Wheelhouse

Everything you'd open a terminal for. Without opening a terminal.

Docker · Kubernetes · Compose — managed from a single VS Code sidebar panel.

What is Wheelhouse?

Every developer working with Docker has the same six terminals open. Wheelhouse replaces all of them.

It reads your docker-compose.yml directly — no daemon required — and overlays live state when Docker is running. Start services, tail logs, open a shell, manage volumes and images. All from the sidebar, all with one click.

Features

Infrastructure at a glance

The provider chips bar tells you immediately whether Docker is running, whether a compose file is found, and whether your Kubernetes cluster is reachable. Green = connected. Red = needs attention. Click any chip for details and options.

Compose tab

• Services load from your compose file instantly — even when the daemon is offline
• Live state overlaid from docker compose ps when Docker is available
• Bulk ▶ / ■ / ↺ actions for the whole stack in the section header
• Expanded rows show image, ports, volumes, and env file per service
• Port conflicts detected and shown inline before you start
• V1 version: syntax and missing .env variables flagged as hints

Containers, Images, Volumes, Networks

Full lifecycle management — start, stop, restart, shell, logs, remove. Pull images by name directly from the Images tab. Unreferenced images flagged as safe to remove. Orphaned volumes highlighted.

Kubernetes (coming soon)

Kubernetes support is in development. Enable it in Settings → Providers to configure your namespace ready for when it lands.

Profiles

Named configurations per project. Each profile has its own visible tabs, active providers, refresh interval, and snippets. Switch in one click from the profile pill.

Snippets

Save commands you always retype as one-click buttons. Workspace snippets live in .wheelhouse/snippets.json — commit them so your team shares the same shortcuts. Global snippets sync across machines. Run in terminal or copy to clipboard.

Pop-out view

Click ↗ to open Wheelhouse as a full editor tab in its own OS window. Stats bar, multi-column layout, pinned live log panel with tabs per service, search, and level filters.

Commands cheat sheet

A project-aware Docker reference in Settings → Commands. Grouped by intent. Service names populated from your compose file. One-click copy.

Proactive hints

A rule-based banner surfaces issues before they become problems: port conflicts, orphaned volumes, repeated restarts, deprecated syntax, missing .env. Dismissable. Resettable.

Getting started

1. Install the extension
2. Open a folder containing a docker-compose.yml
3. Click the Wheelhouse icon in the activity bar

Services appear immediately. Live state and actions activate when the Docker daemon is reachable.

Compatibility

Wheelhouse shells out to the docker and kubectl binaries directly — no SDK, no Docker Desktop dependency, no cloud account required.

Override the binary path per-profile in Settings → Providers.

Extension commands

Architecture

Provider-based plugin system — Docker and Kubernetes ship first-party. The IProvider interface is open: anyone can build a provider for Podman, Nomad, Fly.io, or any other runtime without touching core.

src/
├── core/ProviderRegistry.ts      provider lifecycle
├── providers/
│   ├── docker/                   Docker CLI wrapper · 5 tabs
│   └── kubernetes/               kubectl wrapper · 4 tabs
├── storage/StorageManager.ts     profiles, snippets, settings
└── ui/
    ├── WheelhousePanel.ts        sidebar webview
    └── PopoutPanel.ts            full editor tab + live log panel

Licence

PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 — free to use, modify, and share for non-commercial purposes.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for the full release history.

Built in Ireland. Shipped with care.