Snap Branch

🫰 Snap Branch: automatic workspace switching for Git branches

A VS Code extension that automatically saves and restores workspace configurations per Git branch. As AI allows developers to context switch faster, reducing cognitively load of switching contexts helps developers to work faster.

Features

🔄 Automatic Branch Detection: Monitors Git branch changes and automatically switches configurations
💾 Workspace Configuration Storage: Saves open files, editor layout, and workspace settings per branch
🎛️ Configurable Behavior: Control what gets saved/restored (files, settings, layout)
📊 Status Bar Integration: Shows current branch and configuration status
🚀 Manual Management: Commands to manually save, restore, and manage configurations

How It Works

Automatic Mode: When you switch Git branches, the extension automatically:
- Saves your current workspace configuration to the previous branch
- Restores the workspace configuration for the new branch (if one exists)
Manual Mode: Use commands to manually save and restore configurations:
- Snap Branch: Save Current Workspace Configuration
- Snap Branch: Restore Workspace Configuration for Current Branch

What Gets Saved

For each branch, the extension can save:

Open Files: List of currently open files in the editor (always included when enabled)
Editor Layout: Active editor and visible editors (always included when enabled)
Workspace Settings: Key settings like font size, theme, rulers, exclusions, etc. (opt-in only)

Non-Intrusive by Default

Important: By default, Snap Branch operates completely in the background without modifying any workspace files. It only manages:

Which files are open in your editor
Your editor layout (split views, active editor)

Workspace settings are NOT modified unless you explicitly enable snapBranch.includeWorkspaceSettings. This means:

✅ No .vscode/settings.json modifications by default
✅ No workspace configuration files are touched
✅ Completely transparent operation
✅ Safe to use in any project without side effects

If you want the extension to also save and restore workspace settings (like theme, font size, etc.), you can enable snapBranch.includeWorkspaceSettings in your VS Code settings.

Configuration

Open VS Code settings and search for "Snap Branch":

Setting	Default	Description
`snapBranch.autoSave`	`true`	Automatically save workspace configuration when switching branches
`snapBranch.autoRestore`	`true`	Automatically restore workspace configuration when switching branches
`snapBranch.includeOpenFiles`	`true`	Include open files in workspace configuration
`snapBranch.includeEditorLayout`	`true`	Include editor layout in workspace configuration
`snapBranch.showStatusBar`	`true`	Show branch configuration status in status bar
`snapBranch.includeWorkspaceSettings`	`false`	Include workspace settings in configuration (will modify .vscode/settings.json when enabled)

Commands

Access these commands via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

Snap Branch: Save Current Workspace Configuration - Manually save current workspace state
Snap Branch: Restore Workspace Configuration for Current Branch - Manually restore configuration
Snap Branch: Show All Branch Configurations - View and manage all saved configurations
Snap Branch: Delete Configuration for Current Branch - Remove configuration for current branch
Snap Branch: Toggle Auto Branch Configuration - Enable/disable automatic switching

Status Bar

The status bar shows:

Current Git branch name
Configuration indicator: ● (saved) or ○ (not saved)
Auto-switching status

Click the status bar item to open the configuration management interface.

Usage Examples

Feature Development Workflow

Main Branch: Keep a clean workspace with only essential files

git checkout main
# Extension automatically restores main branch configuration

Feature Branch: Work with specific files and settings for the feature

git checkout -b feature/new-auth
# Configure workspace as needed (open relevant files, adjust settings)
# Extension automatically saves configuration when you switch away

Bug Fix: Quick context switch with appropriate debugging setup

git checkout hotfix/bug-123
# Extension restores previous bug fix workspace or creates new one

Settings Per Branch

Different branches might need different configurations:

Frontend branches: Light theme, smaller font, CSS files open
Backend branches: Dark theme, larger font, API documentation open
Documentation branches: Markdown preview, spell check enabled

Installation

From Source

Clone or download this repository
Install dependencies: npm install
Compile TypeScript: npm run compile
Press F5 in VS Code to launch extension development host
Or package with vsce package and install the .vsix file

Requirements

VS Code 1.74.0 or higher
Git repository in workspace
Git extension enabled (built-in)

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please submit a pull requests.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Changelog

1.0.2

IMPROVED: Small bug fix

1.0.1

BREAKING CHANGE: Made extension non-intrusive by default
NEW: Added snapBranch.includeWorkspaceSettings setting (default: false)
IMPROVED: Extension no longer modifies .vscode/settings.json by default
IMPROVED: Completely transparent operation - only manages open files and editor layout
IMPROVED: Safer for use in any project without side effects

1.0.0

Initial release
Automatic branch detection and configuration switching
Manual configuration management commands
Status bar integration
Configurable behavior settings

Quentin Romero Lauro