A VS Code extension to inspect Docker build context files, understand ignore rules, and preview unsaved changes.
See why a file is excluded and how a rule edit changes the context.
Features
Inspect the context. See included and excluded files, their logical sizes, and included directory totals. Search by relative path or filter by state to find the files you care about.
Explain the rules. Select a file to see the rules that changed its inclusion state, then jump to the corresponding line. The panel identifies the active ignore file, including Dockerfile-specific rules.
Preview unsaved changes. Compare draft rules with the saved file set and size totals before saving. See which files would be added or removed as you edit.
Run Dockerignore: Inspect Build Context, click Select context, and choose your context directory and Dockerfile. For a quick trial, run Dockerignore: Open Example instead.
Select a file to inspect its rule trace; click a rule to open the matching line.
Edit the active ignore file without saving and review Draft impact. Undo restores the previous result. Use Refresh after filesystem changes.
For manual installation, download the matching VSIX from GitHub Releases and run Extensions: Install from VSIX….
Requirements and limitations
VS Code Desktop 1.137.0+, on Apple Silicon macOS or glibc Linux x64, in a local, trusted workspace. Windows, Remote SSH, WSL, Dev Containers, Web, and other architectures are unsupported.
Sizes are logical regular-file sizes, not image sizes or actual transfer amounts. Symlink targets are not traversed or counted.
Processing is local, with no telemetry or uploads. Using the extension does not require Docker.
Inspect one context and Dockerfile at a time; Compose, Bake, and build-stage behavior are not interpreted. Incomplete scans and unreadable entries are labeled. Rules are not edited automatically.
