BuildRunner

Modern build & task management for VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf & compatible editors.

Build, run, and manage your projects directly from the editor. BuildRunner supports .NET, Node.js, Go, Rust, Python, C/C++ (CMake), Maven, Gradle, and custom build commands — all from a single, unified interface.

Features

• One-Click Builds & Runs – Build or run any project with a single click from the sidebar, editor toolbar, status bar, or command palette
• Play Button – A dedicated play button in the editor title bar lets you launch applications instantly for all supported languages
• Multi-Language Support – .NET, Node.js, Go, Rust, Python, C/C++ (CMake), Maven, Gradle, and custom commands
• Tool Auto-Detection & Installation – Automatically detects installed build tools and can install missing ones via winget (Windows), apt/brew (Linux/macOS)
• Modern Webview Dashboard – Build cards, live logs, tool manager, build settings, statistics, health monitoring, and dependency graphs
• Build Profiles – Switch between debug, release, test, and custom profiles with automatic argument injection per language
• Parallel Builds – Run multiple builds simultaneously with a configurable parallelism limit
• Build Queue – Queue builds when the parallel limit is reached; they start automatically when a slot frees up
• Build Chains – Define dependencies between targets and run entire build chains in order
• Watch Mode – Automatically rebuild on file changes with configurable glob patterns and debounce timing
• Build History – Track all build results with status, duration, exit codes, and full output logs
• Log Export – Export build logs as text, HTML, or Markdown
• Health Monitoring – Detects consecutive build failures and provides quick-fix suggestions for common errors
• Environment Variables – Load .env files, define per-target environment variables, and securely store secrets via VS Code's SecretStorage
• Remote Execution – Run builds in Docker containers, over SSH, or in WSL
• Build Templates – Pre-configured templates for common project setups
• Cross-Platform – Full support for Linux, Windows, and macOS

Getting Started

1. Open a project in VS Code
2. Click the BuildRunner icon in the activity bar
3. Build targets are automatically detected based on your project files
4. Click the play button to run an application, or the build button to compile

Keyboard Shortcuts

Build Settings

Via VS Code Settings

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for buildrunner:

• buildrunner.buildConfigs – Array of custom build configurations
• buildrunner.toolOverrides – Override tool paths and versions
• buildrunner.autoDetectProjects – Auto-detect projects in workspace
• buildrunner.autoInstallTools – Auto-install missing tools
• buildrunner.maxParallelBuilds – Max parallel builds (default: 2)
• buildrunner.buildTimeout – Build timeout in seconds (default: 1800)
• buildrunner.defaultProfile – Default build profile (debug/release/test/custom)
• buildrunner.logLevel – Log level for the output channel (debug/info/warn/error)
• buildrunner.showNotifications – Show notifications on build completion
• buildrunner.desktopNotifications – Send desktop notifications
• buildrunner.soundFeedback – Play sound on build completion
• buildrunner.enableQuickFixes – Enable quick-fix suggestions for build failures
• buildrunner.enableHealthMonitor – Enable build health monitoring

Via Webview Panel

Open the BuildRunner Panel (Ctrl+Alt+R) and go to the Settings tab to:

• Add custom build configurations with a form
• Set program name, arguments, working directory, environment variables
• Choose build profile (debug/release/test/custom)
• Set timeout and watch mode
• Delete existing configurations

Via .buildrunner.json

Create a .buildrunner.json file in your workspace root:

{
  "targets": [
    {
      "id": "my-build",
      "name": "My Custom Build",
      "command": "make all",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/build",
      "env": {
        "BUILD_CONFIG": "release"
      },
      "timeout": 600
    }
  ],
  "exclude": ["node_modules", "bin", "obj"],
  "defaultTarget": "my-build"
}

Tool Management

BuildRunner detects and can install the following tools:

Supported Project Types

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Robin Oliver Lucas. All rights reserved.

This software is licensed under the MIT License.

Responsible for Content

Robin Oliver Lucas Schwarzbach 148 42277 Wuppertal Germany

Email: robin@rl-dev.de