Emoji Remover — VS Code Extension
Keep your code clean and professional. Remove AI-generated emoji from comments, strings, and variable names in one click.
Why this exists
AI coding tools (Copilot, Cursor, ChatGPT, etc.) frequently inject emoji into generated code — in comments, docstrings, log messages, even variable names. This is an instant signal to code reviewers that the code is AI-generated. Emoji Remover strips them silently so your commits stay clean.
Features
| Feature |
Description |
| Remove from file |
Strip all emoji from the current open file |
| Remove from selection |
Strip emoji from highlighted text only |
| Remove from workspace |
Batch clean every source file in your project |
| Auto-remove on save |
Silently clean files every time you save |
| Status bar warning |
Shows emoji count in bottom bar with a click-to-fix shortcut |
| Inline diagnostics |
Underlines emoji-containing lines with a warning |
Usage
Keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+E (Mac) — removes emojis from the active file.
Command Palette
Open with Ctrl+Shift+P → type Emoji Remover:
Emoji Remover: Remove Emojis from FileEmoji Remover: Remove Emojis from SelectionEmoji Remover: Remove Emojis from Entire WorkspaceEmoji Remover: Toggle Auto-Remove on Save
Right-click in the editor → Remove Emojis from File or Remove Emojis from Selection.
Settings
Go to Settings → search emojiRemover:
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
emojiRemover.autoRemoveOnSave |
false |
Auto-clean on every save |
emojiRemover.showStatusBar |
true |
Show emoji count in status bar |
emojiRemover.preserveInStrings |
false |
Skip string literals (keep intentional UI emoji) |
emojiRemover.excludedLanguages |
["markdown","plaintext"] |
Languages to ignore during auto-save |
Installation (from source)
git clone https://github.com/your-username/emoji-remover
cd emoji-remover
npm install
npm run compile
Then press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.
Package as .vsix
npm run package
# Produces emoji-remover-1.0.0.vsix
Install it via Extensions → … → Install from VSIX.
What gets removed
- All Unicode emoji (Emoji_Presentation and Extended_Pictographic blocks)
- Flag sequences (e.g. 🇳🇵 🇬🇧)
- ZWJ sequences (family emoji, profession combos)
- Skin tone modifiers
- Variation selector-16 orphans left after removal
Markdown and plaintext files are excluded from auto-save by default (so your docs can still have emoji).
License
MIT
