Git Profile-Protocol Switcher
A lightning-fast, fully offline utility to visualize and switch your Git user profiles and remote transport protocols (HTTPS/SSH) directly from the VS Code status bar.
Built on the KISS paradigm, this extension relies entirely on your local .git/config and ~/.ssh/config—zero external API calls, zero authentication friction, and zero background bloat. Perfect for developers, architects, and educators managing multiple organizational identities.
✨ Key Features
- Instant Visibility: Two unobtrusive status bar icons display your active Git identity (Name/Email) and your current remote transport protocol (HTTPS/SSH) for the active workspace.
- Frictionless Profile Switching: Click the identity icon to select a saved profile. The extension instantly updates the local repository's
user.name and user.email.
- Integrated Creation Flow: Add new profiles on the fly directly from the Quick Pick menu.
- Smart Protocol Routing: Click the transport icon to instantly toggle your
origin remote between standard HTTPS and your configured SSH aliases. Fully supports GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and custom Git servers.
- Auto-Parses SSH Config: Automatically reads
~/.ssh/config to provide a unified, flattened list of all your available SSH hosts.
- Deep Context Awareness: Silently adapts to the currently active editor or workspace folder, checking the native Git tree to ensure complete accuracy.
🚀 Usage
Managing Identity (Profiles)
- Look at the bottom-left status bar for the Account Icon (e.g.,
$(account) Work or $(question) Unknown).
- Click the icon to open the Profile Quick Pick menu.
- Select an existing profile to apply it locally, or select Create New Profile... to instantly configure and save a new identity.
Managing Transport (HTTPS / SSH)
- Look at the bottom-left status bar for the Lock/Key Icon (e.g.,
$(lock) HTTPS or $(key) SSH).
- Click the icon to open the Transport Quick Pick menu.
- Select your desired transport. The extension will safely execute
git remote set-url origin to seamlessly route your connection.
⚙️ Configuration
Profiles are stored in plain text in your global settings.json, making them easy to manage, sync, and audit.
"gitProfileProtocolSwitcher.profiles": [
{
"label": "Personal",
"name": "Jane Doe",
"email": "jane@example.com"
},
{
"label": "CoreBootcamp",
"name": "Jane Doe (Instructor)",
"email": "educator@corebootcamp.com"
}
]
To edit or remove profiles, simply click Manually manage profiles... from the status bar menu, or manually open your VS Code Settings and search for Git Profile-Protocol Switcher.
🔐 Git SSH Authentication Tips
Checkout the companion extension Git SSH Config Manager -
VS Marketplace
| Open VSX Registry for managing SSH Config for Git.
⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTE: The configurations below are fully automated by Git SSH Config Manager extension. This informational guide is provided so you can understand the underlying mechanics and validate your setup—especially when you want to juggle between multiple accounts across different Git providers.
SSH Keys for multiple identities
Create an .ssh folder in ~ (system home folder) if it does not exist.
In Windows: ~ = C:\Users\YourName
- Generate an ssh key file in the
~/.ssh folder, using the ssh-keygen command:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 100 -C "github-key-1" -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key1
This will generate:
- Private key:
~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key1
- Public key:
~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key1.pub
-t ed25519 → Algorithm: fixed and recommended.
-a 100 → KDF Rounds (optional): Makes local brute-force 100x harder.
-C "github-key-1" → Comment: human‑readable label (short text/email) for easy identification inside the key file. Ex: "GitHub-key-1", "work", "email-address", etc.
-f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key1 → File path and name for the key pair. Recommended descriptive filenames. Ex: id_ed25519-github, id_ed25519-work, etc.
- Add the key to your repository provider's SSH settings (e.g., GitHub):
Copy the content of your public key ~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key1.pub into GitHub (or your repository provider) → Settings → SSH and GPG keys.
Optional Configuration for multiple accounts [Personal, Work]:
Edit ~/.ssh/config:
Host github.com
HostName github.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key1
Host bitbucket.company.com
HostName bitbucket.company.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519-work
Use standard SSH repo URLs like:
git@github.com:usernameX/repo.git
git@bitbucket.company.com:usernameY/repo.git
Verify SSH setup
Run the following to confirm your key is working:
ssh -T git@github.com
# If successful, GitHub will reply:
# Hi usernameX! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.
ssh -T git@bitbucket.company.com
# If successful, GitHub will reply:
# Hi usernameY! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.
You may get a first-time warning. Continue connecting by typing yes.
The authenticity of host 'github.com (n.n.n.n)' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:+...x...y...z...U.
This key is not known by any other names.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'github.com' (ED25519) to the list of known hosts.
This will create two files (known_hosts, known_hosts.old) in your ~/.ssh folder.
Using Aliases (Multiple accounts on a single domain)
If you have multiple accounts on a single domain (e.g., GitHub), use aliases in your ~/.ssh/config:
Host github-userX
HostName github.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key1
Host github-userY
HostName github.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519-github-key2
Define different Host aliases with respective IdentityFiles for each account.
Then use repo URLs like:
Verify SSH setup with aliases
ssh -T git@github-userX
# If successful, GitHub will reply:
# Hi usernameX! You've successfully authenticated...
ssh -T git@github-userY
# If successful, GitHub will reply:
# Hi usernameY! You've successfully authenticated...
🔒 Privacy & Security
This extension is completely offline. It reads your local ~/.ssh/config strictly to parse hostnames for routing and sets local .git/config variables. It does not read, require, or transmit Personal Access Tokens (PATs), passwords, or repository contents.
🚀 Installation
Install via GUI:
- Open your IDE (VS Code, VSCodium, Antigravity, or Cursor)
- Go to the Extensions view
- Search for
Git Profile-Protocol Switcher and select this extension
- Click Install
Install from Marketplace / VSX Registry:
Install via Command Line:
- For VS Code:
code --install-extension spajs.git-profile-protocol-switcher
- For VSCodium:
codium --install-extension spajs.git-profile-protocol-switcher
- For Google Antigravity:
antigravity --install-extension spajs.git-profile-protocol-switcher
- For Cursor:
cursor --install-extension spajs.git-profile-protocol-switcher
☑️ Requirements
- VS Code v1.75.0 or higher
- Git installed and accessible in your system path
⚖️ License
MIT
🏠 Home
GitHub
