Folder Focus

Toggle between showing all workspace folders and only the ones you're actively working on, in a multi-root VS Code workspace.

How it works

VS Code has no API to visually hide a workspace root, so the extension does the next best thing: it keeps a registry of every folder in your .code-workspace settings, then removes inactive folders from the workspace when focus mode is on and re-adds them when you turn it off. Nothing on disk is touched, and the full list survives window reloads because it lives in the workspace settings.

Commands

A status bar item (left side) shows the current mode, e.g. Focus 2/7, and toggles on click.

Usage

1. Open your multi-root workspace.
2. Run Folder Focus: Select Active Folders and tick the projects you're working on.
3. Toggle with Ctrl/Cmd+Alt+F (or click the status bar item).

Folders you add while focus mode is on are automatically treated as active.

Install from source

npm install
npm run compile
npx @vscode/vsce package        # produces folder-focus-0.1.0.vsix
code --install-extension folder-focus-0.1.0.vsix

Or for development: open this folder in VS Code and press F5 to launch an Extension Development Host.

Notes and caveats

• Use a saved workspace (File > Save Workspace As...). The registry lives in the .code-workspace file's settings; in an untitled workspace it only survives until the window is closed.
• If the first folder in the workspace is hidden or restored, VS Code restarts the extension host (a brief flicker). State is persisted, so everything comes back correctly.
• Hidden folders are genuinely out of the workspace while focused: search, tasks, and other extensions won't see them. That's usually the point, but worth knowing.
• At least one folder must always remain visible.