MainSequence for VS Code

The MainSequence extension keeps your backend code repositories close at hand: sign in once, browse them, bootstrap them locally, and open signed terminals without leaving VS Code.

Installation

1. Open VS Code and search for MainSequence in the Extensions view (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X).
2. Install MainSequence from MainSequence GmbH.
3. Click the MainSequence icon in the activity bar and sign in to finish linking your account.

One sign-in serves this extension, the MainSequence Codex and Claude Desktop plugins and the mainsequence and command-center-sdk command lines. See which MainSequence tool to install for the other hosts.

You can also install directly from the Visual Studio Marketplace or with:

code --install-extension mainsequencegmbh.vscode-mainsequence

Requirements

• A MainSequence account with access to at least one code repository.
• VS Code 1.101 or newer (Node 22 extension host).
• Git and SSH tooling for local repository setup.
• For Python repositories: uv; for Vite + React repositories: Node.js and npm.

What you can do

• Sign in & configure – manage the backend URL, local base folder, and shared session from the General tab. Refresh Tokens renews the session for the configured backend without requiring an open repository.
• Browse code repositories – the Repositories tab lists Python and Vite + React repositories and shows which ones are already local.
• Browse MainSequence Projects – choose an organization environment in Projects, search or page through its projects, and open the repositories and exact branches assigned to each project.
• Set up locally – generate deploy keys, clone into <base>/<organization>/projects/<repository-name>-<uid>, and write the repository's .env, which names the backend.
• Open folders & signed terminals – jump into VS Code workspaces or spawn terminals with the correct SSH keys pre-loaded.
• Use repository-native workflows – the Current Repository tab delegates sync, SDK maintenance, and skills updates to the installed MainSequence or Command Center SDK CLI.
• Bootstrap dependencies / delete local copies – build or sync a Python .venv, run npm ci for Vite, or remove a local copy.

Getting started in VS Code

1. Open MainSequence → Overview, select General, and provide your backend + base folder if they differ from the defaults.
2. Sign in. The panel confirms the account you’re using and keeps a Logout button handy.
3. Select Repositories and refresh. Each entry shows its backend type and whether it is local.
4. Set up a remote repository, choose its branch when prompted, then open the cloned folder.
5. In that workspace, use Current Repository. Python repositories offer .venv bootstrap and mainsequence actions; Vite + React repositories offer npm ci bootstrap and command-center-sdk actions.

Commands available in the palette

• MainSequence: Sign in – open the login panel.
• MainSequence: Refresh Repositories – same as the toolbar refresh button.
• MainSequence: Set Up Repository Locally, Open Repository Folder, Open Signed Terminal (Repository), and Delete Local Repository Folder – available globally.
• Sync Code Repository (in the current code repository panel) – refreshes the dependency files with the project SDK (code-repository sync --path .). It does not commit, tag or push; commit and push the changed files yourself. Release tags come from the repository's own CI.

SDK status and authentication

The Projects tab shows actual MainSequence organization projects, including their accessible repository branches. It does not infer projects from the repository list. Set the optional Command Center URL in General to open project, repository and branch details in Command Center. Without it, repository and branch links open their authorized GitHub binding; a missing binding is reported. Switching accounts, backends or environments clears the selected project.

Python SDK status reads the installed mainsequence distribution from the repository’s .venv and compares it with [project].version in the public GitHub SDK main branch. It requires no platform login or retired sdk-status CLI command. An installed version ahead of the public version is reported as ahead, not as an available update. Python SDK upgrades remain a package-management action; the removed backend SDK workflow is not offered by this status check.

Repository metadata still uses the authenticated platform lookup. Failures appear in the Current Repository tab with the actual error. Use General → Refresh Tokens to renew the shared session, or sign in again if renewal fails; public Python SDK status remains independent of that login.

Troubleshooting

• If the Repositories tab says you’re signed out, revisit General to log back in.
• If repository actions are unavailable, use Build Local .venv for Python or Install Dependencies for Vite + React, then refresh the Current Repository tab.
• One sign-in serves the extension, the MainSequence Codex and Claude Desktop plugins and the Main Sequence CLIs: the session is kept per backend in the operating system's credential store (the login Keychain on macOS, Secret Service on Linux), so signing in here also signs in mainsequence and command-center-sdk, and a login made with either shows up here. Repository .env files name the backend and hold no token. Use Log out to revoke the session and remove it from the machine. On a system where the extension reaches no such store, the session stays in VS Code SecretStorage and authenticated SDK processes receive credentials in memory. Sign-in, renewal, and logout do not synchronize repository .env files. Remove any old credentials from a repository's .env before running SDK actions.
• Logs are available in the VS Code Output panel under MainSequence, plus the Extension Host debug console when running from source.

Want to contribute or build from source?

The extension lives in github.com/mainsequence-sdk/ms-vscode-extension. Developers should read README_DEV.md for build steps, repository layout, and release instructions.

Shared developer tooling

This extension bundles the shared @dev-mainsequence/devtools package, pinned to an exact version in package.json, into the VSIX. Browser sign-in, machine sessions, backend repository contracts, Git context, SDK command selection, setup and project dispatch share the same implementation as the MainSequence Codex plugin. Actions run with cancellable progress notifications and safe summaries. Existing command IDs and the local projects/ folder layout remain compatible. Credentials stay in the shared machine session or VS Code SecretStorage; repository credential projection is not supported.