Terminal Error Sound

A VSCode extension that plays a custom sound when errors occur in the terminal. Never miss an error again, even when you're not actively watching the terminal!

Features

• Configurable Error Detection: Choose how errors are detected:

  • Text Patterns: Matches common error keywords like "error", "ERROR", "failed", "exception", etc.
  • Exit Codes: Triggers on non-zero exit codes from commands
  • Both: Combines both detection methods

• Custom Sound Files: Use your own sound file (.wav, .mp3, .ogg)

• Configurable Error Patterns: Customize which text patterns should trigger the sound

• Volume Control: Adjust the sound volume to your preference (0.0 to 1.0)

• Debouncing: Prevents sound spam by limiting how often the sound can play

• Status Bar Integration: Quick toggle to enable/disable the extension

• Test Command: Test your sound configuration with a single command

Requirements

This extension uses the play-sound npm package which relies on system audio players:

• Windows: Built-in audio support (no additional installation needed)
• macOS: Uses afplay (pre-installed)
• Linux: Requires one of the following audio players:
  • mplayer
  • mpg123 (for MP3)
  • aplay (for WAV)
  • sox

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• terminalErrorSound.enabled: Enable or disable the extension (default: true)
• terminalErrorSound.soundFilePath: Path to your custom sound file (supports .wav, .mp3, .ogg)
• terminalErrorSound.detectionMode: How to detect errors - "patterns", "exitCode", or "both" (default: "patterns")
• terminalErrorSound.errorPatterns: Array of text patterns to detect as errors
• terminalErrorSound.volume: Volume level for the error sound, 0.0 to 1.0 (default: 0.5)
• terminalErrorSound.debounceInterval: Minimum time in milliseconds between playing sounds (default: 2000)

Getting Started

1. Install the extension (once published) or run it from source
2. Configure your sound file:
   • Open VSCode Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+,)
   • Search for "Terminal Error Sound"
   • Set terminalErrorSound.soundFilePath to the path of your sound file
     • Example: C:/sounds/error.wav (Windows)
     • Example: /home/user/sounds/error.wav (Linux)
     • Example: /Users/username/sounds/error.wav (macOS)
3. Test your setup:
   • Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P)
   • Run: Terminal Error Sound: Test Sound
4. Trigger an error in your terminal to verify:
   • Run a command that fails (e.g., node nonexistent.js)
   • The sound should play!

Usage Examples

Example 1: Pattern-based Detection (Default)

{
  "terminalErrorSound.enabled": true,
  "terminalErrorSound.soundFilePath": "C:/sounds/error.wav",
  "terminalErrorSound.detectionMode": "patterns",
  "terminalErrorSound.errorPatterns": [
    "error:",
    "Error:",
    "ERROR",
    "failed",
    "npm ERR!"
  ]
}

This will trigger the sound whenever any of these patterns appear in terminal output.

Example 2: Exit Code Detection

{
  "terminalErrorSound.enabled": true,
  "terminalErrorSound.soundFilePath": "/home/user/sounds/beep.mp3",
  "terminalErrorSound.detectionMode": "exitCode"
}

This will trigger the sound only when a command exits with a non-zero exit code.

Example 3: Custom Patterns for Specific Tools

{
  "terminalErrorSound.enabled": true,
  "terminalErrorSound.soundFilePath": "~/sounds/error.ogg",
  "terminalErrorSound.detectionMode": "patterns",
  "terminalErrorSound.errorPatterns": [
    "FAIL",
    "AssertionError",
    "Test failed",
    "[ERROR]",
    "Build failed"
  ]
}

Customize patterns to match your specific development tools and frameworks.

Commands

• Terminal Error Sound: Test Sound - Test your sound configuration
• Terminal Error Sound: Toggle Enable/Disable - Quickly enable or disable the extension

Tips

1. Finding Sound Files: You can download free sound effects from:

   • Freesound.org
   • Zapsplat.com
   • Or create your own!

2. Volume Not Working?: The play-sound library uses system audio players, which may not all support volume control. If volume adjustment doesn't work, adjust the volume of your sound file itself or use your system volume controls.

3. Too Many Alerts?: Increase the debounceInterval setting to reduce notification frequency.

4. Status Bar: Click the status bar item (speaker icon) to quickly toggle the extension on/off.

Known Issues

• Volume control may not work with all audio formats/system players
• Terminal output monitoring has limitations in VSCode's API and may not capture all output in some scenarios
• Exit code detection only works for tasks, not direct terminal commands in all cases

Development

To run this extension in development mode:

1. Clone the repository
2. Run npm install
3. Run npm run compile
4. Press F5 to open a new VSCode window with the extension loaded

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

MIT

Release Notes

0.0.1

Initial release:

• Pattern-based error detection
• Exit code error detection
• Custom sound file support
• Configurable error patterns
• Volume control
• Debouncing
• Status bar integration
• Test command