open file
v1.5.4
- Expiry options expanded — tunnel expiry selector now includes 30 min, 12 h, 24 h, 7 days, 2 weeks, and 1 month options
- Live Server file watcher extended — watcher now covers
.ts, .json, .svg, and image files in addition to .html, .css, and .js; changes to any tracked file trigger a reload
- Markdown mode live-reload subtitle — activity log sub-text and status pill update dynamically to reflect whether the server is in HTML or Markdown mode
v1.5.3
- Markdown tunnel guard — tunneling is blocked when the Live Server is in Markdown mode; the tunnel button is hidden in the Live Server tab and the Tunnel tab shows an error if the same port is entered
- Live Server tab badge — a small green dot appears on the Live Server tab label when the server is active
- Prominent Preview Panel button — "Open Preview Panel" is now a full-width ghost button with a monitor icon in the running state, replacing the small sub-action link
v1.5.2
- Markdown Live Server —
.md files are now fully supported by the built-in Live Server; right-click any .md file or folder → Open with Mekong Live Server
- Markdown renderer — zero-dependency inline renderer supporting headings, bold/italic/strikethrough, fenced code blocks, tables, blockquotes, ordered/unordered lists, images, and links; rendered with a GitHub-dark theme
- Directory fallback — if a folder has no
index.html, the Live Server serves README.md automatically
- Live reload for
.md — file watcher now includes .md files so saving triggers an instant re-render in the browser
- Right-click menus extended — Explorer, Editor, and Editor title context menus now show Live Server options for
.md files
Links
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