VSCode Taskbar Separator

A VS Code extension + native C++ wrapper that gives every VS Code instance its own separate taskbar button with a colored badge overlay — similar to how TortoiseGit marks Explorer windows.

Each workspace launched through the wrapper gets a unique Windows AppUserModelId (AUMID) and an isolated user-data directory, so Windows treats them as independent applications on the taskbar.

Features

• Colored Badge Overlays — each workspace gets a deterministic color from a 64-color palette, or you can pick your own
• Badge Styles — circle, square, or rounded-square
• Badge Text — optional short label (e.g. P for production, D for dev)
• Per-Workspace Settings — configure badgeColor, badgeText, badgeStyle at the workspace or folder level
• Instance Isolation — the C++ wrapper creates a separate --user-data-dir with junctions so settings and extensions stay shared
• Automatic AUMID — each workspace hash gets VSCode.Workspace.<hash>, producing a separate taskbar button
• Auto-apply on Startup — badge is applied within 100 ms of activation

How It Works

1. You place the compiled C++ wrapper (code.exe) in your PATH instead of the real VS Code Code.exe
2. The wrapper checks whether a real VS Code process is already running:
   • No VS Code running → launches VS Code directly (passthrough), preserving the default AUMID and full jump list (Recent, Tasks)
   • VS Code already running → launches an isolated instance with --user-data-dir, --new-window, and a workspace-specific --app-user-model-id
3. The VS Code extension activates in every instance, generates a colored badge PNG (via sharp), and calls the wrapper's --set-overlay command to apply the badge via ITaskbarList3

This means the first window you open behaves exactly like stock VS Code — full jump list, recent files, pinned tasks. Every additional window launched through the wrapper gets its own taskbar button with a colored badge.

When you open a folder from the terminal, Start Menu, or "Open with Code" context menu, the wrapper intercepts the call, detects a running VS Code, and applies isolation automatically.

| First launch (no Code.exe running) | Subsequent launches   |
| ---------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| Passthrough                        | Isolated launch       |
| No --user-data-dir                 | --user-data-dir       |
| No custom AUMID                    | --app-user-model-id   |
| Full jump list                     | Separate button       |

Setup

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or later
• VS Code 1.85 or later

Install from Marketplace

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Badge overlays appear automatically — no additional setup needed
3. For instance separation (separate taskbar buttons per workspace), run the command "Taskbar Separator: Install Wrapper" from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P), or accept the prompt shown on first activation

The install command copies the native wrapper to %APPDATA%\VSCode-TaskbarSeparator\, adds it to your user PATH, and patches VS Code shortcuts and "Open with Code" context menu entries.

Tip: If VS Code is pinned to the taskbar, unpin and re-pin it after installing the wrapper so the pin picks up the new shortcut target.

To reverse all changes, run "Taskbar Separator: Uninstall Wrapper" from the Command Palette.

Building from Source

# Build the extension
npm install
npm run compile

# Build the C++ wrapper
cd cpp
cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022"
cmake --build build --config Release
# Output: cpp/build/Release/code.exe

Building from source requires Node.js 16+, MSVC 2022, and CMake 3.10+.

How the Wrapper Works

When you run code . from a terminal, click VS Code in the Start Menu, or use "Open with Code" in Explorer, the wrapper intercepts the call, finds the real VS Code via the registry, and decides whether to pass through or isolate based on whether VS Code is already running.

Transparency: The wrapper passes all arguments through to the real Code.exe. Isolation flags (--user-data-dir, --new-window, --app-user-model-id) are only added for secondary instances.

What the Wrapper Does

• Creates a per-workspace directory under %APPDATA%\VSCode-TaskbarSeparator\workspaces\<hash>\
• Junctions User/ → %APPDATA%\Code\User (shared settings, keybindings, snippets)
• Junctions extensions/ → %APPDATA%\Code\extensions (shared extensions)
• Symlinks or copies Local State (Chromium encryption key)
• All other directories (Cache, logs, Session Storage, etc.) are fresh per-instance
• Cleans up non-persistent instance directories after VS Code exits

Side Effects

• Secondary instances have their own recent files and session state (not shared with the main instance)
• The first instance retains the default AUMID with full jump list support
• The wrapper's passthrough path does not wait for VS Code — it exits immediately
• The wrapper's isolated path waits for VS Code to exit before cleaning up the instance directory

Configuration

Configure per-workspace in .vscode/settings.json or VS Code settings UI.

Settings

Scope notes:

• resource settings can be set per-folder in a multi-root workspace
• window settings apply to the entire VS Code window

Auto-Generated Colors

When badgeColor is empty (the default), the extension generates a deterministic color from the workspace path using FNV-1a hashing into a 64-color golden-angle palette. This means:

• The same workspace always gets the same color
• Different workspaces almost always get visibly distinct colors
• Colors include 80% alpha for a subtle overlay effect

Example Configurations

Minimal — auto color:

{}

No configuration needed. The extension auto-generates a deterministic color.

Custom color and label:

{
  "taskbarSeparator.badgeColor": "#FF0000",
  "taskbarSeparator.badgeStyle": "circle",
  "taskbarSeparator.badgeText": "P"
}

Rounded square with text:

{
  "taskbarSeparator.badgeColor": "#3178C6",
  "taskbarSeparator.badgeStyle": "rounded-square",
  "taskbarSeparator.badgeText": "TS"
}

Commands

Access via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P).

Troubleshooting

Badge Not Appearing

1. Check the "Taskbar Separator" output channel (View → Output → select "Taskbar Separator") for error messages
2. Ensure the C++ wrapper code.exe is found — it should be in the extension's bin/ directory or %APPDATA%\VSCode-TaskbarSeparator\
3. Verify the extension is active: Command Palette → "Apply Taskbar Badge"

Separate Buttons Not Appearing

1. Ensure you launched VS Code through the wrapper, not directly

Custom Icon Not Loading

1. Verify the .ico file path exists and is readable
2. Use an absolute path or workspace-relative path

Known Limitations

• Windows only — relies on Win32 APIs (ITaskbarList3, IPropertyStore, junctions)
• "New Window" not separated — VS Code's built-in "New Window" command spawns a process directly from its own binary, bypassing the wrapper. These windows stack with the main instance. Use the wrapper (terminal code, Start Menu, or context menu) to open separate instances.
• Jump list on secondary instances — secondary (isolated) instances have their own AUMID, so their taskbar context menu won't show the main instance's recent files. The first instance has full jump list support.
• Startup delay — badge generation via sharp adds a brief delay (~100ms)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Create a Pull Request

License

MIT - See LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by TortoiseGit taskbar icon separation
• Uses Sharp for image processing

Support

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the troubleshooting section
2. Open an issue on the GitHub repository
3. Include your OS version, PowerShell version, and the output from the "Taskbar Separator" output channel